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To: ConradofMontferrat; FreeAtlanta
The collectivism, redistributionism regime of so-called "progressives" holding power in America today is leading to more dependence on government, which translates into less freedom for individuals.

The following is excerpted from an essay entitled The Responsibility of Citizens in "Our Ageless Constitution."

"What follows, if we are to judge by the history of fallen civilizations, is described by Albert Jay Nock in his book Memoirs of a Superfluous Man (1943):

"... closer centralization; a steadily growing bureaucracy; State power and faith in State power increasing; social power and faith in social power diminishing; the State absorbing a continually larger proportion of the national income; production languishing; the State in consequence taking over one 'essential industry' after another, managing them with ever-increasing corruption, inefficiency, and prodigality, and finally resorting to a system of forced labor. Then at some point in this process a collision of State interests, at least as general and as violent as that which occurred in 1914, will result in an industrial and financial dislocation too severe for the asthenic [weak] social structure to bear; and from this the State will be left to 'the rusty death of machinery' and the casual anonymous forces of dissolution."

Can we, then, conclude that no matter by which "ism" it is called, any set of ideas not consistent with the principles underlying America's Declaration of Independence and Constitutional limits on coercive government power is inconsistent with individual liberty?

14 posted on 12/25/2012 9:19:52 AM PST by loveliberty2 ( -)
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To: loveliberty2
Can we, then, conclude that no matter by which "ism" it is called, any set of ideas not consistent with the principles underlying America's Declaration of Independence and Constitutional limits on coercive government power is inconsistent with individual liberty?

The only conclusion that one can make! You have basically distilled the quote down to the kernel that sums it up about as good as it gets.

I'd also like to note that he was referring to other situations in the past, but just damn, if one can't see that history repeats itself when one refuses to look at history correctly, one is BOUND to make the same mistakes over and over again. And so we are.

17 posted on 12/25/2012 9:42:24 AM PST by ConradofMontferrat (According to mudslimz, my handle is a HATE CRIME. And I HOPE they don't like it.)
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