By Ed Mattson, originally published at Veterans Today.
“Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on
what to have for dinner.” ― James Bovard
Am I the only one in America bothered by those who clamor for more freebies from government; for the government’s promise of care from cradle to grave; for government’s demand we have a minimum wage while they reward themselves with salaries greater than 6 times the wages of most Americans; and that anyone in their right mind would believe that government is really looking out for the wellbeing of the downtrodden and oppressed population in America?
Am I the only one who sees that the U.S. has sent 2.7 million of our nation’s youth off to war never to return with the notion of defending freedom and liberty around the world? Yes, that’s the death toll we have invested in defeating Nazism, fascism, Marxism, communism, tyrants and dictators to keep our country and the rest of the world free.
Over the course of the last century our politicians have been steering us right down the path to a political system that would make Karl Marx proud, stripping away the freedom and liberty that made America the greatest nation on earth.
The proof is right in front of our eyes, yet We the People, don’t seem to see it. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, or whether you are one of the mindless fools that just don’t give a rat’s behind about politics, we march aimlessly along letting the Washington politicians have their way with us much in the same manner as the career prison inmate treats “the new prisoner on the cell block”.
Those like myself and other writers who point out the obvious problems we see with the relationship between the people and government are, like the messenger, quickly brought under the gun by those who may disagree, who will do almost anything, say anything, in scathing personal attacks, rather than debate such subject on their merits.
What About Democracies and Republics?
The most misunderstood words in the dictionary I am afraid, is the word Democracy followed closely by Republic.
Hitler used the words freely, as did Mussolini, those who ruled the
Soviet Union, Mao, Kim Jung Il, and countless others along with every
firebrand politician we see in American politics today. We even have countries that have adopted the word republic, democratic or democracy in their names:
People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
East Timor – Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Korea, North – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Laos – Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Nepal – Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
São Tomé and Príncipe – Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Sri Lanka – Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
“More than 1.6 billion people — 23 percent of the world’s population — have no say in how they are governed and face severe consequences if they try to exercise their most basic rights, such as expressing their views, assembling peacefully, and organizing independently of the state. Citizens who dare to assert their rights in these repressive countries typically suffer harassment and imprisonment, and often are subjected to physical or psychological abuse. In these countries, state control over public life is pervasive, and individuals have little if any recourse to justice for crimes the state commits against them.”
Looking at the above list of countries, I for one would not relish the idea of having to live in any of those countries, but it is interesting that they chose to use the words we Americans have always cherished in the title of their countries’ names. And even scarier, the U.S. seems to be abandoning the very principles of freedom and liberty that were so eloquently described in our Declaration Of Independence and enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.
I believe it is highly unlikely that those living in such countries really sought out to live their lives under the rule of tyranny and oppression, which has been borne out by the numbers of those who have either successfully fled or have been killed trying to escape.
Those who have immigrated to the U.S. during the last half century recognize the changes that have occurred under the rule of liberal-progressives, for them it has become a matter of our country following the path of the governments they fled for a better life. Most shake their heads in bewilderment.
Countries that have chosen to bastardize the words Democracy and Republic really believe they are fooling the world. The United Nations, is probably the most gullible of the lot, and have exhibited some of the best examples of stupidity known to man.
The members of the UN Security Council include China and Russia among the five permanent members, and The Soviet Union (later Russia) has used its “No” voting power 119 times, more than the other permanent members of the Security Council, to stand-up against global conflict. If fact, Russia’s incursion into Ukraine and China’s adventures along the border with India and in the South China Sea today, are part of the many global conflicts that could easily escalate into major wars.
The UN has be a dismal failure as well on the issue of human rights. Development cannot take hold in the face of political repression that thwarts fundamental freedoms. Similarly, addressing human rights is central to ending the cycle of violations and violence that threatens peace and triggers conflict, however it appears the membership of the UN, all 193 member countries, will probably never see eye to eye on what would consist of meaningful human rights.
This would definitely hold true in Muslim countries where women are treated as property, with fewer rights than the family livestock, and in countries governed by tyrants, thugs and dictators. It is almost laughable as countries that do hold seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council have imprisoned people in 2013 under laws that restrict religious freedom (Morocco ,India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Libya and South Korea); and we don’t really have to go into the area of homosexuality rights being violated.
“Making Saudi Arabia a world judge on women’s rights and religious freedom would be like naming a pyromaniac as the town fire chief.” – Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based UN Watch
So we have countries sitting in judgment of other countries using double standards, which have always accompanied international human rights protection since the world took note… it involves asking States to monitor the human rights violations they themselves have committed, by action or omission. The Commission on Human Rights is an empty one.
The fact that the political environment within the Council corresponds to the reality of international relations in recent years while relevant, may be molded to fit the dominant political will of the time. It is natural to conclude that the way in which the Council will be remembered in history will depend, ultimately, on the evolution of politics and international relations in the years to come, but today seems to belong on the dung-heap of political waste.
Getting back to those dynamic words, Democracy and Republic. They’re probably not but a handful of citizens today who can adequately describe they type of government we have in the U.S. today. Most will tell you we have a democracy, which in fact is not true. The Founding Fathers gave us a Representative Democratic Republic…and that’s a fact. This is far different than a democracy.
Majority Rules – The Devil’s in the Details
In a democracy, the majority rules. That all sounds good when you are in the majority. What if the majority wanted to exterminate all people with handicaps, or all people of opposing political view. That might be okay with you if you didn’t have any apparent handicap or you were on the side of the political majority, but probably not so welcomed by those in the minority.
On the other hand, a Republic is by rule of law wherein the rights of minorities are to be protected…at least it was that way when our country was founded. As you look around today, you can see that concept headed for the exit door.
Our politicians today use the word Democracy and Republic as cover while they whittle away our rights which are guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.
The government has been indoctrinating our children through their takeover of the public schools, and vigorously oppose home schooling, charter schools, and competition in education. This is the tactic of tyrants and thugs and has been used effectively by many dictatorial regimes in history. They use unearned entitlements to gain more control over our lives which diminish our freedoms and we don’t even see it happening because it has been happening so gradually.
Those of us who are paying attention get it. We see that we are no longer free with the liberties we once had. The liberal progressives call us neo cons, stupid, and a whole lot more. For those with such thoughts, I ask you to consider the following list of freedoms you think you have…
- Private Property Rights: Do you really own your home; can you really build what you want on your property; or will you lose your home if you don’t pay your property taxes and then what if the EPA says you can’t build because of some creature living on your property you never heard of before. Your property can be confiscated at the drop of a hat, often without judicial review by any number of government agencies including the Department of Justice, IRS, EPA, and so forth.
- We are closer than you think to rule by Marxist philosophy which insures mediocrity to all but a handful of ruling class (politicians). Karl Marx said, “From each according to his ability to each according to his need”. Have you examined the 900,000+ pages of the IRS tax code lately?
- We have free education for all children in public schools. Unfortunately this is not free education. We pay an exorbitant amount in taxes (about $150,000/child from grades K-12), more than any other nation on earth. It is also not free to allow local states to teach that which best suits the needs of their citizens. Schools have become indoctrination into a government philosophy to not question authority, not study the relevance of history, and not learning the elements of free market capitalism. Schools today teach the citizen is subservient to the government.
- Government control over the means of transport. We have multiple agencies – federal and state bureaus regulating what we drive, how fast we drive, the fuel economy of our vehicles, the fuel we put into our vehicles, and often having to pay a toll to drive certain roads and highways as well as having to pay for licensing of our vehicles. We have Amtrak, public transportation and the regulated auto industry including how our vehicles are made and even partial government ownership of the manufacturing process after the financial collapse of 2008-2009.
- We have government control over communication…FCC, telephones, and the Internet coming soon to your doorstep, all the while the NSA is monitoring your emails and phone calls. Mail is also controlled by the US Post Office and is not open for competitive mail delivery by private companies.
- After the wealthy families have all but established their families with generations of wealth passed on, we now see those in power seizing our rights of inheritance through the Internal Revenue estate tax. This is the philosophy that all wealth today belongs to the government.
- The government controls the credit market through the Federal Reserve Bank, which is not Federal, is not a “bank” in the terms we all recognize as a bank, and does so as an exclusive monopoly without Congressional Oversight. They have the exclusive right to pick and chose winners, in what was supposed to be a free market economy.
- The government has centralized community planning and controls where we build, how we build and what we can build, through multiple layers of rules, regulations, user fees, and taxes. The government even has the ability to govern your hours of operation through exclusive rights to regulate utilities, and build and maintain streets and roads to access your business and homes.
About Ed Mattson:
Following his service in the Marine Corps Ed Mattson built a diverse career in business in both sales and marketing and management. He is a published author and medical research specialist. He is currently Development Director of the National Guard Bureau of International Affairs-State Partnership Program, Fundraising Coordinator for the Warrior2Citizen Project, and Managing Partner of Center-Point Consultants in North Carolina. Mr. Mattson is a noted speaker and has addressed more than 3000 audiences in 42 states and 5 foreign countries. He has been awarded the Order of the Sword by American Cancer Society, is a Rotarian Paul Harris Fellow and appeared on more than 15 radio and television talk-shows.
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