Posted on 11/10/2009 3:47:45 AM PST by Kaslin
"Make no mistake about it, this generation is a generation of thieves and the people who stole their parents and their children’s money to make their own lives cushier are at it again. This time the target is their grandchildren." -- Evan Sayet
Throughout American history, generations of our countrymen took pride in leaving the country better than the one they grew up in. Their attitude about sacrifice was summed up by this classic quotation from Tom Paine:
"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."
That is no longer the spirit that animates our leaders or much of our country. Today, it's,
"If there must be trouble, let our children and grandchildren handle it, so that I am not inconvenienced."
History is full of great nations that have fallen from their lofty perches back into the ranks and the United States is likely to be among them unless we change our attitude about the following issues:
1) Takers Vs. Producers: "In 1985, just 16.5% of filers paid no income tax." Today, "roughly 120 million Americans – 40 percent of the U.S. population – are outside of the federal income tax system."
Meanwhile, the top 50% of income earners pay 97% percent of the income taxes. "In 1945, 41.9 workers supported each (Social Security recipient), while today only 3.3 workers support each retiree." That number will continue to shrink.
In other words, we're developing into a two-tiered society. Some people like to think of it as the "haves" and "have nots." However, it would be more apt to describe it as the people who pay the bills and the people who live off of the fruits of their labor.
This is an extraordinarily dangerous development for our country. It makes us overly dependent on workers and entrepreneurs who may flee the country or simply stop working as the burden on them grows. It also leads to class warfare, with the producers becoming increasingly resentful of an ever more demanding class of sows dining at the government troth.
Of course, it's easy to be demanding when you don't have to pay the full value of the services you receive. It's also easy to be resentful when you don't get your money's worth in government services and are treated as selfish for wanting to keep more of the money you earned for yourself. This is not a recipe either for societal stability or for long-term prosperity.
2) A degenerating society: America's success has been because of our people, not because of our government. It is almost impossible to overestimate the value our country has gotten out of having a hard working, honest, charitable, patriotic, culturally homogenous population.
Yet, the cultural elements that have made this a great nation are under attack on every level. The stigma for taking government assistance is fading, government is taking over the role of charity, many liberals mock the idea of patriotism, divorce rates have grown perilously high, support for gay marriage has increased, the percentage of the population that's Christian is dropping, and multi-culturalism and even dislike of America is replacing the idea of the Melting Pot.
The culture of a nation often tends to be more resilient than people realize, but that doesn't mean it can be taken for granted. If the bonds that hold us together disintegrate or the fundamental decency of the American people is no longer a given, our nation will no longer be great. As Samuel Adams said back in 1779:
"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."
3) Mounting debt: There's no peril greater to this country's future than our rapidly increasing debt. We have no idea how to pay for our Social Security and Medicare obligations, we seem to be running larger and larger deficits every year, and neither political party has the guts to make significant cuts in spending. Meanwhile, the politicians in DC are so irresponsible that they're obsessed with adding yet another cripplingly expensive entitlement program on top of the others we already have now, despite the objections of the American people.
Could this lead to hyperinflation that dramatically lessens the worth of a dollar? Could it, over the long haul, give nations like China so much economic leverage over us that it would be difficult to refuse them? Could the amount of money we have to pay in interest on the debt become so odious that it could dramatically reduce economic growth? Sadly, all of these scenarios are becoming more plausible by the day.
4) Nuclear proliferation: If we don't have the will to stop a "death to America" chanting terrorist regime run by religious fanatics from getting nuclear weapons, then we don't have the will to stop any nation. That's how it will be read across the Middle-East and across the world as well if Iran gets nukes. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and company wouldn't be alone either. If they get nukes, we should expect at a minimum Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia to also build nuclear weapons. Once that genie is out the bottle, it'll never be put back in and the United States will suffer horribly as a result.
That's not just because of the much greater potential for nuclear war and nuclear blackmail, but because the strongest of all nations will always have a target on its back. Imagine terrorists smuggling nuclear bombs into Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, and Houston and then, after the explosion, not even being able to determine which rogue nation produced the weapons that killed millions of Americans. That's the future we're headed towards unless Iran is stopped and the consequences will be more devastating than most Americans can imagine.
Unfortunately, our government DOES NOT have the will. We the people, have the will, but unless we remove the existing government we are doomed.
1) Takers Vs. Producers
-
This condition is far worse than most people want to realize.
If you consider all the people who have a vested interest
in higher taxes and ‘more government’, you have to include:
-those who are very poor and pay no taxes;
-those who live off of or depend upon social security;
-politicians at the federal, state, and local level;
-government workers at the federal, state, and local level;
-academic types and artists who rely on government grant money;
-businesses that survive off of government contracts; and
-all the other funds and projects handed out as political favors...
It is past time for a tax rebellion.
*No representation without taxation.*
The 911 ATTACK, Mexican Drug gang activity, the Fort Hood Shootings, The War in Iraq, and The war in Afghanistan
None of these would have happend if the INS had kept these ANIMALS out of AMERICA! ! !
I will take the producers from you.
I will stop the “motor” of the world by withdrawing the “minds” that drive society’s growth and productivity and I will set Ragnar Danneskjöld upon you.
John Galt
America woke up from it’s dream on Jan 20th. Currently we’re having a recurring nightmare. That’s what we get for falling asleep. ;)
Get this great book, “ The Collapse of Complex Societies”. In it the author states that no political system on record has ever reduced taxes. That with out exception the working class/small businessmen went Gualt/underground or quit producing. That a large state paid mob of underclass was created and fought over for popular support by politicians, and that a rich, cynical upper class aligned with government.
In Grant’s book, The Fall of the Roman Empire, free, but impoverished Romans presenting them and their families to wealthy Roman Senators, as serfs. Surrendering their freeman status for food and shelter. Each year we see a little more surrender to the welfare state and it’s contractors. First blacks, now poor whites. Cops, teachers, firemen become the Praetorian of the welfare state.
I’m not optimistic. I believe history teaches, and there are fundamental human laws.
bttt
“Of course, it’s easy to be demanding when you don’t have to pay the full value of the services you receive.”
After having worked in Medicare/Medicaid, I can attest to this phenomenon. It’s puzzling to me. It’s frustrating to read this little tossed-out gem, and not get the “why?”.
This strange pathology lies at the core of many, if not most of the issues cited in the article. Thanks for posting it.
"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."
How prophetic Samuel Adams was.
Remember those “week without a Mexican” strikes? We should organize a “MONTH without a producer” strike. Every one that participates would slowly build up enough supplies to go a month without groceries,then on the designated date, we shut the country down. Nobody shops, or goes to work. Essential services shut down. Even those that don’t intend to participate are forced to, as many of the businesses and services in which they depend are shut down.
We seem to thrive despite our flaws and opposing motives and opinions because a majority of us believe in and value liberty while defining it more or less the same way. Unfortunately, that is no longer true.
I do not know what it will take to reverse our course, but my sense is it will be similar to what individuals go through when they are living beyond their means or contrary to common sense. Life slaps them, lightly at first, but progressively harder until it knocks them off their feet.
And here we are. The flaws in our nature and in our Constitution are creating our "perfect" storm and we are headed right for it as fast as it's coming for us.
Darn GBA, looks like they're sure garnering absolute power this time. And about elections: once a dictator type like Zero garners mega-power, elections are just for show, somewhat like the last two election cycles. Then there are the brain-dead corporations dumping $$ into Democrat coffers.
Just one or two states doing this would STOP this crap immediately.
Case in point of losing virtue. My older brother has stage 4 pancreatic cancer he is going to die and soon. He listed his house and moved in with a friend to be closer to the hospital. Agent got an offer right away and it is closing today, good news. The agent calls my brother and says I am a cub scout leader and could I have a little of your firewood for a camping trip this weekend, "sure" my brother says.
After signing the papers my brother drives by the empty house to say his farewell and notices all the firewood gone, 2.5 cords. He calls the agent and says,"hey you took all the firewood that's $400 worth of wood, you owe me, I did not give you permission to take it all!!" The cub scout leader agreed to pay with no apology.
A bloodless revolution, one that has the people NOT working, on the phones, in the streets, and calling the Representatives on the carpet.... IT WOULD SCARE THE LIVING H OUT OF THEM....
The elections federally have been rigged since 1960, remember JFK won when Nixon should have been elected. What would the country be like with a Bay of Pigs that had been executed? The election thieves then scaled back and took over the cities first, then the states. Most of the heavily populated states are solid blue, but still SEIU and ACORN still push voter registration there. The reason is not to enable voters to express opinions, but to manufacture voters. Once these voters participate for a cycle or two of elections, they can hardly be traced. In WA state elections happen entirely by mail. Nobody sees a voter, nobody checks an ID. Who was it that said, "votes don't matter, those who count the votes do" hit it spot on.
The elections federally have been rigged since 1960, remember JFK won when Nixon should have been elected. What would the country be like with a Bay of Pigs that had been executed? The election thieves then scaled back and took over the cities first, then the states. Most of the heavily populated states are solid blue, but still SEIU and ACORN push voter registration there. The reason is not to enable voters to express opinions, but to manufacture voters. Once these voters participate for a cycle or two of elections, they can hardly be traced. In WA state elections happen entirely by mail. Nobody sees a voter, nobody checks an ID. Who was it that said, "votes don't matter, those who count the votes do" hit it spot on.
Wow.
Talk about a bookmark thread.
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