Slavery Is Making A Comeback

Monty Pelerin * Economic Noise

Tyranny has never been more evident, at least in my lifetime. For the history of this country, it has never been so prevalent. Let everyone be on the same page when they interpret the word “tyranny.” It is defined by Merriam Webster as

oppressive power <every form of tyranny over the mind of man — Thomas Jefferson>; especially : oppressive power exerted by government <the tyranny of a police state>

The nature of government has changed, and not for the better. The US Government has lost touch with its citizens. It treats them and any productive ventures as a source of income for their own benefit. Government has become predator and citizens are prey. Abraham Lincoln’s description of a government “of the people, by the people and for the people” is now a cruel joke (which it may have been even when he uttered the words).

Politicians have become a class onto themselves. This elite class is and considers itself above the common people. It has privileges and perquisites typical citizens cannot imagine. It does not obey many of the laws it foists upon the rest of us.

The concept of “public service” once implied sacrifice, the willingness to apply one’s talents to serving the country and doing so for below what the job was worth. Some of our early Presidents were broke when they left office. Harry Truman, upon completing his term, drove himself and his wife back to Missouri to retire in the modest home they had before he went to Washington. Can anyone cite recent similar behavior among this predatory class?

Today, “public service” means “opportunity.” It means higher pay than available for comparable work in the private sector. It means more job security and better benefits that private organizations can provide. Election to high office means wealth beyond what most of these people would be capable of earning in a merit positions in the private sector. It means more wealth and perquisites than most major contributors to society like entrepreneurs, doctors, educators, etc. can hope to earn.

I doubt whether many of our elected officials would be able to hold a real job at a fraction of what they make practicing “public service.” The wealth they acquire is far in excess of their performance or abilities. In their abilities and actions, they remind me of members of organized crime who become wealthier than they as a result of coercion. Politicians and organized crime make money the same way – they steal it or extort it from the productive members of society.

Albert Jay Nock had it right when he observed:

Taking the State wherever found, striking into its history at any point, one sees no way to differentiate the activities of its founders, administrators and beneficiaries from those of a professional-criminal class

Is anyone surprised that the net worth of elected officials grows well in excess of what average market investments produce? Are these clowns superior to Warren Buffett in terms of their investing skills? Most outperform Mr. Buffet in their results. When was the last time you heard of a politician losing his home or having to file bankruptcy? These are not normal people. Most are pathological and they are immunize themselves from the damage they inflict on the rest of us.

We have a professional class of politicians today whose best attributes are glibness, pretty faces (there are exceptions), the ability to lie without conscience and an incessant drive to improve their personal positions. The idea of the citizen-politician has been replaced by the professional politician, many of whom look at what they do as a family business which their children are entitled to inherit. Members of crime syndicates think the same way.

We no longer have a government, we have masters who increasingly enslave us by preying upon our productivity and removing our freedoms.

It is time to recognize what is happening to this country and take a stand!

http://www.economicnoise.com/2013/02/10/slavery-is-making-a-comeback/