Savage State - When Propaganda and Economic Disincentives Fail

Cowboy Confessional ^ | 4/8/2013 | Guy Smith

[guyshomenet]

All they have left is violence.

A political scientist one concluded that elites maintain power using propaganda, economic disincentives and violence. In America, propaganda has become ineffective and economic disincentives have been stretched to the point of whipping dead workhorses. If those primary tools of controlling to populace fade further, the elites will use violence because they are unwilling to lose control.

First, let’s establish who are the elites. Columnist and television titilator John Stossel indicates the elites live around Washington D.C. as indicated by a large cluster of top 1% wealthiest counties surrounding the asylum. Since power (government) controls commerce (wealth), it should surprise nobody that the rich locate themselves near power or assume it directly (über elitist Obama’s net worth hovers just under $12,000,000 and adds nearly $1,000,000 annually). The last thing Capital Critters want is to lose power because they will lose wealth as a side effect.

Yet, that is occurring. Via alternative media, be it talk radio or the internet, the effectiveness of official propaganda has paled. Witness with snarky schadenfreude as mainstream media acolytes thrash to describe every pro-government position and Whitehouse utterance as divine, only to have the hoi polloi hack their work and sway voters in the other direction. Economic disincentives are failing because people have been backed into poverty, crushed by Fannie Mae’s market interventions and taxed to death at every level of government. Two out of three modes of manhandling the masses are faltering.

Which leaves violence.

The Federal government is supposed to be domestically toothless, with only rudimentary law enforcement working in cooperation with local agencies. Yet under the guise of anti-terrorism efforts, Washington is amassing and army for domestic use. The Department of Homeland Security is making many feel insecure as they collect a few thousand mine resistant armored personnel carriers (MRAPs) and a couple of billion rounds of ammo (enough to shoot every American six or more times). While hording weapons of war for no established purpose, the same administration actively seeks disarming the populace of anything that remotely resembles a militia weapon.

However, common folk are forcing a rethink.

Across the country, various sheriffs are declining to enforce federal gun control laws and even new state gun control initiatives, keeping faithful to their oath of office and the Supreme Court validated Second Amendment. Former military men are calling for Homeland Security to disarm, and average American gun owners are buying every bullet box Janet Napolitano has not. Sides are squaring and neither will concede.

Yet violence is not inevitable. The opt-out crowd is forever finding new ways of disengaging from government, and tangently “draining the beast” of tax revenues. Objectivists call it “going Galt” and less literary minded men simple say “screw ‘em”. Once the government broke faith with the people, the people were “free” to subvert unconstitutional initiatives without moralistic remorse. The process is accelerating and it remains a race to see what happens first. Will the government become obedient, will the people break its back, or will the elites commit violence? The first is unlikely. The second is behind schedule, but viable. The last is what smart folks are preparing for.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

One small correction: the state also uses economic incentives (i.e. "free stuff") to control the rabble.

[Fee]

I think free stuff is to keep the natives passive and it buys time for them to prepare for Plan B. People with money all do this. We rail on how gov can freeze bank accounts and limit you to 100 bucks a day, but insurance companies did the same with life insurance policies. In the name of protecting the benefactor from spending all of it at once, life insurance companies actually issue the survivor a check book and tell them that the huge death benefit they received can be pulled out via check with a limit of $ 500 per week. It turned out the insurance companies did not do well on their investments, and losing money, so they used protecting the survivor from blowing the entire death benefit as an excuse to mask the insurance companies losses. Gov will do it, so will corporate America, when they are broke all promises will be broken.

[veracious]

I agree. Fascism begins with economic and information control, then moves to violence, against its own people and others who are not of their _religion_: gov is god.

[jimpick]

Economic incentives are also becoming less and less effective. When you can’t print enough worthless money you have to taking things by force to redistribute.

[Texas Fossil]

Thanks. Good article.

[Joe Brower]

From the estimable Guy Smith, author of:

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." -- George Washington

What was old is new again...

[matt1234]

If the elites initiate violence, it will be against a selected scapegoat group, just like 1930’s Germany.

[from occupied ga]

it will be against a selected scapegoat group

White male bitter clingers.

[blackie]

Be Ever Vigilant!!

[BenLurkin]

[CPO retired]

It is any group that is seem as being self-reliant, God worshiping, and independent. Demonization of the Amish has already started with two different TV programs that show only the worst things about them. Can a more peace loving and law abiding group be found?

I’m surprised the Mormons haven’t been attacked (politically via media) yet, but it must be coming. By the way, didn’t the Fed gov back away from a plan to attack them militarily in Illinois because they were better armed than the Army?