Our Political Extremes

Young Sweatshop Workers
Protest in 1909

Posted on July 19, 2012

In response to those who insist that I am a politically far right guy, I pose this simple question. Have you chosen to not remember what the far right looks like? Do the tolerated limits of the far right not even register anymore?

For those of you, who do not remember, let me remind you of the social damage and despair caused by the real far right. The far right is a different world from any position I advocate today. The far right world is a world of child labor, sweatshops, robber Barons, and a large underclass in extreme poverty. The far right created a truly scary place to live and thankfully, was thoroughly rejected by a people who had finally had enough of it. Just how far to the right Americans could be pushed was tested and nobody wants to return to those days.

I advocate for none of the policies of the far right, but neither do I want to go any further to the left. We are nearing the left limit that is acceptable by Americans, I among them.

The far left is just as scary. We have to look no further than the pitiful condition of modern Europe. Most European countries took up the left’s banner and tried to make life an idyllic place for its citizens. After all, that is the attraction of the far left. Other countries that answered the call of the far left are Socialist Russia, and Communist China. Both are now trending to the right and recovering from their disastrous periods under the far left banner. But take heart, we are not a far left country – yet.

Either extreme is to be avoided like the plague. So where is the “center”? The center is actually where most people find a comfort zone with economical security and opportunity. Neither the hard left nor the hard right offers a comfort zone with both economical security and opportunity. Certainly the center is not the same place for everyone and there will always be those who express and advocate for extreme viewpoints. It is sad that we have allowed our political parties to define our political perspective. Political parties are creatures of survival and thrive upon their need for political power. Political power is a type of fatal attraction. The call of political power is sometimes overwhelming and unleashes any means to obtain that power. The drive for power justifies the use of lies, brute force, and even subtleties.

The left’s quest for political power has indentured a whole race in this country. Black’s line up for their scraps of handouts and all the while you can feel their resentment from not being full participants of the system. Realistically, 72% of their babies are born into single parent homes that deny these young the balancing influence of a father. A father’s absence creates more mischief for the young as they look to others as a ‘father figure’. For these youths with poor prospects for a job, they turn to other non-productive activities and crime. Without the benefit of a job to gain self sufficiency, these young people drift and resent what they cannot achieve. But with their fealty to the Democrats, they are assured continuation of their miserable existence. I call it the Democrats’ ‘Spiritual Death by Kindness’.

The problem with all of this is I am not looking to the left to see what I see happening, I am looking straight ahead. The carnage of Liberalism gone amuck is fertilizing the ground for a crop of social upheavals we have not seen since the civil war.

Self-worth is a cherished evaluation made privately by all individuals. Providing for others has evolved as a method for the left to build their self-worth and as a vehicle for political power. But in the process, they crush the self-worth of the very people targeted with their largess. This is where I put most Liberals. Liberals do not set out with the agenda to harm anyone. Their goals are heartfelt – just misguided.

Somewhere in the heart of a Liberal is the idea that their generosity can uplift the spirit of a less fortunate person. But the truth is, their efforts erode, not elevate a recipient’s personal value of self-worth. The hand to mouth help offered by the left to the less fortunate, fosters resentment that festers. For some reason the Democrats cannot distinguish between help for those in need and the creation of dependency – or one could speculate that Democrats do understand. A dependent can be counted on for a vote to feed the Democrat’s need for political power.

Still looking straight ahead, neither to the right or to the left, and in real time shines these jewels:
a.) The criminalization of almost everything.
b.) Onerous tax rates and regulations.
c.) Double taxation (ever wonder why we need toll roads when we pay taxes to build and repair our roads?)
d.) Casino’s sprouting up like weeds. (Driven by the need for tax revenue)
e.) State and multi-state lotteries.
f.) Loss of discipline in our schools.

Squeezing our earning population for more money has become an art form. Political power is a greedy beast and we are now spending public money at a greater rate than our national economy can support.

And yet you call me a rightist. I am also looking at a higher learning system that is busy accumulating wealth while charging ever higher fees to students. And to what end? Just to turn out heavily indebted graduates?

All of these things and more are currently at the center of our political spectrum. Do I think a correction to the right is necessary to rebalance the system – unqualified yes! Do I want to return to the good old days of robber barons, child labor, and sweatshops – No!

Take an honest look at what is happening. Do you not see the division that is happening as we speak? Do you think that it was wise to create a Black sub-class just for political gain? Do you not recognize that the feeling of self-worth is diminishing? Don’t you think that we have drifted a little too far left to inspire commerce and innovation? Why do you think you get a foreign voice from a company’s answering service? Why do you think our Olympic uniforms were made in China? If you had money to invest in today’s world, where do you think you could get the best bang for your money? Why do you think all of our gadgets are made in foreign countries?

Remember, the Democrats took control of the Congress in 2006 – a year that we had about a 5% unemployment rate. It only took them two years to put the economy into a tailspin. Since 2001 President Bush tried to get the Democrats to reign in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the Democrats held firm and would have none of it. In their zeal to bring home ownership to anyone who wanted one, the housing bubble was created. It seems that everybody except the Democrats knew wealth couldn’t be manufactured from whole cloth, but undaunted, they soldiered on.

Bankers pawned their worthless paper (CMO’s) all over the world in an attempt to not be left holding the bag for the reckless actions of the Democrats. (There is a lot more to this story – you can read about leveraging and the sale of bonds created by the CMOs’ here: Economic Downfall ) A funny thing happens when you are holding debt from a borrower; you expect payment for that debt. Well, that’s when the bubble burst – payments were expected but there was none to be had.

The debt holders and issuers of that debt turned to the taxpayer. “Help us,” they said, look at the mess the Democrats have unleashed upon us.

Democrat generosity almost killed us as a nation. We have run up a mountain of public debt to pay for their foolishness. Democrats thought that the ‘American Dream’ was theirs to distribute whether or not the recipients would appreciate it enough to pay for it.

Your vote is the only weapon you have to prevent us from backsliding into becoming a third-world country. Cast it as you see fit, but choose wisely; all of our futures depend on your choice.

Cheers,
-Robert-

Robert welcomes your comment to this or any other of my commentaries.

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