The United States Government controls several of the largest banks in the country, two automotive companies, and will soon initiate a coordinated seizure of the medical establishment. By the end of 2009, an estimated 40% of the American economy will be under the aegis of the Federal Government. Each of these steps is on a path that F. A. Hayek termed “The Road To Serfdom.” I recommend the interested person read the book by the same title. It is astonishing how accurate Hayek’s analysis was and equally disturbing it remains as a predictor of the results of today’s actions by Congress and the President.
The average reader of this blog may not care, or the same reader may think that central planning of automotive production, banking, and healthcare are an improvement over the current system. History teaches otherwise. And as for the people who deem themselves brilliant enough to exercise such control over individuals, I quote Adam Smith,
“The Statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals, would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted to no council and senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it.”
In other words, the current occupier of the White House and too many members of the Legislative Branch, not to mention the Judiciary, seem to believe they can not only organize, but dictate, the manner in which an entire nation is to function down to the smallest detail. Folly and presumption are archaic terms in today’s vernacular, so allow me to be more bold. Anyone who thinks he can better administrate the activities across the spectrum of economics and social development of more than 300 million souls is a damn fool. Fools don’t bother me much as I avoid them as is practical. However, when they have the ability to tap my wallet at will, put me in jail, and force me to labor on another’s behalf, well, then I become more animated.
So to the damn fools who may read this blog (as opposed to those decent, honest, and hearty souls), let me remind you of events that took place some 235 0dd years ago. Our dear Mr. Franklin stood before the King’s Privy Council and received a dressing down like none before. You see, like the King and his Council, today’s authoritarians (that is you damn fools) in the White House and Congress feel that their unfettered power will rule for eternity. And again, remember that Mr. Franklin departed England for America where freedom as was never known before was born. Now, freedom must be born again, and there are those agitated individuals who are willing to deliver it. Those willing to rely on themselves rather than place their burdens upon another are beginning to do more than complain.
While you damn fools take another step toward tyranny and cultural suicide, there are those who will not hold hands with you on the road to ruin. They will pave their own way. After all, they don’t need you to show them how to do it. But you need them to finance yours. And in the end, the tyrant, the damn fool, doesn’t know there’s a light to turn on let alone where to find the switch. So let the last damn fool turn the lights out on this folly before it becomes the death of a nation.
In particular, I heard only moments ago, a person speaking with the host of a popular financial show say that people involved with the recent Tea Party protests were akin to her complaining about Nieman Marcus raising the price of her lipstick. You know, some people simply don’t get it and this lady is one of them. She thinks that your money isn’t your money. She thinks that your money should go into a common pot so that it can be spread around according to the whims of a bunch of tyrants not much better than the tin pot dictators of yore or the pseudo-marxist red shirts of today. People of this woman’s ilk hold the rest of us in complete contempt. They like to refer to us a “complainers” unwilling to “do our part.” Well, the last time I checked, millions of people in this country are doing their part, paying taxes, providing goods and services to their fellow Americans, and raising their children appropriately. However, there is a growing class of people who refuse to do this. They’re the sorry complainers of this nation, the ones who think that nothing is fair, that they shouldn’t be held responsible for any of their bad decisions, and that they should be given whatever happens to be the handout du jour. They rely on political largesse and lap it up to the tune of billions if not trillions of dollars.
That’s a handsome airplane up there, no doubt about it. It has excellent stability, decent fuel economy, and great visibility. These days, the instrument panel has changed dramatically. Slowly the “steam” gauges (or round dials you might have seen) are being replaced by multi-function displays like the one shown below.
The information presented is the same, only the format has changed. This is not your grandfather’s 172. Still, flying remains the same; you have to watch your airspeed, look out for other traffic, and not forget to keep an eye on where you’re going.
The Bent Page 
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