UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM
Last week we talked about
American royalty or “The Ruling Class”– that troika of protected Americans who have gamed the System at our expense for their own benefit. But what is “the System” anyway. Is it a republican form of government? What about the free market? Is it driven by people, parties or government bureaucracies? In this edition of Majority Points we’ll discuss what we call “the System.” Understanding “the System” is the first step toward breaking it - and breaking it is the only way to restore the America that was and should be again.
We all know that Progressive policies have increased the size and scope of our government to an unsustainable level. Before the Progressive era the view of government had been “light touch” regulation, but beginning in the early 20th Century liberal reformers brought European ideas to American politics and government. Carefully, progressives recruited farmers and labor unions and even some small business owners to begin agitating for greater government involvement in the private sector.
Influenced more by Bismarck’s Germany than James Madison, leading Progressives believed that the Founders were completely wrong and that their foundation for the American republic, with its ideas of limited government, separation of powers, individualism and natural rights, should be destroyed and a new order built. Some progressive pioneers called for the nationalization of corporations, the strengthening of the labor unions and a strong, central government.
All of the Progressives’ thinking and actions, were based on three fatal assumptions: that man is perfectible, government is a force for good, and that government was meant to enforce not equality of opportunity, but equality of outcome. Today, we know that as Communism.
The Progressive reforms caused power to become more centralized in the federal government, and Progressive reforms “shifted political decision making away from electoral politics and representative bodies to administrative and executive agencies. On the national, state and local levels, party government gave way to bureaucratic government, while interest groups gained increasing political influence and power.”
THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE
With Progressive ideology in control, the U.S. government exploded in size and spending during the 20th century, some of it due to legitimate wars, but also due to the growth of bureaucratic state. Progressive “reforms” of direct primaries, Australian ballots, the direct election of Senators, a dismantling of the private political parties, and the systematic growth of the bureaucratic state, each made the U.S. government became more and more detached from the American people.
Un-elected bureaucrats began dictating to the people what they could and couldn’t do. Elected officials became more and more entrenched: before the Progressive era, the average Congressman served two terms. But after the parties were eviscerated, the average tenure of Congressmen more than doubled, nearing nearly 5 terms. And as their tenure grew, so did government spending. As long-time incumbents began dominating the American system of government, government grew well beyond its 1900 size of 2.5% of GDP, a percentage of the GDP that would not even pay for Medicare alone in 2011. The ideas of federalism were severely damaged as Senators were no longer responsible to their states, but were in fact little kings, dependent upon themselves for re-election, and therefore free operators with very little accountability.
Instead of involving the people more in running the government of “We the People,” the Progressive era set in motion a century of government growth and created a “System” of government that reinforced itself over time, becoming stronger and more entrenched. “The System” they created was a reinforcing loop resulting in more government, less freedom and American decline. The bureaucratic state grows, elected officials stay in office for years, devolving into a Ruling Class that serves itself and its special interest cronies.
WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION
Now we find ourselves in the 21st century, turning further and further from the vision of free enterprise and individual rights, with massive bureaucracy, elected officials that serve their own interests, government spending out of control, and an invasive government making life’s decisions for the individual.
But the troubling reality of the System we confront today is that the modern conservative movement is not built – or in many ways even interested in breaking “the System.” Many in the modern conservative movement came riding into Washington, DC with the Reagan Revolution. But Reagan left town to go back to his ranch, and they decided to stay.
Over time they created their own bureaucracies - their own version of unions – institutionalizing themselves. They created a Conservative Grievance Industry of sorts. They fundraised off direct mail, using fear-mongering to fund themselves and create a self-validating echo chamber as the government continued to grow and the vision of our Founders was whittled away.
Worse, the “conservative movement” does not seem to understand the System and the root causes of the challenges faced. Certain parts of the conservative movement even reinforce the System. From proposing mandated individualized healthcare, to supporting TARP, to coddling elected leaders who support more government spending, the modern conservative movement, much of it based in Washington, is not positioned or willing to fight for us. Instead of addressing the root problems, the DC-centric movement merely trims the branches, if doing anything at all. In fact, instead of working to break the System, the conservative movement has over time devolved into a racket while America continues to be threatened by the excesses of its own government.
We need to take action – not the Washington-based think tanks and so-called conservative groups. Grassroots conservatives, tea party groups and local activists for limited government in communities across America working to break “the System” are our only shot at reclaiming the America envisioned by our Founders.
Keep America Free,
Ned Ryun
Bons Casino ⋆ 100% UP TO €150 + 100 FS
ReplyDeleteThe Bons 188bet Casino in Manila is ボンズ カジノ the top online gambling site in Asia. ラッキーニッキー This online casino offers an incredible collection of unique slots, baccarat