October 21, 2008

  • Prophecy for Election 2008

    So I have this general fondness for Quotes, I actually go about looking for good ones, cool ones, funny ones, even ironic ones. Here's a Quote I found that I thought I'd share:

    "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury. From that moment on the majority, he said, always vote for the candidate promising the most benefits from the treasury with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a dictatorship."
    Reagan quoting Tytler in 1965

    ... no so long ago I would have dismissed this quote as too cynical ... yeah ... seriously ... imagine me dismissing something as too cynical ... see I'm one of those head-in-the-cloud idealists who believe that Democracy can indeed last forever .... I am completely aware that the general pattern of government control tends to be cyclical with periods of freedom coming only after periods of complacency have lead to increased government authoritarianism ... but I happen to believe that this cycle does not necessitate democracy's fall to dictatorship ... I believe that vigilance among the free can break the complacency that leads to the downfall of democracy well before the government ever moves out of the spectrum of democracy ... I believe that if the majority retains a healthy level of suspicion about their government ( governments surely remain suspicious about their citizens its only fair that this distrust and suspicion be mutual ) , a strong devotion to the ideals this country was based on not only in lip service but in deeds as well, and a high level of personal responsibility for their own personal woes ( that is an expectation that you and only you have a responsibility to get out of the financial hole you have dug yourself into and a firm commitment to reject of government and social handouts in lieu of hand-ups ) ... Personally, I have always believed that a majority such as this could keep democracy alive and in a cyclical form of renewal, because even when complacent they would not be overly trusting and would definitely not be looking for handouts ...

    .... so fast fowarding 43 years from the time of the quote and only about a decade from the time I developed those previously stated beliefs and ideals to Election 2008 ... technically I suppose it should be Election 2007 - 2008 ... perhaps even 2006 -2008 because I believe Biden announced his intention to run extremely early .... so now toward the conclusion of Election 2007 - 2008 and I do not find myself so strong in my previously stated convictions ... and suddenly that quote is not seeming so cynical ...

    This entire election I have been wondering what precisely the majority sees in these two extremely disappointing candidates ... it is not merely a "lesser of two evils" factor .... if it were more folks would be more vocal about having other options ... and it is not only the fear ... for fear only really works on a very narrow part of the majority ... no ... to account for the number of folks who whole heartedly and earnestly support McBama ... there has to be something in the Big Government Democrat or the Socialist that many are actually finding appealing ... and for the longest time it was beyond me .... I mean there's barely enough executive experience on either ticket to prove that either would anything but a pushover executive who simply stamps out the party line (except for Palin ... still love ya Sarah ....) .... both are looking to spend their way out of a spending crisis ... all are making promises of major freebies during a time when government spending is bankrupting this country ... none have proposed any plans for fixing the current financial ills that have any promise of working ....

    .... but it is precisely those promised freebies that have roped in the majority isn't it? ... McBama has promised a world in which Big Brother will make your life easier .... fiscal crises will soon pass ... success will come to you with little hard work .... magically everyone will have healthcare for cheap or free ... everyone will have a job or a welfare check big enough to live large on ... children will receive the finest in education whether they are motivated to achieve or not ... promises that are all beyond the scope of the president's power to provide ( except the promise of reform and restructuring of government program and organizations that actually can be done by the president ) ... and all McBama requires of you is your content silent consent to move Big Brother farther and farther into the sphere of your personal life ... to ignore what they plan on doing behind the scenes to listen only to what they say and ignore what they do.. during their time in the Senate both have shown extreme legislative irresponsibility toward constitutionally protected rights ( McCain toward the First Amendment with McCain/ Feingold and Obama toward the Second Amendment with his zombie-like voting of his party line) ... the campaign itself seems to be one big exercise in constitutional flexibility (sorry Palin gotta call you out on that one ...) .. there is no reason to believe that this would suddenly change when they become president ...

    So .. why do you all readily believe when your government tells you that you're in crisis?

    .... what are often termed "crises" are generally passing tribulations that would not have resulted in any serious damage that are only an opportune moment for the government to usurp some more power ... the major plunge in the stock market was nothing more than the natural reaction to major businesses going under because of faulty business practices .... something that should have been handled by the experts in the private sector not the government .... since then the market has fluctuated only in response to the anticipation of more government bailouts or purchases of the private sector ( manipulation much? ) ...

    I happen to believe that this is not a crisis for me ... I believe that no matter what impending doom comes I will be able to scrape out an existence ... granted it may be neither the life I dreamed of nor the life I planned to have .. but I'll get by ... have a nice little life living within my means no matter how limited those means are dreaming of when my children (or child since they're so damn expensive) may see a better day.... but everyone seems to have grown so dependent on Big Brother that you have forgotten that you are quite capable of taking care of your own life ....

    ... tsk tsk ... your government can't save you ... only you can save yourself ...

    ... but hey what do I know ... keep taking the freebies and the handouts ... grow your complacency and dependence on the government ... barter your freedom for whatever scraps the government chooses to throw to you ... and enjoy the dictatorship that rises after this system collapses under its own weight and financial waste ... but don't say I didn't warn you ....

    ... of course if you're more interested in keeping your freedom than getting handouts .... Barr-Root '08