Text 16357, 60 rader
Skriven 2005-11-28 20:52:06 av John Massey (1:123/789.0)
Ärende: THE END OF AMERICA?
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THE END OF AMERICA?

The Drudge Report is reporting this morning that several broadcast
television networks are considering a series loosely based on the concept of
the end of America.  Details on the various programs aren't yet available,
but my bet is that the fictional end will come through either terrorism or
some sort of a natural disaster.

The networks have part of this right.  The end of America as we know it
could well be on the horizon.  The networks just wouldn't dare present the
end as it very well may happen.  The death of America will more likely come
from the advancement of the American welfare state.

Empires have life expectancies.  The history of civilization would tell us
that a country based on freedom and economic liberty generally last just a
bit over 200 years.  If you know of such a society that has lasted well
beyond the 200-year mark, let me know.  I haven't been able to find one.
Our Constitution was ratified on December 15th, 1791.  In just a few weeks
the United States of America will be 214 years old.  That, for those of you
who went to government schools, is just a bit over 200 years.

You can trace the decline of American to several different and varied
beginning point.  Among them:

   1. The adoption of a graduated and progressive income tax, as envisioned
by Karl Marx.
   2. The adoption of a system of government education of our children,
again as envisioned by Karl Marx.
   3. The movement away from a rule of law to a rule of the majority
(Democracy) which really took hold during the days of Franklin Roosevelt.

America, the welfare state, is growing steadily.  In the last few weeks we
started George Bush's Medicare prescription drug program.  The original
estimates for this welfare boondoggle ran at about $300 billion for the next
ten years.  Those estimates doubled before the program even began.  The
actual tab will probably be closer to one trillion dollars for the first ten
years .. and growing after that.  Baby boomers will be retiring over the
next decade.  As they retire they will start drawing down Social Security
and Medicare dollars by the bucketful.  The cost will be enormous.  As
presently structured, these income transfer programs can't handle it, but
all attempts at reform, at least insofar as Social Security is concerned,
have failed.

Back to the main point.  Americans are no longer in love with freedom.  In
fact, the case can be made that Americans are afraid of freedom.  Oh, they
want to be free to go on vacation and to chose where to live, who to marry
and what to wear each day, but that just about covers it.  Americans  want
the government to educate their children, guarantee their jobs, determine
their wages, provide them with medical care, pay for their prescriptions,
ensure their comfort in retirement, regulate their business competitors,
and control the actions of their neighbors.  If you suggest that the
responsibility for any of these factors be placed back into the hands of the
individual the screams and howls of outrage and indignation will be heard
across the country.

If the networks want to do a series on the end of America, their script has
already been written ... .by some Russian named Ayn Rand.

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