Muslim groups are attempting to build a mosque at the site of the 911 attack on the World Trade Center. View this video that explains what such a thing actually means to Muslims.
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The following was published by the European Times on April 9th,2010: A new report circulating in the Kremlin today authored by France’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) and recently “obtained” by the FSB shockingly quotes French President Nicolas Sarkozy [photo top right with Obama] as stating that President Barack Obama is “a dangerous[ly] aliéné”,which translates into his,Obama,being a “mad lunatic”,or in the American vernacular,“insane”. According to this report,Sarkozy was “appalled” at Obama’s “vision” of what the World should be under his “guidance” and “amazed” at the American Presidents unwillingness to listen to either “reason” or “logic”. Sarkozy’s meeting where these impressions of Obama were formed took place nearly a fortnight ago at the White House in Washington D.C.,and upon his leaving he “scolded” Obama and the US for not listening closely enough to what the rest of the World has to say. Apparently,as this report details,the animosity between Sarkozy and Obama arose out of how best the West can deal with the growing threat posed by rising Islamic fundamentalism. Both Sarkozy and his European neighbors had previously been supported in their efforts by the United States in forming an alliance to strengthen the integration of Muslim peoples into their societies,and has including France and Belgium moving to ban the wearing of burqa’s. European fears over their growing Muslim populations appear to be valid as the growing immigration and birth rates of these Islamic peoples are warned is causing the “Eurabiazation” of the Continent and within a few generations will see them become the majority of nearly all of the EU Nations. The greatest threat to these Western Nations posed by the Muslim peoples becoming the majority of their populations lies in their likelihood of destroying the Global Banking System which according to their faith is firmly rooted in “satanic” evil and “must” be replaced by an Islamic one. [Note:Islamic banking refers to a system of banking or banking activity that is consistent with the principles of Islamic law (Sharia) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics. Sharia prohibits the payment or acceptance of interest fees for the lending and accepting of money respectively,(Riba,usury) for specific terms,as well as investing in businesses that provide goods or services considered contrary to its principles (Haraam,forbidden). Obama,on the other hand,doesn’t share the views of his European allies and has,instead,embarked upon a course of embracing the Muslim peoples of the World and to the shock of all has overturned the Bush era ban on the radical Swiss born Muslim Cleric Tariq Ramadan from entering the United States,last year ordered the US government bailed out General Electric Capital Corporation to became the first Western multinational to issue an Islamic bond,and this past week commanded that all of his governments security documents eliminate the words “Islamic extremism” and “jihad”. Sarkozy in these reports further warns that by Obama’s “unrestrained” and “destabilizing” actions an already tense Global situation is growing ever more catastrophic as America’s once stalwart allies are being cast aside in favor of a New World Order where instead of the United States securing its vital energy future through conquest and war it will now do so by appeasement to some of the most violent and radical regimes on Earth,and as we can see exampled: In Egypt…where the 30-year reign of the stalwart US ally President Hosni Mubarak is being allowed by Obama to fall so that this most vital of Middle Eastern countries can be ruled by the former head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency,Mohamed ElBaradei,who allowed through his appeasement the Persian Nation of Iran to gain the knowledge,equipment and expertise needed to build an atomic bomb. In Turkey…where Obama in failing to stop,like all American Presidents before him,his Congress from passing a law blaming that critical Eurasian Nation for the 1915 Armenian genocide left Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan no choice but to recall his ambassador to the US. In Kyrgyzstan…where Obama failed to stop a revolution against the American installed President thus allowing Russian Prime Minister Putin to achieve his goal of revolutionary change for that critical Central Asian Nation and putting in jeopardy the United States war in Afghanistan as the new Kyrgyz government prepares to throw the Americans out of their country thus depriving them of their main air supply route to their already undersupplied troops battling the Afghan Taliban. In India…where by Obama’s failing to support the Indians fight against Pakistani backed Muslim terrorists has caused the second most powerful Asian Nation to turn towards Iran rebuffing all Western attempts to isolate them and instead of their participating in Obama’s Global Nuclear Summit have,instead,agreed to attend the Iranians. In Pakistan…where just this week Obama gave this vital American ally a “public slap on the wrist” by denying to them the same nuclear deal he had previously given to India thus insuring the Pakistani military will cease their support for American troops in Afghanistan battling the Taliban. In Afghanistan…where Obama has engaged in a public war with his ally President Karzai who because so enraged he threatened this past week to change his allegiance from the Americans to the Taliban. In Israel…where Obama has so demoralized and demonized their once most reliable ally that Prime Minister Netanyahu has just announced he will not attend Obama’s Global Nuclear Summit because of his fears that the American President will not keep Egypt and Turkey under control thus threatening the Israelis nuclear supremacy over their Middle Eastern enemies who have sworn to destroy them. In Brazil…where Obama has ordered his Defense Secretary Robert Gates to sign an historic defense agreement with this South American nuclear power whose President,Lula da Silva,has praised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,slammed Israel,and has announced his intentions to visit Iran next month. To all of these actions (and too many more to mention in this short report) Russian Military Analysts warn that Obama has pushed our world towards total global war more than any single leader since Nazi Germany’s Adolph Hitler,to which Russia and China are,likewise,preparing to confront to stop the Americans. Most unfortunately for those Americans living under the Obama regime is that their attempts to stop the radical socialism he has pushed upon them from destroying their once great Nation has failed as new reports from the United States are showing that in under two years Obama and his cohorts have succeeded in making nearly 50% of these people support the other 50% who aren’t working. (And which really should surprise none of them as during his campaign for the Presidency he openly vowed to “redistribute the wealth”,but which history has always shown makes everyone a pauper,except for the elites that is.) For any of the few Americans left daring to oppose Obama we had previously warned about the massive death camps he is preparing for them,but which these most strange of peoples continue to deny the existence of in their naïve belief that if they choose not to believe a thing it makes it not true. (If this behavior sounds familiar it is only because Obama and his cohorts have,literally,used the same playbook used by the Nazis against the once free German people.) And for those even daring to expose the truth of what is being done to the American people Obama took the unprecedented step this week of authorizing for the first time in American history his secret government intelligence services to assassinate one of their own citizens without benefit of trial leaving every human rights organization in the World in shock,including Tina Foster of the US-based International Justice Network who said,“I am in shock that they would do this. It is shocking that our Government would go to these extremes,even depriving someone of their life without a legal process.” Now to if Sarkozy’s grim and dire assessment of Obama is true or not it is not in our knowing,nor do these reports say. But,it is important to note that nearly all of the longstanding allies of the United States Obama has turned his back on are,admittedly,some really bad (to say the least) leaders who no one in their right mind would want to live under. And too Obama’s apparent appeasement of Islamic terrorists there is growing evidence of his maybe throwing all his marbles (so to speak) in “one fell swoop”,and as evidenced by the 195 smart,guided,Blu-110 bombs and 192 massive 2000lb Blu-117 bombs he last month authorized Florida based Superior Maritime Services Concord to “immediately” ship from California to the massive US Air Force base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean,which is in striking distance of Iran and if all of them were dropped on the Iranians would,literally,destroy them. In finding the deliberately hidden clues as to what will happen as The Great Game nears its inevitable climax all caution must be taken,including to whom you might tell your most secret of thoughts,and as evidenced in the United States this past week should NEVER be voiced to your children,and as we can read as reported by the Info Wars News Service: “A family in Williamson County,Austin have lost custody of their 7-year-old son as part of a Child Protective Services investigation because the parents taught their children to mistrust the government,an action that deemed them to be “unsuitable parents,” according to charges leveled by police officers in CPS documents.” And to those still mocking the truths of these times,who continually fail to see what lies before them,we can only say you’re being the good and obedient lemmings you were brought up to be. So go back to sleep and dream the sweetest dreams you can,because before you know it you’ll be awakening in a living nightmare as those as ignorant as you,throughout all of history,have learned to their peril and loss. To everyone else in America we can only advise you to begin stocking up for the End of the World….you won’t be alone. A Commentary By Howard Rich Thursday,April 22,2010 When he first began his career as a crusading consumer journalist in the 1970s,John Stossel believed fervently that higher taxes and greater government involvement in the marketplace were integral checks against corporate greed and malfeasance. With an irreverent,intelligent and skeptical tone that riled corporations – but resonated with viewers – Stossel’s career flourished,leading him to the pinnacle of his profession at ABC News. But then Stossel experienced a metamorphosis in his thinking. After observing the chronic,costly failure of so many of the numerous big government solutions that he and his media colleagues repeatedly prescribed for society’s ills,Stossel reexamined his fundamental beliefs. “I started out by viewing the marketplace as a cruel place,where you need intervention by government and lawyers to protect people,” Stossel explained shortly after undergoing his transformation. “But after watching the regulators work,I have come to believe that markets are magical and the best protectors of the consumer.” In fact,Stossel realized that in most cases regulators and bureaucrats only made matters worse,spending billions of tax dollars on so-called “solutions” that invariably wound up creating larger problems. Needless to say,Stossel’s conversion to free market,libertarian principles – which he trumpeted every bit as loudly as he had previously trumpeted government interventionism – was not warmly received by his colleagues. “Once I started applying the same skepticism to government,I stopped winning awards,”the 19-time Emmy Award-winner said. Today,Stossel is at the center of another media debate – only this time he’s not just telling the story,he’s a big part of the story. In October of 2009 Stossel – who has also published two best-selling books – announced that he was leaving ABC News after 28 years to take a position with Fox News,which is widely regarded as the most “pro-free market” of America’s major TV news networks. Ordinarily a reporter moving from one network to another isn’t considered big news,but in Stossel’s case it’s significant. While both Stossel and ABC describe their break-up in the most amicable of terms,the fact remains that ABC has been among the most vocal cheerleaders of the Obama administration and,in particular,his recently-passed socialized medicine plan. Stossel,meanwhile,watched as his reports on the perils of “Obamacare” struggled to find airtime. And while /20/20/ (to its credit) permitted Stossel’s voice to be heard,his perspective was increasingly drowned out by a steady barrage of pro-Obama news coverage as well as a glorified “Prescription for America” infomercial from the White House. In fact,during the first six months of 2009,an analysis by the Business and Media Institute found that ABC’s health care stories featured Obama or supporters of his policies 55 times compared to just 18 times for critics of the administration’s plan – a 3-to-1 advantage. Speaking of 3-to-1 margins,though,the public clearly isn’t overlooking this ongoing media bias. In fact,in each year from 2001 through 2009,Gallup polling revealed that three times as many Americans viewed the media as being too liberal compared to those who believed it had a pro-conservative bias. And more of those Americans than ever before now vote with their television remotes,as network ratings from the first quarter of 2010 were a bloodbath for CNN and MSNBC,arguably the nation’s top two “pro-government” networks. Larry King’s show – CNN’s top-rated program – saw its numbers among the coveted 25-54 year-old demographic decline by 43 percent from last year,while Anderson Cooper’s show experienced a 42 percent decline. At MSNBC,the network’s top two primetime programs,“Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and “The Rachel Maddow Show,” saw their ratings plunge by 43 percent and 38 percent. Meanwhile,viewers continued flocking to Stossel’s new home at Fox,which saw its top three shows expand their audiences by anywhere from 25-50 percent over the previous year – giving Fox more viewers than CNN,MSNBC and CNBC combined and extending its streak as the nation’s number one network to 100 months. Also,Stossel’s new TV show thrives on Fox Business Network. Clearly,the free market is still alive and well in America – if only in our marketplace of ideas. Howard Rich is Chairman of Americans for Limited Government. Andrew P. Napolitano is a 59-year-old former New Jersey Superior Court Judge He is a graduate of Princeton University,and Notre Dame Law School. At Princeton he was a founding member of the Concerned Alumni of Princeton along with Justice Samuel Alito. Listen to Judge Napolitano’s important message about the current threat to the liberty of all Americans. A Song by Mike Fischer:http://www.youtube.com/user/TheFischers I understand modern conservative thought. I understand libertarian thought. I even understand classical liberalism. What I can’t begin to comprehend is modern liberalism. Maybe you can help me. As near as I can tell,to be a liberal today:
Looking back on my list,it seems shallow,muddled,contradictory,divorced of logic and a bit sadistic. Well,then. If that doesn’t describe the modern American liberal,I don’t know what does. Author Unknown To the young people around us those words are likely meaningless. To my generation they are terrifying! George Orwell’s classic novel “1984″was first published in 1949 as his vision of a post WWII socialist/fascist world. Time Magazine recently listed it as among the best 100 English language novels published in the last 80 years. In the book the governmental language “Newspeak”twists words to conceal their meanings. The “Ministry of Peace”conducts war,the “Ministry of Love”conducts torture. “Big Brother”is the symbol of government which constantly watches everyone to assure compliance with its ever changing manipulation of society. There are signs everywhere stating,“Big Brother is Watching You” to control people by reminding them of pervasive and invasive surveillance by the government. Even children are indoctrinated to spy on their parents to detect possible “thought crimes”which were the most onerous of crimes in the society. Hmmmmmm. Kids at school encouraged to rat on their parents? No wonder home schooling is becoming so popular these days. The term “Orwellian”can refer to many devious things. It can refer to any totalitarian government action to control and pacify the population,but it frequently refers to the intentional twisting of words to make them indicate the opposite of what the words mean. It is simply propagandizing by misnaming.
He further refers to the provisions of “his bill”when he has never actually produced such a bill and he never indicates which of multiple bills he refers to. He is then free to claim or deny anything he likes. He calls accurate reports of the contents of such bills as “misrepresentation”and “lies”and makes a direct threat to opponents that if anyone disputes his claims he will “Call you out.”Caution:Big Brother is Watching You!! It was amusing watching George Stephanopoulos’s recent attempt to interview “Big Brother”himself. When asking about government enforced charges to people declining health insurance under “Obamacare”Stephanopoulos attempted to remind the president of his promise not to increase taxes on the middle class. Obama insisted,that ”is absolutely not a tax increase!”George even read the dictionary definition of “tax”to him and asked,“How is that not a tax?”Poor George. After all those years as chief of Clinton’s spin machine don’t you know you can’t pull a dictionary on Big Brother? “Newspeak”is recognized by Merriam-Webster. Yep,old George “O”had it right on the button,only his date was off a bit. Today the American people can no longer believe or trust their elected representatives. Political spin is king and governmental decisions are determined by focus groups to see what manner of twisting of the words will sell their schemes to a dumbed down public. Representatives respond to our inquiries with loads of double or concealed meaning statements that makes Clinton’s “It depends on what the meaning of ‘is’is”seem tame by comparison. The IRS has become the veiled threat as the enforcement agency that is covertly or overtly held over the heads of opposition. Meanwhile,government officials and the administration’s friends are given a pass on even the most egregious of tax law violations. Look at the number of high level appointees that were forced to withdraw their nominations over public oppositions to their tax violations in just this year alone. In a nation of 300 million persons surely there are law abiding people talented enough for any job the government might need! High level congressional leaders such as Charlie Rangel are allowed to hold their posts and chairmanships with records of tax evasion running into the millions of dollars. Meanwhile he (Tax Cheat Charlie) as head of the House Ways and Means Committee slips rules into the tax codes so the “little people”receive threats over the most minor of infractions and oversights in their tax records. A man that himself has a reputation of a tax cheat is appointed to head the treasury and the IRS . He is charged to run the system for the rest of us! In the book the main character Winston Smith is symbolic of “everyman”. He works in the “Ministry of Truth”where his job is to rewrite historical records to match the current party line. Sounds much like the school textbooks of today where the average high school student graduates unable to recognize George Washington’s picture or what he did,knowing only that he owned slaves and had wooden teeth. Winston’s job is secure since the ever changing party line requires a constant changing of records and the removing of “unpersons”who are not in vogue with the current party politic. Reality is ambiguous and has been changed so much no one really knows for sure what even the real date actually is anymore. Sounds an awful lot like today’s political spin machines at work doesn’t it? The classes of “1984″society are the small “inner party“, an oligarchy of high level party members,a somewhat larger “outer party”of government bureaucrats to which Winston belongs,and the “Proles”which is the non-party-members of the controlled society. You know,the average everyday folks like you and me and Joe the plumber. In the book the main character Winston first describes the world of “1984″as he perceives it and then becomes uneasy over what he finds. He enjoys his work but develops a curiosity for the true history that has been eradicated. He has an illicit love affair with another outer party member,Julia,and they long for a pre-1984 time where they could openly express their love. Its only a bit more far-fetched than the numerous people today that live together without marrying to avoid being penalized by losing government benefits or being moved into higher tax brackets that they can not afford. Unfortunately in “1984″everything is bugged and ultimately they are caught by the “Thought Police”for having individual thoughts not sanctioned by the party. Charged with a “thought crime”Winston and Julia are sent to the “Ministry of Love”where they are separately interrogated,imprisoned,tortured and reeducated. Is this really far from the legislation to establish “hate crimes”today? Crimes not based on acts committed,but the inferred thoughts that are supposedly deserving of higher punishment? In the course of Winston’s interrogations and torture it is revealed that the true meaning of the controls are not to create a Utopian paradise at all,but simply a method for the inner party to retain power. Sort of like the perpetual office holders we see in government today. The more power they achieve,the more they desire and the more onerous the regulations they are willing to enforce on the society to achieve it. Regulations like a “Fairness Doctrine”that will preclude their opposition from access to the airwaves and will insure their perpetual reelection. Tarp payments that steal from the public treasury to reward buddies and political groups like Acorn and pay for their support while claiming it is to stimulate the economy. They are creating ever increasing taxes and declining value of the money supply to feed their insatiable appetite for power. Do we really want to live a “1984″society? As Americans we have inherited a proud history that our forefathers fought and died for,a history that values the privacy of individual thought and encourages individual freedom and achievement. Our capitalist system has created the greatest economic power the world has ever known by freeing individuals to excel. But to do so individuals must also be allowed occasionally to fail. For that we historically have had charities,churches,family,and friends who lend a helping hand. Americans are the most charitable people in the world,but when the government takes from the people in taxes to turn that role over to bureaucrats it robs the people of the funds to help their neighbors that are in need. The overloaded bureaucrats are poorly equipped to discern the difference between true need and cheats who simply desire to feed off the system. We are steadily and surely losing the charitable nature of our society in exchange for a government provided security net. Every year we are moving closer to the Orwellian hell described in “1984″. Wake up America. We are closer than you think! Wednesday’s Presidential address to a joint session of congress was interrupted by an unusual shout by Rep Joe Wilson of SC. When Obama stated that illegal aliens would not be given coverage under Obamacare,Joe shouted,“You lie!!”The following day,under pressure from the party leadership he called the White House and apologized for his lack of civility. He may have had a slip in civility,but was he correct in his assessment? We have been listening to claims and counter claims repeatedly over the summer about what is and what is not part of the healthcare proposals before congress. There have been a lot of “bait and switch”tactics about the various bills,but the only bill currently presented and released by committee is the one crafted in the house. This 1000+ page monstrosity has been accused of containing most every onerous proposal possible by its opponents while the supporters claim none of these things exist in the bill. For example,some say there is no “death panel”in the bill although that has been claimed by numerous opponents. Can both claims be right? First the illegal aliens claim. Obama is right in that the bill does have a small provision that states that persons not legally in the US are not authorized care under its provisions. Unfortunately Joe Wilson is more correct that under that bill millions of illegal aliens would receive healthcare under its provisions. How could this be? Well,although the bill specifically excludes the illegals it also specifically denies the right of healthcare providers to check for illegal status or eligibility under the plan. Two provisions were proposed by Republicans in the house to require proof of legal residency for care under the bill and both were defeated by the Democrats in pure party line votes. Why,if illegals were not to be eligible for care,would anyone specifically want to deny the right of providers to determine if persons were legally here in this country in order to receive such care? Well,the simple answer is that the claims that illegals would not be authorized care is disingenuous at best,and an outright lie at worst. It is obvious that the crafters of this bill intended,1) to allow illegals to receive care under its provisions and 2) to be able to deny that they did so. What? Does this mean our Democratic leadership is actually lied to us? Yes Dorthy,politicians do lie from time to time and this tome is full of such distortions that are designed specifically to mislead the American public. Why do you suppose there was such a push to approve it without even reading it back in late July? It is plain and simple. The writers did not want this thing exposed to the “light of day”. How about death panels? If illegals will indeed be treated under the bill,do they also exist? Well,yes and no. There is mandatory “end of life counseling”required under the bill,but nothing says anything about denial of treatment for elderly or terminal patients. However,the “footprints in the sands”indicate just such panels will exist. Rahm Emanuel,Obama’s chief of staff,has stated as much on occasions. Even more revealing are statements of his brother Dr Ezekiel Emanuel who has been appointed to two key positions:health-policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research. According to him in an article in last years “Health Affairs,Feb 27,2008,“Vague promises of savings from cutting waste,enhancing prevention and wellness,installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely ‘lipstick’cost control,more for show and public relations than for true change.”In other articles he outlined how to control costs by denying treatment to the elderly infirm and the very young,both of whom are not of the same value to society as youthful basically healthy adults. Since Obama has promised to control the cost,and these are the persons he has employed to show him how to do so,what do you think? Yes Dorothy,right again. Then Obama wants you to believe that he will not cut care to the elderly,and he will find enough savings from eliminating abuse in current Medicare and Medicaid to pay for it. And are we to believe the tooth fairy and the easter bunny are going to pop up and give you a check for a zillion dollars too? If the federal government can find the aproximately 20% of waste and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid why haven’t they already done so? If he is not planning to cut care to the elderly why is he citing to remove 500 Billion from those two programs to fund Obamacare? The federal government came up with Social Security back in the 30s and promised it would never be the monster that it has become. It is currently bankrupt and has had to be rescued by additional taxes repeatedly. Same for Medicare and Medicaid,and the good old U.S. Post Office as well. The truth is that government has no profit motive and is thus inept at doing anything in a fiscally effective manner. After all,when they overspend they can simply raise taxes or borrow money that they have no intent on ever repaying. Government has no money to do anything for anyone that they do not first steal from someone else through taxation or deficit spending. Why would an alert American public want to turn over one seventh of our economy to them? Answer. We wouldn’t,that’s why they hid it in a 1000+ page monster bill and pressed the congress to pass it without reading it. John Conyers,chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,even ridiculed anyone advocating they “Read the bill!”saying it would take “two days and two lawyers”to do so. Keep firmly in mind what the people that push this bill are doing. They are playing the American public for fools and trying to push what they know is an abomination (or perhaps Obamination?) on us. Why do you think Obama is pushing for immediate action on something that will not take place until 2013,conveniently right after his reelection campaign? There is no emergency requiring fast action to buy a product produced by proven snake oil salesmen America. The fact that they are trying to push this off on us is reason enough to remove them from office at the first opportunity. Thank you Joe Wilson for having the guts to recognize a shell game for what it is and call,“Liar,Liar,Pants on Fire!“ | |||||
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In today’s world a congressional bill to deny workers rights to a free private vote on unionization is called the “Employee’s Free Choice Act”. The president states that illegal aliens are prohibited access in his government healthcare proposal while the bill he refers to prohibits checking for legal status.
Socialist Democracies of Europe are Dying. Can We Be Far Behind?
The left-leaning socialist democracies of Europe are in big trouble. Numerous articles are appearing about the problems faced by their never-ending cycle of debt caused by spiraling cost of their cradle-to-grave welfare systems their aging populations and their declining productivity.
Ever since WWII the US has assumed much of the defense responsibility and protected Europe from most of its costs. In that favorable environment Europe has voted themselves more and more personal benefits with generous pension plans,light work schedules,extensive vacation allowances,free healthcare,and the results of this generosity is now showing up in declining tax coffers and increasing public debt. Today the Euro is tanking while Greece is rioting.
Public expenditures as a percentage of the GNP in Europe have increased dramatically while the population is aging and there are fewer and fewer young people to pay the taxes to perpetuate the system. Today even the NY Times has joined in the fray with an article by Steven Erlanger about the severity of Europe’s economic woes. Certainly it is a true mark of severity when even the Times,that great bastion of liberal thought has to weigh in and point out the failures just at a time when the US is jumping in to follow the European liberal pathway. Of course it also makes us wonder about the security of Mr Erlanger’s tenure at the paper considering how the article diverts from the Old Gray Lady’s leftist editorial policies of recent years.
Europe is experiencing a wide divergence between public sector and private sector pay and benefits. In Greece today when a bankrupt government is forced to make cuts the people are rioting in the streets. Public promises are unfulfilled and there is widespread dissatisfaction among the populace. Surprise surprise! A few famous quotes come to mind,such as:“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”and “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
Perhaps the best quote illustrating the situation in both Europe and to an only slightly lesser degree in the US is one attributed to an obscure Scottish writer and historian of the late eighteenth century,Alexander Tytler,“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that,the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing,always to be followed by a dictatorship,then a monarchy.”
We in the US should be taking note of the folly of the European Socialist model. Instead the current Obama administration is plunging headlong into what is a proven failing system of non-governance. What Europe is facing in the next five to 10 years is our future as well if we continue to follow their path as our Washington leadership is directing.
We have enacted numerous laws for grand sounding goals of environmental responsibility,workplace safety,consumer protection,employee rights,and the like that have the effect of handcuffing private businesses as compared with their foreign competition. Unions have won generous benefits that lower work weeks,reduce performance standards,raise benefits packages,and paint the employer as a opponent to be manipulated at will. Our elected representatives have legislated minimum pay,maximum work hours,required benefits,and numerous other grand sounding goals. The result is a migration of jobs away from our shores. Once upon a time workers took pride in their company. They worked hard to make it succeed because when the company succeeds the employees and their community benefit as well. Unfortunately that is all too often an outdated model in many workplaces in the US today. Today the average worker likely views the employer as the enemy,not as the “team captain”. Can you imagine what would happen if a football team took that view of their team captain? Last placeville comes to mind.
Jobs are leaving our shores to go elsewhere where there is a more business friendly environment. Farmers here are increasingly denied using effective pesticides and cost efficient methods so they are producing less of many of our popular food crops. As a result we are importing those items from countries that do not so regulate their growers. Does that make our food supply more safe? There have been a number of outbreaks of diseases from tainted imported foods have appeared in recent years. Lead contamination in toys from China and similar problems from products from other developing nations have recently surfaced. We regulate our producers out of business,but allow products from unregulated producers in foreign countries to enter our markets and compete unfairly.
Government jobs when I was a kid back in the 40s and 50s paid less than the private sector. However,they compensated by providing more job security and benefits. Today in the age of public employee unions the public jobs in the US are paying over 20% more than comparable jobs in the private sector. They generally require less effort expended by the employee,more fringe benefits and often promise fantastic early retirements. There is little or no threat of layoffs and productivity is often not required. Private companies can simply not compete because when their employees do not produce enough work to justify their pay they can not simply raise taxes to make up the difference. Their only choice is layoffs or shut downs.
What we as a nation have embarked upon is not sustainable and we will find ourselves very soon in the same pot with the failing nations of Europe. Already we do not have the intestinal fortitude to protect our borders. We have allowed political correctness to replace common sense. We will not hold anyone responsible for their own blunders but assess blame to others for our own stupidities. If we spill coffee in our lap and burn ourselves we sue McDonalds,if we drop and break a bottle of soda and slip in the mess breaking a hip we sue WalMart. Where does it end?
Our own government sets the tone. Instead of standing up to their failures and learning from the experience to correct the deficiencies they seek some scapegoat to demonize such as the “rich bankers”,“greedy capitalists”,or the ever popular “George Bush Administration”. There are some very hard decisions to be made in our near future and if we do not stand up to the plate and face them objectively we,as a nation will most certainly go the way of the Dodo.
In the wise words of Pogo Possum,“We have met the enemy and he is us.”Read Mr Erlanger’s excellent article in the Times, compare the Europe he describes and the US of today,and then pray for America that God will deliver us from ourselves.