February 19, 2014

What we have here is a failure to communicate

I had a lot of windshield time last week. Spinning through the dial I found myself listening to Rush. He repeatedly asked his callers why the left seemed determined to change the culture, to destroy "American values". Why is there an assault on the notion of hard work, religion, and traditional family?

Once again the answer can be found through studying history. There is a branch of political thought that maintains that only through the actions of the state can we all find true equality and thus happiness. The people who subscribe to this credo are certain that the misery of the human condition can only be resolved through the elimination of those things that cause worry, misery and discontent -- money, religion, and the artificial barriers to happiness created by the need to find housing, food, and health. The concept is simple. If we can eliminate money and religion and countries there would be no cause for war, for crime, for hatred. John Lennon stated it so eloquently in his song Imagine. I do not write that facetiously.

How do we reach this utopia? Philosophers and true believers have tried. Robert Owens and Mao were not so different in their beliefs. In order for the state to succeed in banishing inequality, you must eliminate all barriers to the state. First you must eliminate religion. If a citizen is worshiping a god, then he feels superior to another who may worship a different god, or who may believe in none at all. Moral righteousness comes from the state, not a belief system. No one may claim moral superiority if we all live under the same moral guidance. There is no judgement if we all believe the same. We must all work for each other. The collective whole is superior to anything, including god and family. It takes a village to raise a child. It is not a coincidence that since time immemorial kings and despots have declared themselves gods. There can be nothing superior to the State.

You must make everyone equal economically. Whether you eliminate the wealthy, or elevate the poor so all are on equal footing, the result is equal poverty. There is no envy if we all have the same clothing, the same living conditions, the same toilet paper.

Artificial political barriers must be eliminated. Patriotism breeds resentment and hatred. America is not superior to Mexico, Citizens of Chad are equal to those of Belgium. Governments cause wars. A League of Nations, a United Nations, A Star Trek-inspired Federation will eliminate the need for armies to destroy each other over an imaginary line on a map. The true progressive believes we are citizens of the Nation of Man. That is why they do not like immigration laws and patriotic flag waving. For the World Citizen, the Stars and Stripes are a symbol of war, hatred and inequality.

Whether the experiment was pre-John Smith Jamestown, the French Revolution, Brook Farm, New Harmony, the Soviet Union, Communist China, Castro's Cuba, or modern Venezuela, the pattern is remarkably unchanged. Sadly, the experiments always end in failure.

16 comments:

Ed Bonderenka said...

You have described the one world government predicted in Revelation.

Erin O'Brien said...

Jeez. Lots of words, not sure what the point is.

Why are all you ol' rightie guys so pissed off? After all, the NRA has shoved through laws essentially allowing you to shoot any kill anyone, armed or not, as long as you claim you "felt threatened." You've got "intelligent design" inching it's way into public schools. You've got families forced to keep a corpse on "life support" in order for it to serve as an incubator. You've got states proposing legislation that condones discrimination on account of "religious beliefs." The list goes on and on.

As for a socialist experiment, read how the French do socialized medicine, with much better results at half the cost.

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I seem to recall that the French system led directly to the deaths of a lot of old folks during a summer heat wave some years back. But sure, just keep pimping single-payer; the majority of Americans are smarter than you think.

And I won't even bother to address the rest of your desperate ravings. Not worth my time.

Joe said...

I am not sure "Yeah, but..." is an effective argument. I nfact you have not disputed my poosition at all, MS O.

Erin O'Brien said...

What position? That John Lennon wrote an idealistic song in 1971? That's four decades ago.

I don't know of any significant movement in the US that is espousing, "If we can eliminate money and religion and countries there would be no cause for war, for crime, for hatred." (Although the Catholic Church comes close on a few of those points.)

So where's the threat? Who's taking your checkbook and Bible? Or is this just a lot of words?

Anonymous said...

again, I do not see evidence I have described the progressive movement inaccurately. A series of "Yeah buts..." does not refute anything.

Joe

Erin O'Brien said...

Which progressive movement? Go ahead, give me a specific name.

Without specifics, this is just silly musing--to which you are wholly entitled.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your permission
Joe

Anonymous said...

The whole Obama administration is a progressive movement. I did do a little research on OB's claim on the french health care system, it's going broke. Then again only exploring part of an issue is the typical liberal mind set.

James Old Guy

Erin O'Brien said...

"The whole Obama administration is a progressive movement."

Another sweeping generalization, which equals more vague bullshit.

Re: French healthcare: Links, please.

Re: permission: You're welcome.

Anonymous said...

"Which progressive movement? Go ahead, give me a specific name." --Erin O.

I think it was covered in the original post:

{...pre-John Smith Jamestown, the French Revolution, Brook Farm, New Harmony, the Soviet Union, Communist China, Castro's Cuba, or modern Venezuela,"

Anonymous said...

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-03/frances-health-care-system-is-going-broke

Google, try it you might learn something.

JOG

Erin O'Brien said...

Nice link, JOG. It talks mostly about how the Frenchies are working on reform. "The tinkering appears to have succeeded in bringing down costs, though it’s unclear by how much."

Now, JOG, I expect you to follow this story and keep us updated.

As for the laundry list in the previous comment, none of it has anything to do with America in 2014, which was my point from the beginning: what the hell does this have to do with us?

Funny how Joe doesn't talk about the failed socialist experiments of modern Germany in his post.


Anonymous said...

What kind of world are we leaving to our children and grandchildren? Thousands of years of history and we still act like high school teenagers on the important issues.

JOG

Joe said...

The post was a simple examination of some of the philosophies found on the left over the past few hundred years. Of course there is no conformity to thought by individuals. Your mileage may vary. Not every conservative is of the Christian Right, not every left-leaner subscribes to every tenet I have laid down. Trotsky and Lenin did not agree on everything.

But there are certain common threads running through the French Revolution, Soviet Russia, Mao's China and modern Zimbabwe or Cuba often at the expense of the individual.

Erin O'Brien said...

Thanks, Joe.

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