We hear shouts for freedom, slogans advising us to follow the Constitution, allegations of socialism, and a plethora of propaganda based rhetoric. Propaganda? Absolutely. Ask the voice shouting the buzzword what socialism or freedom means. The odds are they will be confused by your question. Ask them which part of the Constitution we are not following. Go ahead, ask.
Well Folks, we are not following the Constitution in many ways. I am not talking about executive orders, which, by the way, are perfectly legal; rather than getting into a froth of anger, look at t he big picture. A minority in the House and Senate has gained control or is trying to gain control of the US government. By holding up nominations for judgeships, the judicial branch of government is weakened. By refusing to approve any legislation proposed by the executive branch, the administration of policy has been crippled.
The consequence as seen by the objective observer, is an absence of governance that violates the principle of three equal branches of government as envisioned by the US Constitution.
There are many reasons for this dilemma, most are political and ultimately irrelevant. Power breeds greed for more power and for those involved, perspectives are narrowed. The game is more power, and Congress proceeds on this path, the real purpose, the people, are forgotten.
Freedom is an interesting word. Look closer. What does freedom mean? When Daniel Boone stepped outside his home in Virginia, he had to decide which direction he would travel; north, west, perhaps south. He would be responsible to his own shelter, food, and water. The ultimate freedom and it came with responsibility. If this were the philosophy of the day, we would be living in anarchy.
So, where are we freedomwise? Taxes intrudes on your freedom. Try not paying your property taxes for three years and the real landlord will come and sell the place where you live. But you must have taxes if there is to be any sort of government.
How about that car you own? Fine, own it but you need government permission to drive it. The food you eat, the water you drink and to some degree, the clothes you wear are all subject to some government oversight.
Buzzwords! Shouts for freedom these days are often associated with opposition to the federal healthcare program. What does that mean; healthcare means you see a doctor or a nurse who is licensed by the government whether or not you are insured or not insured. In this case freedom might mean not going to the doctor, but that is up to the individual and has nothing to do with shouts for “freedom”.
Then there are the claims that we are engaging in socialism, as if that were a dirty word. If you are the only person in the world, do what you wish, but your freedom is cut in half is there is a second person, and so on. Ultimately, in any sort of government, a tax supported program that is meant for all people will become the law of the land. If this program serves a basic human need, it is correctly identified as a social program. A collection of social programs becomes socialism. Is that as bad as it sounds by those using buzzwords in a negative manner? The greater the population, the less ability we have to live a self-subsistence lifestyle. Other than anarchy, we cannot avoid socialism.
Socialism is not communism. The hysteria against communism in the 1950s has pushed America towards a Democratic/Socialist state. Medicare and Social Security are very popular. The people want these programs. They served a need. They are, by a political science definition, socialist. This run afoul of the buzzwords which are much like ideology; one need not think to use them.
When a significant segment of voters depend on ideology, the nation is at the mercy of extremists. Think Tea Party! The Tea Party represents the Henry Wallace nightmare where fascism creeps into American thinking.
The Tea Party doesn't have a well-thought out plan, such as a coup; rather it is a collection of independent ideas that are comfortable to special interests or individuals. Hell yes, everyone wants to reduce taxes. Prop 13 in California demonstrated that much. Cut government services and who ever's ox is getting gored will scream bloody murder. Seldom heard anymore is the idea of cutting taxes for the purpose of "starving the beast". This means there is no longer a purpose behind a reduction in taxes. Perhaps the notion of cutting taxes is simply an attempt to be re-elected.
Or, it may be a program that was seriously considered per the 1980 Koch Libertarian platform.
And that, Folks, is fascism rearing its ugly head.
When government and corporate interests come together to for government policy, you have Corporatism, the Mussolini brand of fascism. The US Supreme Court just legitimized this form of government by removing limits on campaign contributions. This is straight out of the Koch 1980 platform, meaning, fascism has arrived.
Remember this quote from 2010, it means something:
"If I could start a country with a bunch of people, they’d be the folks who were standing with us the last few days. Let’s hope we don’t have to do that! Let’s beat that other side to a pulp! Let’s take them out. Let’s chase them down. There’s going to be a reckoning!"
– GOP Rep. Steve King at a 2010 Tea Party Rally opposing the Affordable Healthcare Act in front of Congress