Citizen Tom

This blog is not about change.  Whether for ill and good, change happens.  This is a political blog that discusses fundamental principles related to politics and religion. When people propose change, the purpose of this blog is to understand implications of their proposed changes.  The goal is to encourage understanding and moral choices.

To understand what the future holds, we must look to the lessons of the past.  As I have noted elsewhere  (here, here, here, and here), we appear to be in the midst of a period of unraveling.   Some have noticed that unravelings recur in four-generation cycles.   The apparent explanation?  Men at most live about four generations.   So the lessons of the last unraveling are forgotten and lost to the uneducated.

If we are in the midst of an unraveling, what can we expect?  What would be the worst case?

• Our economy has just begun to decline.  Will the world economy will stagnate and crumple?
• Claiming the need to preserve the status quo and save existing jobs (fighting change), will our rulers grasp for more power?  Will our rulers advocate socialist collectives under their rule?  It has happened before.
• Will our rulers pit us against each other by class, race, religion and whatever they can think of?  After pitting us against each other, will our rulers suppress individual rights, claiming the need to protect us from each other.  It has all happened before.
• Is it possible that in about ten years, when nations are looking for new enemies to blame for their troubles, the unraveling will climax in world war?  It has happened before.

As it happens, the stock market gave its opinion on the election today.

A case of post-election nerves sent stocks plunging Wednesday as investors, again anxious about a recession, began questioning what impact a Barack Obama presidency will have on business and the overall economy. The Dow Jones industrials dropped more than 400 points and the major indexes all fell more than 4 percent.  (from here)

How can we avoid the worse of an unraveling?  I believe the answer is education.  Consider this excerpt from a reader’s comment.

You say that our economy is so great, but then why are so many people on welfare, financial support, and working 2-4 jobs. Why are there so many people living on the street. Tell me why the greatest economy is having so much poverty. It’s not just that there aren’t enough jobs, I bet, you can go out today and find 10-20 places you could work. It’s because people in this free country are choosing not to be educated to their full potential. Sure it’s their choice, and incorporation the foreign education system isn’t going to take away a parent’s ability to teach them morals of right and wrong, pride, and respect. What it will do is give the youth a better fighting chance to make something out of their life. I’m not saying brainwash kids into trying to be smart, but schools need to set a high standard beyond sliding by, because that’s all there ever going to do. It will have to be a process they just can’t suddenly raise it, but truly make school harder and harder.  (from here)

The commenter, Justin Jefferson, claims that government-run schools work.  We just need to set higher standards and push students to learn.  Ironically, Justin credits his father, not our socialist public school system with his own high standards.  At the same time Justin recognize the failure of our socialist public school system.  He just thinks the solution is more government and “higher standards.”

I believe Justin is wrong.  I believe the problem is too much government, and I hope to encourage a dialogue with people like Justin.  Because Justin is willing to consider another point of view and the ideas of others, I think he will eventually understand why socialism is not the answer.

Consider this dialogue (here) and this comment (below) at Luxurious Choices: Poetry and Polemics.

While I agree that the end result of pure socialism is evil at its core, consider the following:

The beginning of such evil starts with large government. What is “large government”? It’s a giant collective of former individuals (typically turned into mindless drones with a mob-like mentality) who set policy for the entire country. They manipulate the system so that they remain on top, and claim to fight for the working class.

Now…what is a corporation? See above.

ANY restrictions, monitoring, or redistribution placed on one must also be placed on the other. Individuals do not need to be kept in check. Masses do.  (from here)

On the Internet, it is possible to have rational discussion.  To dialogue, people must take turns.   Given time, perhaps people can understand the difference the shortcomings of socialist collectives.  Perhaps people will begin to understand government exists only to provide protections for individual rights.

Other Views

ANTI-BVBL is ecstatic (see here) if a bit myopic.

Below the Beltway has gathered some interesting news items.  Russia is already saber rattling (see here), and Californians preserved the traditional definition marriage (see here).

Crystal Clear Conservative (see here) and Leslie Carbone (see here) address the need to rebuild the Republican Party. For the time being, I expect this activity is more useful than anything else we might do.

PWConservative (see here), The Mud Pit (see here), and Spank That Donkey (see here) express disappointment.

THE OATH almost seems to rejoice in the Shellacking, A Landslide, A Whipping (see here).

The SkepticalObservor provides his usual curt, amusing, and acerbic commentary (see here).

The Mason Conservative observes that race a impressive race (see here).  For what it is worth, I agree.  Had McCain ran a stronger campaign and other elected Republicans provided him stronger support……

Bearing Drift claims Obama lacks a mandate (see here).  I fear this is a naive hope.

Note that I did not include many Liberal blogs in above.  Obviously the Liberal blogs think Obama’s victory is positive, and they are already concerning themselves with who Obama will appoint to what.  None of that applies to what this post is about.

Cartoon from here.

Cartoon from here.