The American Dream. IS it Lost Forever?
Photo: Tea Party, Vero Beach, FL. By Freedom, by the way.- The federal budget and deficit.
- State budgets and deficits.
- Over-bearing legislation and regulation.
- Sell-out politicians.
- Political correctness.
- The federal government’s war on the free market system and capitalism.
- The public school system.
- Government control over our health/bodies/personal property, etc.
- The misuse of tax dollars.
- Concern for “the world” before concern for America.
- Government’s blatant ignoring and sometimes outright disdain for our constitution and personal freedom.
- The list goes on and on and on.
If you’re not depressed enough already, I direct you to a post on Quantum Pranx: A Middle East warning: American-style democracy isn’t the answer, which is a repost of a column by Ron Holland.
In his piece, Holland quotes from an interview by Russia Today of Anthony Wile, chief editor of The Daily Bell. I encourage you to read the entire piece. I am including portions here:
- “US-style regulatory democracy is a government-intensive approach that seeks to regulate almost every facet of human behavior and uses concerns for people’s “safety” as a justification for tremendous authoritarianism at home…”
- “The representative features of democracy also have major flaws because this model allows powerful domestic special interests at home or foreign power elites to easily buy off a majority of parliament members and control the government and monetary policies of the nation state. … it is a very simple matter to buy majority control of representatives who should be representing the citizens but instead sell their souls to outside interests.”
- “The worst problem with US-style democracy is the illusion that individuals or voters have power or control over the government. Yes, you get to vote and protest which on the surface might appear an improvement over a government structure controlled by a few at the top but this brings up the fatal weakness of regulatory and representative democracy as is practiced in Europe and the West today.”
- “In order to create the illusion of benefits to voters, these democracies have to borrow massive amounts of money to buy votes and benefits today and most of the burdensome costs are placed on future generations. Therefore sovereign-debt-financed democracy can only exist as long as investors are willing to purchase the treasury debt obligations to finance this kind of welfare/warfare state. Heavily indebted Europe and America are now rapidly reaching the end of this fatal debt Ponzi scheme cycle as the current and future tax revenues cannot service the debt.”
- “The end of the debt spiral is here for the western democracies and this is why the world economy is crashing and inflation is now destroying the ability of the working poor around the world to feed themselves.”
The article goes on to espouse the virtues of Swiss Confederation Democracy where voters have more direct control of legislation through referendum, and thus the Swiss people are able to self-govern to a much higher degree than Americans.
I am not familiar with the Swiss form of government but I plan to educate myself. I do believe if every President and elected representative following George Washington had strictly adhered to the Constitution, the US would still be the standard-bearer system of government for the world.
While I have to grudgingly agree with most of what Holland writes. (And It so hurts my optimistic spirit to do so!) I do not buy into the notion that it’s all over.
If we have learned anything from the Tea Party movement and the last election, it is that there are good citizens and even a few good politicians who are striving to make our Constitution a centerpiece of American government once more.
As long as we still have freedom of speech and a free press, I believe the American Dream still has a chance.
Regulation, especially of food, is troubling. Interestingly, a town in Maine (I think) recently declared itself food sovereign. I don’t think of myself as so old, but I never would have imagined food would become so political.
Food sovereign. That’s a new one. I like it! (with fries, please).
I went back and found the blog with the details. The link is http://tomazgreco.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/maine-town-declares-food-sovereignty/
Guess I’m food sovereign. I had angel food cake with strawberries for breakfast!
I am warning everyone I can about what is coming down the pike. Unfortunately, living in NYC, an extremely Progressive town, no one is listening. I am afraid that they are all in for a rude awakening.
But we MUST keep at it. We will get no pleasure out of saying, “I told you so.” Thanks for stopping by, bydesign001.
Rule by referendum sounds like mob rule, which has always been the problem with pure democracy. I prefer our idea of Constitutional Republicanism, though in practice, Constitutionalism was partially dismantled by Progressives when they managed to get the 17th Amendment enacted. Holland is wrong about one thing: regulatory democracy is not democracy. It is soft tyranny.
Hopefully we are now on the right path in trying to reduce the size of Government. This is becoming an Epic Struggle and as long as there are Americans still willing to stand up and defend Our Constitution we have a chance. Great Post Freedom and together we must fight on for the ultimate goal of ending Progressive Socialism in these United States of America.
Thanks, Bob Mack & Samiam 60! Great points!
Bob and Sam are correct.
The Peter Principle is in play in the White House administration.
The problem is We the People have to wait on the other legislators to enact restrictions to further curb the destruction of the republic that has outpaced the rest of the world.
Here’s an example.re:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/03/barack_obama_a_management_appr.html
It is here Freedom, come check it out and let me know if you get in:
while there are many points that on the surface appear to be good points, I don’t agree that our system is all wrong or even part wrong. What he fails to mention is the fact that since 1850 the founders of the present NEA, devout Marxist, worked their way into our educational system and set up a statis school system throughout the nation like the old Prussian schools and have slowly changed the ideological views of many through the gradual manipulation of History and the social mores of our society, such as patriotism, God, political correctness, and such. There has also been a steady infiltration of socialists/communists/Marxists into our government at the Federal, state, and local level. These same groups have also worked their way into local groups, Churches, PTA’s, civic organizations locally and statewide. They cal it a 3-tier approach and have used Saul Alinsky’s, “Rules for radicals,” and what they were taught at Alinsky’s Organization Chicago, I believe, to recruit inner city minorities and organize them. This group has tried repeatedly to make their “fundamental” changes in America and were stopped dead until this latest movement which began in the late ’90′s.
They will do anything to advance their cause. With the money George Soros has invested in their cause for the last 25 years, especially of late, they have managed to gain control of the Democratic Party. The last Campaign finance law sealed the party’s fate in that regard. Soros, Hillary Clinton, Harold Ickes, and others already had a network of 501′s and 527′s set up in a web almost impossible to trace. So they “bought” the party.
We need to turn the tables on them. The Tea Party is doing a great job;, but, they and everyone else who has begun to fight back keeps failing to talk about how the socialists are using Alinsky’s book and methods. They refuse to use their own tactics against these traitors. They refuse to force the media to be honest and accountable. So, many people I talk to simply think anyone who tells them about all this are nut cases. They count on us following our “rigid code of ethics.!” I say fight fire with fire!
Study Alinsky’s “rules for Radicals.” Every time they use his tactics and bait us throw it back. Tell them, “I know what you’re doing! Isn’t that rule $%#&^? KNOW THINE ENEMY! It isn’t over until we breathe our last breath or the “fat lady sings!”
It IS very frustrating to watch, devil dog. The two sides are playing with different sets of rules. We have to stop assuming that the left will abide by any type of ethics, because they don’t. It’s all about power and control for them and the end always justifies the means, no matter how unethical.
I am familiar with the Swiss Confederacy model and you’re more familiar with it than you think. It closely analogous to what is practiced in California.
Think about that and the state of California’s economy whenever anyone touts the Swiss model as being appropriate for America.
Thanks for the insight, Jonolan. That comparison certainly sheds some light on Holland’s point. CA? Don’t think so! Thanks for stopping by.
I dunno anything about Swiss government either, but I’ll note that their total population is less than 8 million. In other words, somewhere b/t the population of Washington State and Virginia. And that makes for a heckuva big difference in how the government operates. The smaller the gov’t and the more homogenous the people, the less problem they have with consensus, overcentralization, and other federal v. state issues. Comparing Switzerland and the US is kinda apples and oranges.
It’s even hard to compare us to the UK, with it’s 62 million.
Good point. A form of government that works (more or less) in a small country with a relatively homogeneous population would be a complete failure in a country as large and heterogeneous as the U.S.
Oh, and, yeah some things are looking pretty bleak lately. But like the weeds that grow in the worst soil–even thru cracks in the concrete, freedom survives better than we think.
Nice analogy. What makes it so bad though is that unlike other countries fighting for freedom right now, our freedoms are supposed to be guaranteed and closely guarded by our elected officials.
Who told you that bit of bullshit? Even our Founders wrote of the fragility of our liberty and the solemn duty of every American to defend it – even against our own government who they predicted would go bad at some point.
jonolan, of course it is our duty to defend our freedoms. However, our elected officials are sworn to uphold the constitution. Most do not.
Take a deep breath. (Sometimes these topics bring out a lot of anger). For jolt of joviality, which I am feeling the need for, visit Blue Bird of Bitterness, http://bluebirdofbitterness.wordpress.com or Simone Benedict. http://simonebenedict.wordpress.com/ . They have absolutely nothing to do with this topic–just brain soothers.
Great post, Freedom.
This sentence captured my attention:
“US-style regulatory democracy is a government-intensive approach that seeks to regulate almost every facet of human behavior”
The media and corporate marketing machine is complicit in this as well. The heart of the problem is human nature. We tend to trust in others to have the right answers when we can have pretty good answers ourselves.
I’m reading Ben Franklin’s autobiography right now. His journey and character were amazing. His experiences 200+ years ago still ring true today. But he did things to make things better. He was lucky. But are not many of us, as well? That book is teaching me how we can recreate the American dream in our troubled times. There is really no shortage of good ideas. We only think there is.
Thank you, Heather. I read a biography of Franklin a few years ago and his life and accomplishments are truly inspirational. Let’s not forget that in addition to his genius, he was able to labor in freedom from regulation in many of his endeavors. (Can you imagine the red tape one would have to go through today to start something as benign as a public library?)
Thanks so much for visiting!
Franklin was an amazing man.
He had a goal, and was determined to stick with it.
When the Constitution was ratified in 1787, he was in his 80′s but it did not deter him from the goal he desired for this country.
He also started the post office.
Great point…To begin any endeavor in America today seems like an uphill battle from go.
The Autobiography of Ben Franklin is worth another read. I wish I could find my copy.
Thanks for the mention, Freedom!
Amazon offers the Compleated Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (ed. Mark Skousen). From the blurb:
Benjamin Franklin’s celebrated Autobiography, published after his death, is one of the greatest autobiographies of all time… but it was incomplete. Franklin ended his life’s story in 1757, when he was only fifty-one. He planned to write more—a lot more, but never did. He lived another thirty-three full, eventful, and dramatic years, some of the most dramatic years in American history, years in which Franklin was America’s advocate in London, represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress, and was America’s wartime ambassador to France. During these years Franklin also helped write our nation’s Constitution and planned an American Empire that would displace the British Empire. Franklin is one of the most fascinating of the Founding Fathers—a polymath like Jefferson, a practical statesman like Washington, and a cynic and wit beyond parallel. Now, at last, in The Compleated Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin, we finally get the rest of the story, in Franklin’s own words. Faithfully compiled and edited from Franklin’s papers by Dr. Mark Skousen— Franklin’s descendant, acting as his devoted secretary—this is the closest we will ever get to Franklin sitting down in his study in Philadelphia, dipping quill into ink, and finishing his autobiography.
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Freedom, I have featured this Article over at the Village of the Banned. I hope you like it.
Thank you, Sam! I am honored! This was a good one to choose for Village of the Banned–it’s garnered more comments than any post I’ve done thus far.
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I just subscribed to your site. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, xoutsocialism! With a blog name like that I’ll be over for a visit shortly!
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