” I do not think for a moment that even rank progressives who dominate the Senate are unaware of the looming threat represented by our $17 trillion debt and our $120 million or more set of unfunded liabilities.”
The collapse of the dollar and the economy is coming within the next five years. As the pre-election September 2008 financial crisis demonstrated, the left has the ability to precipitate an economic crisis in order to achieve political objectives and has the capability to coordinate such efforts with foreign powers. While we the people have been told the cause of the 2008 crisis was due to a bad mortgage bubble, there were certainly deliberate actions by a few actors who caused a run on US banks at a specific moment in time. This run on the banks caused the stock market crash and the subsequent sharp downturn in the economy. Certainly those in power, in both the Bush and Obama administrations, know who the forces were tipping the scales in September 2008. However that information has not been shared with the public nor have any of the bad actors been brought to justice.
The absence of any real effort to investigate these actions, or protect the economy from a future concerted attack of this kind, suggests the power structures of both political parties are more allied with protecting the Wall Street establishment, and concealing the actions of foreign powers (likely Russia, China, and some of the Middle East oil states) than the American people. It is clear federal government and Federal Reserve policies since the 2008 crisis have been designed to impose the costs of malfeasance and poor management by the Federal Reserve, the US Treasury, and the “too big to fail banks” on the public instead of the bondholders, shareholders, and management who would suffer if we had a free market economy.
I fear the next economic crisis, a major meltdown, will also be triggered for political ends. In a dollar meltdown scenario, where other nations refuse to use the dollar to settle accounts and hyperinflation appears rapidly, I can see a progressive president declaring a national emergency, sending Congress home, and assuming “temporary” dictatorial powers.
It is also conceivable if somehow the GOP wins the White House in 2016, as well as the House and Senate, a financial crisis could be triggered in late 2017 or early 2018 with the Republicans being fully blamed by the media and public for the crash. In that scenario the Democrats would capture overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate in 2018 allowing them to block any action by the Republican president for the next 2 years while blaming he/she for the economic depression. By the election of 2020 demographics and the perceived failure of Republican rule will set up the nation for a decades long period of one party rule. With control of enough statehouses as well it would be possible for the progressives to amend the Constitution to formally institutionalize an all powerful central authority.
My other near term concern is the Supreme Court. Over the past 50 years it has become highly politicized. Leftist Supreme Court justices, will read whatever they wish into the language of the Constitution and laws passed by Congress. Scalia and Kennedy are reaching the age they could leave the Court at any time. If one of them leaves the Court before the end of the current administration it is certain Obama will appoint another far left justice and the balance on the Court will be shifted forever. Even if the Republicans win the Senate in 2014, I don’t see a RINO Republican majority having the backbone to fight a radical leftist Obama Supreme Court nominee, much less rejecting one. Based on his past behavior, Obama and the Democrats would relish such a confrontation and will likely nominate a radical leftist female and/or minority so they can blame any opposition on sexism and/or racism.
If Scalia and Kennedy make it to 2017, and there is a RINO Republican in the oval office (Jeb Bush, Romney, Christie), I have no expectation a conservative will be nominated to the bench. We’ll see a moderate Harvard or Yale law school graduate who will turn to the left once on the Court.
With respect to the Article V movement, I also have little hope. Any amendments drafted by such a convention would have to be ratified by 3/4 of the states to become part of the Constitution. Progressives control more than 1/4 of the states so any amendments limiting the power of the federal leviathan would certainly be rejected by the legislatures of those states unless there was such a groundswell of public opinion in favor the state legislators would fear for reelection. I don’t see the poorly organized conservative movement, with most of the media against them, being able to create that groundswell of public opinion in states such as Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Rhode Island, Vermont, Oregon, Maine, and others.
While at this moment I have little hope, I do not suggest giving up the fight. It is always dark before the morning light. There are still enough Americans alive who remember better times and believe in the historic concept of America. Plus the progressives are not yet fully in control. History gives us many examples of good besting evil when times seemed darkest. A series of events none of us can anticipate may yet occur to wake up enough of the American people to force radical change. Add a dynamic, patriotic, and visionary leader and many things are possible.
I think Soul of the South and I would stipulate that your pessimism is not misplaced. But I think both of us would make two responses to that pessimism that are expressed in Soul of the South's reply:
First, we may not despair, that is not an option, we must carry on or betray our heritage. My ancestors did not fight in every war since and including the French and Indian war for me to cravenly throw away what they vouchsafed to me and mine. More, turning my face from the past and looking to the future, I have no right to give in to the counsel of despair, we fight the good fight for our children and grandchildren because to do otherwise would be to shamefully betray our ancestors.
Second, I have long been of the opinion that the Article V movement probably cannot prevail without a "Black Swan" event that moves the country as one toward reform. If you look at the reply of Soul of the South, I think you will see that he is predicting such an event and within five years. I agree, although I'm not sure of the timeline.
Stonewall Jackson said, "never take counsel of your fears" and Churchill echoed that sentiment saying, "never despair." I have faith that fate has yet a few more cards to play because the God of our fathers will not turn his face from us.
