While campaigning for President in 1948, Harry Truman made use of a highly-feared "ism" known as "Communism":
“If some of our people are living in slum housing and nothing is done about it, that is an invitation to Communism. If some of our people are forced to work at substandard wages and nothing is done about it, that is an invitation to Communism. If some of our people are arbitrarily denied the right to vote or deprived of other basic rights and nothing is done about it, that is an invitation to Communism. . . . And finally, if high prices are depriving some of our people of the necessities of life and nothing is done about it, that is an invitation to Communism. . . . Let us adopt legislation that will provide our citizens with the homes they need.”Can you imagine a politician trying to pull that off today?
The justifications for fearing Communism were squashed by the great economist Ludwig Von Mises. He did the hard thinking that concluded with 'Socialists can't calculate'. Communism didn't collapse right away, of course. Politicians fight truth to the bitter end. It took many decades for Von Mises to be vindicated.
Unfortunately, the Communism tactic would be replaced with another highly-feared "ism": "Terrorism".
Today, a politician can say with a straight face:
"If we don't listen to your phone calls, that is an invitation to Terrorism. If we don't track your web activity, that is an invitation to Terrorism. If we don't watch your bank account and credit card activity, that is an invitation to Terrorism. If we don't fly drones over your head, that is an invitation to Terrorism. If we don't feel your genitalia at the airport, that is an invitation to Terrorism."Sadly, that list can go on.
Here's the good part:
Just as Von Mises shook the establishment to the core with 'Socialists can't calculate', so has Ron Paul shaken the establishment to the core on the military empire. It happened on a day that many of us will never forget:
That moment attracted so many people to the ideas of liberty that the positive effects are impossible to calculate. What a shame that Von Mises did not have the luxury of having his words broadcast on national television, or of having them watched countless times on YouTube.
Now, just as Communism didn't collapse right away, neither is the military empire interested in closing up shop anytime soon. Politicians still fight truth to the bitter end.
Von Mises was vindicated by a BIG bankruptcy in 1989. Ron Paul has been warning for years that the US is heading for a BIG bankruptcy of its own.
Governments (and the people who believe them) never learn.
Chris Rossini on Twitter, Facebook & Google+
Communism, equal rights for minorities, terrorism, "illegal immigration", illegal drugs, etc the state will always try to find a boogeyman to justfy it's growth and control over peaceful people. It's a never ending battle which must be fought at every turn?
ReplyDeleteActually TPTB have fine-tuned their propaganda.
ReplyDeleteThey use TWO "isms".
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Terrorism for the gullible on the right.
Global warmism(or climate changism) for the gullible on the left.