STEYN: America's dystopian future?

Rush Limbaugh says any person or entity will be liberal if it isn't actively and thoughtfully conservative. If conservatives cannot actively and thoughtfully EDUCATE the public, then there is no hope. The line on the graph will continue uphill.

STEYN: America's Dystopian Future? 11/10/08 Mr. Steyn says that the nation may well be at the tipping point toward irreversible socialism, because we now have one-and-a-half political parties that give the people a choice between left and lefter. I think it's much worse than that: I believe that for the past ten years or so, the U.S. has had a single political-party with two wings that compete with each other only on style and personalities--not on substance. The reason is simple: the politicians have all been bought up by the same vested interests, so they all have the same bosses, and take the same orders. Look past the rhetoric to the substance. The Democrats want to create an all-powerful central government by taxing the public to provide the funding. The Republicans want to create an all-powerful central government by borrowing from the Chinese to provide the funding. Same result: socialism. The Democrats want to destroy the U.S. as a sovereign nation by handing the governance of our country to the UN. The Republicans want to do it by handing the governance of our country to a bunch of international trade-organizations which will then be folded into the UN. Same result: global socialism Both "parties" are doing everything they can to keep our border with Mexico wide open so the illegals will continue to flood in. Both "parties" (rhetoric aside) have been doing everything they can to help our supercapitalists ship our manufacturing jobs overseas, thus destroying the real productivity of our country. Until a few months ago, when the Republicans desperately needed a campaign issue, both "parties" (and Big Oil) had gone along with the liberals' demand to curtail the domestic drilling for oil, even though our entire economy is based upon unlimited access to low-priced oil. And the big news-media pretend that none of this has been happening. You can see the initial results. The politicians no longer even pretend to care about what the public wants, because the politicians no longer have to. The public is going to get basically the same kind of government, no matter which "party" gets elected. The vested interests run the country; the public is powerless; and consequently, we the people are no longer citizens. We are the subjects (servants) of our government--just as the Founding Fathers predicted would happen if we didn't stay on top of the government all the time.

Having emigrated from the US to Europe over 15 years ago, Mr Steyn's dire predictions seem all too likely to me. Europe in the early 90's was just starting it's inexorable slide to the left. My ex-pat friends and myself used to complain bitterly about the high taxes and general lack of ambition to make thing better which we saw in most European countries. Most of us had planned to return to the US at some point but increasingly over the last few years I have seen more and more dis-illusioned Americans returning to Europe as ex-pats again. Why? Because there really is very little difference these days; Taxes in the US are now higher than in many European countries; The Federal government is more involved in everyday life than ever; and there is a dangerous trend amongst new voters to actually consider both of these developments to be good things. One thing, however, is still different; European countries have always had Socialist tendencies and are able to operate succesfully despite less than optimum efficiency. The US doesn't have this experience and is unlikely to be able to implement a fully functioning model of government which seeks to achieve what Europe has; it simply can't be done by one President in two terms (if that) no matter how much change he is promising. So what's left? The muddle in the middle as the English say; an America that has ceased to lead the world and instead tries unsuccesfully to copy Europe's limited success with left wing politics; all the while failing to understand that Europe is successful despite it's Socialist roots, not because of them.

Well, FDR created a monster and the monster must be fed. Give us more and we want more. American government has become a many-headed hydra. Which one do we lop off first? So, those old deadly sins were real after all: Sloth, pride, greed, etc.? Guess so. Will the illuminati never learn? Or will it take the monster's extinction?

In addition to Mr. Steyn, both Cornelius and collardgreens1 have it right! That is the story of history: complacency encourages the "insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding," of which Brandeis spoke; and keep people like Peggy Joseph of Sarasota, FL from having to THINK, much less worry about putting gas in her car, or paying her mortgage. Indeed, most people would much rather that someone else take care of them, rather than taking care of themselves, which involves something really dastardly, to wit, work. Now, I would, myself, like to not have to work if I did not wish to, but the only way to do that without giving up my liberty and freedom is to be wealthy. Short of being born that way, or having all the loot dropped into my lap by a forgotten or unknown uncle, or winning the lottery (yeah, right, even more remote than the uncle), the only way to achieve financial independence IS work. However, who wants to do that when we can give up everything in order for our government to take care of us. Wait a minute! Give up everything? Uh, yep. Trouble is, 90% of the masses are so against thinking and working for themselves that they never manage to recognise that reality--until it is too late, as in Nazi Germany, "Communist" Russia and China, Cuba, dictatorial Argentina, ditto Italy, and, and, and. Well, who is next. We have looked the enemy in the face, and he is US! Oops, what did I say?

And what would you do, Mr. Steyn? The reality is this country has problems, and the majority of the voters think Obama will be able to lead Congress, the public and the world to better solutions. That's why I voted for him. I didn't vote for McCain because McCain couldn't even lead his campaign - how could he possibly lead the country? And contrary to a number of responders, I believe most people value their independance and freedom, are willing to work for it, and don't mind paying the tab when it comes to quality education, universal health care, and the like.

The recent election is simply the culmination of a complex process that started back with Woodrow Wilson's handler, "Colonel" Edward M. House. With the institution of the income tax and the creation of the Federal Reserve, America began its decline into a bureaucratic behemoth destined for a minor role in a socialist/fascist world government. The elite "leadership", and most of the rank-and-file elected members of both parties are now total, if mostly covert, supporters of this - thus the porous border they refuse to close, leftist candidates for president from both parties, both parties pushing amnesty, constant attacks on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, refusal by Congress to crack down on "judges" legislating from the bench, the "economic crisis" and "bailout" whose main effect seems to be to consolidate financial power in far fewer hands, and form the basis of calls for a world currency and world financial regulation (see Britains's Prime Minister Brown's recent speech where he talks about the "new world order". Americans have been incrementally prepared for for this by the government schools and complicit leftist teacher's unions, the leftist "mainstream" media and the "entertainment" industry, and "world opinion". The outrageously unqualified Obama - he's not even really black, for Pete's sake! - is merely medium, if you will, by which the final blocks will be removed from America's foundation of liberty. Unless a miracle happens, and the few remaining conservatives in Congress manage to get their colleagues to grow spines stiff enough to challenge the blatant fraud and criminal abuse of campaign finance and election laws by Obama and the Democrats, we may have seen the last semblance of a free election in America...

Steyn's "America's Dystopian Future?" is absolutely correct but he is just paraphrasing Alexander Tytler who wrote in 1776---"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses, over loose fiscal policy, followed by a dictatorship." Alexander Tytler, Scottish Professor (1776). royce barron