Where Are We Headed

Over the last year or more we have seen the immergence of various groups touting a myriad of political, social and economical views. We are blaming our President for being a socialist and moving us towards a socialist society. We have seen the immergence of the Tea Party which follows a more Libertarian path, and we are seeing the reemergence of Anarchists and Progressives. The common political phrases and parties we are used to just don’t seem to have the same meanings anymore and the word Capitalism has become a four letter word. It used to be you were a Republican or a Democrat with either more conservative, liberal or even centrist leanings. Now those terms are all mixed together, there are conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans. Neither of these are the parties of our Grandparents, or even our parents. So just where are we headed and why.

How many people in America really know what’s going on? With all these different movements and parties coming forward and getting on their soap boxes the majority of the American populace will naturally follow what is the perceived to be the most stable and safest path, the one the Government is taking us down. The problem is that the majority of the populace does not even know what path that is, they are the sheep being led to the slaughter.

The ultimate result of the path we are currently on is Totalitarianism. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines this as a political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority. Some believe that true Communism is a political and economical plan that means a completely classless society with no Government and everyone owns everything. If that were true then it would be called Anarchy. Communism as defined by The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production It goes on to say that it is the final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably. This could lead one to believe that the end is Utopia, the perfect society, the impossible society for social growth. The Elite will never relinquish their power or position, we can never be a Utopian society nor do we ever want to be a Utopian society in the world we now live in. Totalitarianism is Communism. We are now opening our arms out of ignorance to the very thing we have fought against in other countries, right or wrong, in the past. Many confuse Socialism with Communism; Socialism is just a stepping stone to Communism. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Socialism as;
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.

Capitalism is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market. To date the Government has allowed Capitalism and free trade to continue only because it was in the best interest of the Government. We have been a socialist country for years. We want to reward no work with welfare, we have controlled production through the use of farm subsidies to not farm certain crops in order to control the market, and we have proven that the Government does not believe in private property by the use of imminent domain in the name of progress. Sure in imminent domain you are paid for your property but you have no recourse to keep your property, you either accept the offer the Government gives you or they will take what ever measures they can to get it.

Socialism is just an economic system while Communism is an economic and political system. The website wisegeek.com states it well when they say that Socialists “see capitalism as a possible part of the ideal state and believe that socialism can exist in a capitalist society. In fact, one of the ideas of socialism is that everyone within the society will benefit from capitalism as much as possible as long as the capitalism is controlled somehow by a centralized planning system” while Communists “assert that both capitalism and private ownership of the means of production must be done away with as soon as possible in order to make sure a classless society”.

There have been other programs that have been passed in history that are socialistic plans, namely, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we just never looked at it that way since the evolution to Socialism has been a slow and steady progression. In recent months we have seen even more proof that we are headed towards not only a Socialistic society but progressing even closer to a Communist society. The Government bailouts and subsequent control of auto manufacturers and home mortgage companies, the Health Care bill passing which will allow the Government to control every aspect of our lives in order to receive health care, and the more recent signing of the bill to make the Government the sole provider of student loans. Other steps are being taken to assert even more control over our lives with the Cap and Trade bill which will control how we are to use energy, something that came from the free thinking of individuals, not from a Government. The current administration believes it is now time for change and capitalism and free trade are no longer necessary for the Government to accomplish its desired goal, the closet door has been opened and all the skeletons that have been hidden for decades are coming out to haunt us and to try and change the country to what they want it to be. This is the transparency they promised us.

Much of today’s society agrees with the Socialist plan, but do they really know why? When accepting handouts from the Government they care not where it comes from, only that they get it. The now all too famous quote out of Detroit “Obamas’ stash” is indicative of how many people think. They believe the Government has an endless supply of money to provide them with all the benefits they believe they are entitled to. There is no endless stash; there are only the backs of those that are willing to work. If we continue down the path to a Communist society there will be fewer and fewer free will workers, we will become a society of slave labor. In the current society we have there are fewer incentives for entrepreneurs to open businesses and create jobs for the masses. As we lose the American entrepreneurial spirit the Government will seize control of businesses, once again exerting more control over our lives. Once the number of recipients to the Government entitlements exceeds the ability of the workers to provide what will happen to the recipients? Will the Government just forget them? Will there be rationing of health care, food, housing and all the other things the recipients have come accustomed to? Or will the recipient become a slave to the State? If the recipient becomes a slave to the State what is to keep the State from making all workers slaves? To determine for each of us what job we will perform, where we will perform it and exactly how much compensation we will receive for our work, including what type and size of home we may live in, how much food we may have and what kind of vehicle we may have if any at all. This may sound crazy but is it? There are better choices, but none of them are perfect, there is no Utopia.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a Libertarian is one who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state and one who believes in free will. This type of Government, the type that the framers of the Constitution imagined they were giving to us, believes that the people have the power and the Government is just there to protect the people from criminals foreign and domestic. A Government of this type is called a Republic. The only way a Republic can survive is if the citizens of the Republic are willing to get involved and stay involved. Citizen involvement is the only way to prevent the growth of a Tyrannical Government, a Government that believes it’s power is without boundaries.

Another social system worth mentioning at this point is Anarchism. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary Anarchism is defined as a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups. In an Anarchist system there are no laws and no Government, therefore order within the communities is up to the citizens and the citizens alone, sounds like what some call Communism.

The best recent examples of Anarchical systems were towns in the Old West. Many towns were established before the territories became States and even in some cases before the territories were even under the control of the United States Government. As the communities grew they would differ to a man that showed himself to be a natural leader. In some cases this system worked, in others it lead to greed and lawlessness. This is the major difference between an Anarchical system and a Libertarian system, some law, some form of Government is needed.

Unfortunately in both of these systems the downfall will always trace its roots back to human nature, at least human nature as I see it. Human nature is different in all men; in some men it means strong morals, strong work ethics and a strong belief in what is right and wrong. In others it can be a distorted view on rights and wrongs with morals that are questionable. This can lead to the belief that only the strong should survive, a belief that they can take what they want without a concern for others rights to property, a belief that they do not have to work for what they have, they only have to take. In the Anarchical system this leads only to the total ruin of the system, in the Libertarian system the same ruin will occur but not as quickly, it will be a slower lose of freedoms and rights, only tempered by the presence of a Government. In the Libertarian system the people can prevent the lose of their rights and freedoms by staying involved, staying informed and not allowing the Government to grow out of control, like it has done. At the end of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 when asked whether we had a Republic or a Monarchy Benjamin Franklin replied “A Republic if you can keep it”, the facts say we have lost it. With the current status of the United States it’s easy to understand why there is an increase in the Anarchists movement.

The American people fell asleep long ago and they are just now starting to wake up. Unfortunately it may to too late and too few. The American people trusted the Government to do what the right thing for far too long. Americans were blind to the changes that were occurring, blind to the slow but steady growth of the Government, not only in size but in power. The American people as a whole became lazy and comfortable with the success and progress the country made, we were happy to let the Government take care of all problems without bothering the citizenry. The American people even welcomed the assistance of the Government while never once asking where this assistance actually came from, never realizing that what they were accepting was the permission to take their liberties away, the very liberties men fought for and the Constitution was written to protect. The people of the United States allowed the Government to run unchecked for far to long, allowed career politicians to become the norm replacing the Statesman. One only needs to read the Declaration of Independence to see what we are headed for, or what we have even surpassed already, the very Government America declared independence from.

Yes a form of Government is needed, it should be there to protect the borders and protect the citizens from wrongs against their rights. Not a Government that controls peoples rights. To have this type of Government every citizen must be involved, must be informed.