Posted on 02/17/2009 8:48:10 AM PST by jessduntno
Prior to the past 40 years, success did hinge on ability. Then the country discovered multiculturalism, diversity, and affirmative action, and it has been a down hill slide ever since.
Ability presupposes learned things, and learned things presupposes intelligence. But "intelligence", in the bibles of the new liberal theologians, is a culturally derived bias, and need not be considered. If people have been randomly "lucky" (i.e. smart) in the sweepstakes of life, Government can correct all that through the re-distribution of money with the ability to tax and regulate, by taking money earned by the lucky (the smart) and giving it to the unlucky (the ignorant), provided that the unlucky (the ignorant) appreciate the government action by rewarding that government with continous votes.
Ultimately, the small group of educated people recognize that the only place to be is in politics, for every other endeavor is regulated by the same politicians who are, at the same time, making this year's public education even dumber that last years, thus driving the process of political totalitarianism from both top and bottom.
Alexis de Tocqueville, the French statesman, traveler, and historian, predicted (in "Democracy in America") the eventual triumph of political demogogues when he visited this country in 1832. He noted that American democracy was a great experiment, but that when the Unlucky, combined with the politicians which fed on them (he said "Americans", but these two groups are what he meant) discovered that they could vote themselves money from the public till, the experiment would be over.
On November 4, 2008, the American people, by a 52/47 split, knowingly voted in Socialism. The prophecy has been fulfilled.
(Excerpt) Read more at naciente.com ...
for your consideration
He also stated that people will tend to vote for equality rather than liberty. different route same ending
Yes, the prophecy has been fulfilled. One must wonder, though, how salvation will finally be delivered. A reign of despots traditionally runs its course and is finally replaced. If I were a betting man, I would bet on an eventual military coup. Sooner, better than later, but probably not in my lifetime. And my wish for “sooner” is based on our current military leadership.
I would say of the 52% who voted for Obama, a significant percentage were oblivious to the socialist nature of the candidate. (I hope.)
a military coup? not likely.
Yes. I couldn’t get the link to publish it - his website is a little eclectic, but here is the beginning of the piece (I tried to take what I thought the most topical part last);
DeTocqueville Had It Right
~~ Paul V. Hartman ~~
With every passing year, we see the steady widening of an educational gap destined to divide our country into a very tiny group of highly educated people and a very large group of citizens with fuzzy thinking and a collection of “facts” which have no importance beyond the edges of their own neighborhood. Ask a young black male what he would like to be “when he grows up” and he will tell you: a Sports Star.
Contrast that with the same question directed at a young white male whose father is a university professor and he will tell you: a Sports Star. Not a business owner. Not a chemist. Not an engineer. Not a rocket scientist. Not a physician. (Well - maybe a “doctor”.) A Sports Star.
You may insist that there was always this dichotomy: a few bright people who acquired educational depth, and the larger mass which was educationally “average.” This is not what I mean. What I mean is that prior to say 40 years ago, the average educational attainment in America was Substantial. That this is true is evident by reading any high school examination from the 1950’s. Back then, the average person learned Shakespeare and the history of the Greeks and Romans, mathematical principles sufficient to balance check books and understand mortgages and taxes, enough French to read a menu, enough mechanical skills to make small repairs on a car, enough science to understand some fundamental principles of the function of our bodies. Plus: the names of his congressional representatives and how the local government functioned. Today the average young person knows basically what is served up from a television tube and has more in common with the Simpsons than with his own parents.
There have always been elites, those who govern, those who direct, those who own, those who provide. In most African nations, they come from the military and rule through the barrel of a gun. In communist states, they come from the political arm and rule through the barrel of a gun. In socialistic states, they come from the political arm and rule through near confiscatory tax laws and then the re-distribution of “public” money. In democratic states they come from the business/government sectors and rule through an enforced dependency class which cannot function without government money and direction.
There are many ways to make a population more “pliable” to government interests and one way is to insure that the great majority are as ignorant as possible. This can be achieved by making government schools compulsory but inferior. Immigration from ignorant third world countries can be encouraged. The advantages of non-intellectual factors such as skin color can be promoted. The success of good intentions can be demanded over good results.
Curiously, only in sports have these principles been resisted, though we have been told in recent years that it is “not fair” to keep score. Only in sports is Ability rewarded above good intentions. Non-winning coaches have short careers. Quarterbacks are yanked. Only the most skilled rise to the top. There is no affirmative action in sports, else there would be hundreds more white basketball players and 12% black hockey players.
Theoretically, in a democratic society, ability should rule in any endeavor. And (with the possible exception of sports although this is by no means certain) ability in most things should flow from intelligence - by which we mean the ability to think keenly and learn quickly. In fact, it once did.
LLS
Makes me want to go drink something distilled.
I’ve worked for a moderately sized for 33 years. Over the past 5, the company has struggled to keep everything in the black. At some point our pathfinders are going to say, “What’s the use?”
“I’ve worked for a moderately sized for 33 years. Over the past 5, the company has struggled to keep everything in the black. At some point our pathfinders are going to say, “What’s the use?”
I am in the process of saying it now, with a smaller company that I built over the years...excellent business, but I will need to downsize and probably lay off good employees...the constant nights worrying are taking a real toll...I think there are an awful lot of us who do NOT want to work 6-7 days a week to support a socialist takeover...
I can’t tell you how many woman told me they voted for Barry because we needed “change”. Or they just didn’t like McCain.
Socialism and its consequences never entered their dull heads.
I seek to trace the novel features under which despotism may appear in the United States.The first thing that strikes the observation is an innumerable multitude of men,all equal and alike.
Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power,which takes it upon itself alone to secure their gratifications and to watch over their fate.That power is absolute,minute,regular,provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent...but it seeks...to keep them in perpetual childhood.
Thus it every day renders the exercise of the free agency less useful and less frequent; it circumscribes the will within a narrower range and gradually robs a man of all the uses of himself.
After having thus successively taken each member of the community in it`s powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the supreme power then extends it`s arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.
Our contemporaries are constantly excited by two conflicting passions; they want to be led, and they wish to remain free. As they cannot destroy either the one or the other these contrary propensities, they strive to satisfy them both at once. They devise a sole, tutelary, and all powerful form of government, but elected by the people. They combine the principle of centralization and that of popular sovereignty; this gives them a respite: they console themselves for being in tutelage by the reflection that they have chosen their own guardians, Every man allows himself to be put in leading-strings, because he sees that it is not a person or class of persons, but the people at large who hold the end of his chain.
By this system the people shake off their state of dependence just long enough to select their master and then relapse into it again. A great many persons at the present day are quite contented with this sort of compromise between administrative despotism and the sovereignty of the people; and they think they have done enough for the protection of individual freedom when they have surrendered it to the power of the nation at large.
This does not satisfy me; the nature of him I am to obey signifies less to me than the fact of extorted obedience.
Alexis de Tocqueville
It used to be you had to have common-sense and good judgement to get ahead, which worked as people with these qualities assumed positions of leadership, they could be trusted to make good decisions.
Nowadays, you have people getting ahead on one or two lucky breaks, or downright lying and getting away with it, based on their "academics" or some ethereal pie-in-the-sky idea, like affirmative action.
Bring back common-sense and good judgement.
An Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true.
Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: - Knowing when to come in out of the rain; - Why the early bird gets the worm; - Life isn't always fair; - and Maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights; I Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; and I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
(FYI - and good judgement is on life support.........)
My fear as well and the reason for my wish for sooner rather than later.
I would say a significant percentage of them are oblivious to pretty much everything.
I would say of the 52% who voted for Obama, a significant percentage were oblivious to what “socialist” actually means.
My 19 year old daughter works where she has access to what most would call “the masses” she is a product of private school where they actually learned about socialism & communism. She has had so many discussions over the issue of socialism and why it is not a good thing.
I graduated in the 1980’s and I can tell you it wasn’t something I learned from school, so think about everyone 40 & younger not having a good understanding of why socialism is bad. This elections outcome was inevitable.
Hartman says one way government can make a population more “pliable” is to “...insure that the great majority are as ignorant as possible.”
Judging by his grammar they succeeded.
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