The Federation of James Melee is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by President with an even hand, and remarkable for its ubiquitous missile silos, compulsory military service, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate population of 10.747 billion James Meleeans have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Education, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of James Melee city. The average income tax rate is 79.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming James Meleean economy, worth 801 trillion Credits a year, is quite specialized and mostly made up of the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 74,615 Credits, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.4 times as much as the poorest.

Teenagers are told they're not thinking about sex enough, families waiting for delayed pipe installations hope daily for rain, professional athletes juggle part-time jobs to avoid bankruptcy, and fixing attendance at women's matches is a matter of "when they go low, we go high... funding". Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. James Melee's national animal is the Tiger, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

James Melee is ranked 34,710^th in the world and 1,972^nd in Lazarus for Most Cultured, scoring 77 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.