What they agree upon, however, is that they have been treading water for a decade, working harder and harder with little or no improvement in their family standard of living. They see the government as taking more of their income in taxes, seeking more control over their institutions, creating entitlements for others not them, plunging the nation into unpayable debt, and inviting inflation or a default that can wipe out what they have saved.
And there is nothing they can do about it, for they are politically powerless. By their gatherings, numbers, mockery of elites and militancy, however, they get a sense of the power that they do not have.
Their repeated reappearance on the national stage, in new incarnations, should be a fire bell in the night to the establishment of both parties. For it testifies to their belief and that of millions more that the state they detest is at war with the country they love.
The secession taking place in America is a secession of the heart—of people who have come to believe the government is them, and not us.
It's simply incredible to me that these words are now spoken openly. But more and more, I believe European-Americans are coming to realize that the government is not of or by them, certainly not for them.
My goodness Jourdan - that's weird. Just a couple of hours ago I was talking with a friend and said the exact words you just said "the government is not of or by them, certainly not for them".
ReplyDeleteOur government is an entity apart from America, operating in an illegal manner. Their decisions benefit themselves. ALWAYS.
I ador our form of government, but in its present state it is populated by men and women who have been bought. They need to go. All the Democrats, and most of the Republicans.
I don't think they have been bought, I think they are elitist who do things for their own benefit.
ReplyDeleteYes Matt, I think that too....but that kind of belief system is so selfish that one can't be that way but their character will be diminished.
ReplyDeleteTo someone who feels their constituents are stupid and/or"less than" (and they do think we're all stupid), who feels a sense of entitlement...well, we've all seen how people and even kids behave when they have entitlement issues. Never very honest, never much compassion, usually self-serving motives behind their actions, manipulative, etc. That elitist thinking carries a lot of yuckies along with it.
How much would even a patriotic elitist love the Constitution if he HAD to choose between his own interests and abiding by the Constitution?
If the behavior we've seen in government these past few decades are anything to go by, the self interest of the elitist would come first pretty much every time.
I'm still boggled by JFK - that man seems to have had some kind of awakening. The things he talked about and did towards the end of his life were NOT self-serving. Quite the opposite. How rare, and what a sad outcome.
Oh, I agree with that MW. My point was more that they were not corrupted by others -- they corrupted themselves.
ReplyDeleteI am not sold on JFK. Was he really what he seemed, or did he seem that way because of s spin campaign?
Jourdan, "Euro-Americans" (let's just call them white people) have wielded most of the power in Washington over the centuries and still do.
ReplyDeleteSo, if we're going to bring "race" into the equation, it's fair to say that white politicians drove us off into this ditch by pandering to people they considered "less fortunate" or "less accomplished" instead of expecting EVERYONE to stand on their own two feet, on an EQUAL playing field.
The ruling elites have created a whole class of people to keep them in power: the "subsidized" class. They rule like kings over serfs, looking down their patrician noses at the working class, daring us to raise a voice in protest as WE pay for congressional largesse to THEIR "constituents".
Our founding fathers must be spinning in their graves. They struggled mightily to craft our Constitution and Bill of Rights so this wouldn't happen, but yet here we are.
How will we fix it?
While going through the latest Rasmussen Reports for PA (bye-bye, Arlen!) I came across this interesting set of numbers:
ReplyDelete"Fifty-five percent (55%) of Pennsylvania voters believe it is possible to balance the federal budget without raising taxes. Twenty-eight percent (28%) disagree.
Most voters (53%) in the state favor an across-the-board tax cut for all Americans, but 30% are opposed.
Sixty-one percent (61%) view cutting taxes as a better way to create jobs than increasing government spending. Only 12% see increased spending as a better job-creator.
Thirty-nine percent (39%) say the United States and its allies are winning the war on terror, but 30% say the terrorists are ahead. Like voters in a number of states, those in Pennsylvania are closely divided over whether the United States is safer today that it was before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: 39% say yes; 41% say no.
In Pennsylvania, 74% of voters trust the judgment of the American people more than that of the nation’s political leaders when it comes to important national issues.
Seventy-six percent (76%) believe the federal government has become a special interest group, and 73% say government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors."
The well-founded belief that the Federal Gov't (and to a lesser extent, the gov'ts of the states, I might add) are a special interest group themselves, and NOT just that they cater to special interest groups, is a sign of the lowest level of trust in government I've ever seen in my lifetime.
Lady Red, the creation of a class of people who do nothing to support themselves except for for their own largesse, was foreseen by the founders.
Which is why, initially elegibility to vote required ownership of property, or a business, ar at least being a skilled (journeyman)tradesperson.
In other words, those who supported the government through taxes were those who had a say in it. The current 'Warm-Body' democracy is leading ever more rapidly to the cold corpse of our constitution.
Well, it's not a popular or "politically correct" position, but I'm of the opinion that only people who ACTUALLY PAY TAXES should have the vote.
ReplyDeleteWhy should people who aren't vested in the system have a say in where the money is allocated? If you want to vote, get a job. Simple. It would solve a lot of problems.
Now everyone can boo, hiss, and throw rotten tomatoes at me. :)
One thing I wonder, though, regarding the 'safer now than before 9/11' question, is how many felt safer prior to the last election than they do now?
ReplyDeleteLady R:
ReplyDelete"Now everyone can boo, hiss, and throw rotten tomatoes at me. :)"
I've believed that for years and said it, to the great dismay of certain folks, a number of times.
So when the overripe fruit begins to fly, stand behind me. I am short but wide, and so will make a pretty good shield.
Lady Red...I could go for that plan if tweaked to include all those who have paid taxes regularly in the past and are not penalized for temproary unemployment or retirement.
ReplyDeleteNever going to ahppen however, the politicans have too much vestedin the non-tax paying folks...either by dint of exemptions or by non-employemnt. When we reach 51% of the population in that status, we will have a one party system. 3rd world rank shortly thereafter.
I should mention that, although retired, I still pay substantial taxes, lacking a copious list of deductions. Witholding for me is a flat 20% regardless of my eventual standing, which is usually a nominal refund when returns are filed.
ReplyDelete