Comments on: The Choice Between Prosperity and Decline http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/12/30/the-choice-between-prosperity-and-decline/ Conservative and Libertarian Intellectual Philosophy and Politics Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Pat Skurka http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/12/30/the-choice-between-prosperity-and-decline/comment-page-1/#comment-80927 Pat Skurka Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:47:54 +0000 http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/12/30/the-choice-between-prosperity-and-decline/#comment-80927 hvance: I think you're on the right track, we need to tinker with our present form of government, change some variables, establish new rules, revive some old rules, alter the political machinery; the form of government we cling to now is failing us. Like many, you've noticed that folks who pay little in taxes tend to vote for candidates who assure them, either directly or indirectly, they'll take money from other Americans and give it those voters who support them - and no longer even ashamed to make that admission. After watching this pattern recur throughout our country for the past several decades, from the local up through the federal level, there is little reason to believe it will voluntarily change. Nowadays, Americans, living off our ancestors' legacy of massive wealth, prefer to escape into unreality more and more frequently, there are no longer any "in your face" hardships to prevent us from indulging in our frequent dream journeys - one of the most recent mass escapes was electing Obama, a politician whose outstanding qualification was limited to "community organizer" - and all this to exist for a very short while within the delightful fantasy of a "post-racial" presidency. When the voters awaken from their increasingly frequent escapes into dreams, the strong light of day illuminates the ugliness of our political culture prompting the voters to wish to quickly escape into yet another fantasy episode - dream journeys like universal health care for everyone without consideration of means, major education reform undertaken by professional, and unionized, educators, restoring America's manufacturing greatness through high tariffs and "Buy America" sentiments. And the dream hardest to awaken from is that our system of government is just fine the way it is, in fact, it's better than any system tried so far, it should never be changed. And the dreamers always assure you that all that is needed is for you, the citizen, to speak out, write your politicians, encourage others to do the same - that will affect "real" change. When that nonsense doesn't work, they assure you the system is based on compromise, you can't have things exclusively your own way, you have to recognize "others" point of view. So you give up your free time when not earning the money to pay your taxes so various governments can distribute it to these "selfsame" others and you use the time to publicly speak your mind to bring about change - and when such futile activities don't result in restoration of cultural sanity, or even simple equity, you're encouraged to believe you've somehow won, or rather the system has won on your behalf through your active participation, blissfully ignoring the blatant fact you failed miserably to affect even the slightest change. If this kind of willful denial of reality doesn't indicate a psychotic dream state, I'm not sure what would. Our society isn't changing in a healthy way, we're drug addicts to our present form of government "smack" and can't kick the habit. Over and over we announce grandiose goals to change our society, to improve the lot of the average American, none of which ever come to fruition, yet repeated failure doesn't deter us from immediately commencing another escape into unreality. Low interest mortgages for poor Americans through legal pressure from the government, the dream of home ownership for the very poor, a goal never attained in any society throughout human history, massive mortgage defaults, corruption, lies, the ultimate and eventual failure of the program - yet the irrational dream refuses to die, we'll awaken for a brief period and then sleep only to dream again about a new government program succeeding with the dream's familiar story line. And that's only one example of our mass psychosis - every thinking citizen could supply one or more examples of their own. Yet we pull away in horror from any suggestion that a form of government which supports such irrational dreaming must be defective, self-destructive and in severe need of change. Armed rebellion isn't the answer to devising rational government processes but it's often, by default, the only means which can force the sleepers to awaken. hvance: I think you’re on the right track, we need to tinker with our present form of government, change some variables, establish new rules, revive some old rules, alter the political machinery; the form of government we cling to now is failing us. Like many, you’ve noticed that folks who pay little in taxes tend to vote for candidates who assure them, either directly or indirectly, they’ll take money from other Americans and give it those voters who support them – and no longer even ashamed to make that admission. After watching this pattern recur throughout our country for the past several decades, from the local up through the federal level, there is little reason to believe it will voluntarily change. Nowadays, Americans, living off our ancestors’ legacy of massive wealth, prefer to escape into unreality more and more frequently, there are no longer any “in your face” hardships to prevent us from indulging in our frequent dream journeys – one of the most recent mass escapes was electing Obama, a politician whose outstanding qualification was limited to “community organizer” – and all this to exist for a very short while within the delightful fantasy of a “post-racial” presidency.

When the voters awaken from their increasingly frequent escapes into dreams, the strong light of day illuminates the ugliness of our political culture prompting the voters to wish to quickly escape into yet another fantasy episode – dream journeys like universal health care for everyone without consideration of means, major education reform undertaken by professional, and unionized, educators, restoring America’s manufacturing greatness through high tariffs and “Buy America” sentiments. And the dream hardest to awaken from is that our system of government is just fine the way it is, in fact, it’s better than any system tried so far, it should never be changed. And the dreamers always assure you that all that is needed is for you, the citizen, to speak out, write your politicians, encourage others to do the same – that will affect “real” change.

When that nonsense doesn’t work, they assure you the system is based on compromise, you can’t have things exclusively your own way, you have to recognize “others” point of view. So you give up your free time when not earning the money to pay your taxes so various governments can distribute it to these “selfsame” others and you use the time to publicly speak your mind to bring about change – and when such futile activities don’t result in restoration of cultural sanity, or even simple equity, you’re encouraged to believe you’ve somehow won, or rather the system has won on your behalf through your active participation, blissfully ignoring the blatant fact you failed miserably to affect even the slightest change. If this kind of willful denial of reality doesn’t indicate a psychotic dream state, I’m not sure what would.

Our society isn’t changing in a healthy way, we’re drug addicts to our present form of government “smack” and can’t kick the habit. Over and over we announce grandiose goals to change our society, to improve the lot of the average American, none of which ever come to fruition, yet repeated failure doesn’t deter us from immediately commencing another escape into unreality. Low interest mortgages for poor Americans through legal pressure from the government, the dream of home ownership for the very poor, a goal never attained in any society throughout human history, massive mortgage defaults, corruption, lies, the ultimate and eventual failure of the program – yet the irrational dream refuses to die, we’ll awaken for a brief period and then sleep only to dream again about a new government program succeeding with the dream’s familiar story line. And that’s only one example of our mass psychosis – every thinking citizen could supply one or more examples of their own. Yet we pull away in horror from any suggestion that a form of government which supports such irrational dreaming must be defective, self-destructive and in severe need of change. Armed rebellion isn’t the answer to devising rational government processes but it’s often, by default, the only means which can force the sleepers to awaken.

]]> By: hvance http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/12/30/the-choice-between-prosperity-and-decline/comment-page-1/#comment-80913 hvance Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:48:03 +0000 http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/12/30/the-choice-between-prosperity-and-decline/#comment-80913 The title of your opinion, " The Choice Between Prosperity and Decline" indicates that there is indeed a choice. In my view that choice has left us. With the pillaging of the treasury by the non-contributing voters we have done away with choice. The non-taxpayer has no incentive to vote responsibly. Everyone votes with their pocketbook. When he buys an item, he chooses a product or service on price, quality, and service. It matters little to the purchaser where the item originates. I have seen the most ardent union person refuse to have a union plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc., do work for them because they were too high in price. Same for goods produced overseas. Price rules. People buy in their best interests. The same goes for the choice between prosperity and decline observation that Jeff has made. This is not a rebuttal of what he has written, just my way of looking at it from an everyday observation of our society. Only taxpayers and landowners should be allowed to vote. One man, one vote has failed in the past and it will fail today. The title of your opinion, ” The Choice Between Prosperity and Decline” indicates that there is indeed a choice. In my view that choice has left us. With the pillaging of the treasury by the non-contributing voters we have done away with choice. The non-taxpayer has no incentive to vote responsibly.
Everyone votes with their pocketbook. When he buys an item, he chooses a product or service on price, quality, and service. It matters little to the purchaser where the item originates. I have seen the most ardent union person refuse to have a union plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc., do work for them because they were too high in price. Same for goods produced overseas. Price rules. People buy in their best interests. The same goes for the choice between prosperity and decline observation that Jeff has made. This is not a rebuttal of what he has written, just my way of looking at it from an everyday observation of our society.
Only taxpayers and landowners should be allowed to vote. One man, one vote has failed in the past and it will fail today.

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