Too Big Not To Fail
“In a country where the sole employer is the State, opposition means death by slow starvation. The old principle: who does not work shall not eat, has been replaced by a new one: who does not obey shall not eat.” Leon Trotsky, 1937, from “The Revolution Betrayed: What is the Soviet Union and Where is it Going?”
Fast forward to 2010 USA. The government bureaucrats at every level have taken control of the economy. They cause themselves to be paid exorbitant sums for little work while dictating to those who do work the rules they must work under. Then the government bureaucrats take the cream. They are better paid than their private sector counterparts, have little fear of job loss (current economic conditions notwithstanding) and have a well paid retirement, triple dipping in some cases. With leadership like that there is small wonder the economy is in the doldrums, as those who lead believe prosperity comes from the government. It is led by those who believe bonds are free money. It is led by those who believe borrowing is a good method of operating government, yet complain when the bills come due.
Angelo Codevilla makes the argument that there is a ‘Ruling Class’ of some 15 percent of the population, which dictates to the ‘Country Class’ how they must live. In his book “The Ruling Class,” he goes into detail about the differences and at the end tells the reader the chances of success of change at the voting booth are small. This is because the government bureaucrats and elected representatives have spread the idea of ‘free’ so widely that the people of the Country Class have become addicted to the programs that benefit them. Being addicted they will not be willing to give them up, even though they must to save themselves. But by not giving them up we will follow the footsteps of Greece, and now France and England, for where we go.
Those who work and produce have been very successful in their ventures, so much so there is great excess. The few who are farmers can now produce so much excess that food waste is ubiquitous, and still we are a country where even the poor are fat. There are many homes with two and three cars in the driveway, a boat out back, clothes stuffing the closets and electronic equipment in every imaginable place, including people’s ears.
Wealth is not the problem. Wealth is the problem. We are so well off we have hardly noticed as government has taken more and more to give to those who don’t produce. The actual numbers are staggering. 58,000,000 on Social Security. 5,000,000 on welfare. Another 5,000,000 on unemployment. 22,000,000 collecting government checks and only 110,000,000 working to pay for all those who aren’t.
Why? Because we can. And because we can, we have paid little attention to the the tremendous amount of taking that is done by those who can take. The taking occurs at every level of government. Still, it is difficult to complain when, despite how much government takes, there is still plenty to consume. It is that attitude which causes the problem to get worse. China understands that to keep the people complacent they must let them have enough to keep them from revolt, but I haven’t seen that our government understands that. Those in our government continue to become more gluttonous and add more to their membership, making it ever more difficult for those who pay. Then those in government and their sycophants complain because the taxpayers don’t pay enough.
Only recently has the average taxpayer taken exception. Finally, the women of the household see the future and complain. They and like others form organizations, tea parties in today’s world, and begin the hard work to change what has become the norm. They are derided by those who rule, but are not yet summarily placed in jail because fortunately those who rule do not yet completely control government. But they are close. When you understand that the Democratic Party is the party of the Ruling Class and their associates, you will understand the how your government will continue to be turned against you.
Already those in power do not care if they follow the law, so they break the law and remain unpunished. Harry Reid said ‘who cares about Senate Rules, I’ll make my own’. Nancy Pelosi said, without fear of retribution, ‘who cares what the Constitution says, I’ll do what I damn well please’. Obama said ‘ who cares about corporate law, I’ll give the money to the unions if I want to’. And these people remain our leaders with the support of substantial portions of the population. It is this portion of the population that is the problem and it is they who will continue to eat when those who work are told ‘obey or you won’t eat’. It is they who must be reeducated to believe in the America where hard work is rewarded and sloth is derided.
It will be difficult, as many enjoy the fruits of other’s labor. It will be difficult, as there are many who would rather avoid the responsibility of their own actions. It will be difficult, but it will be much worse than it is now if we continue the road we are on. It will be your children and their children who learn the meaning of Trotsky’s words, “…who does not obey shall not eat.”
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