By consent of the governed?
the dangerous delusion
During his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln referred to the American government as “of the people, by the people and for the people.” That notion — that we are governed by consent of the people — is a premise which provides nobility, virtue and validity to the actions of our government and inspires patriotic dedication.
The only problem is that it isn’t so. The evidence is far more compelling that elections are devices by which voters pick among two or more candidates, hand-selected by self-serving political machines and their donors. The candidate most effective in making promises and manipulating the process wins popular support, then takes the reins of power and proceeds to impose an often clandestine agenda. In many cases, this agenda would be roundly rejected if revealed ahead of the election.
Does that sound a bit harsh and skeptical? It is certainly inconsistent with Abe’s analysis. But while Lincoln addressed the intended design of America’s government, history has revealed that the actual practice has turned out to be much different.
Philosopher Ayn Rand properly held that there are no contradictions in life. When there seems to be, one need only check their premises. They will find one of them is erroneous. So let’s check Lincoln’s premise.
In order to validate the proposition that America is governed by consent of the people, we must conclude that:
the people want government to interfere with free speech on the internet.
the people want government to raise the cost of energy.
the people want government to spy on citizens without bothering to get a warrant.
the people want government to deploy 87,000 more IRS agents.
the people want government to borrow money in order to give away in foreign aid.
the people want their tax money spent to sponsor foreign wars.
the people want government to protect Ukraine’s border but not America’s.
the people want millions of unvetted illegal aliens to pour into our country each year.
the people want teachers to have sex talks with children and keep secrets from parents.
the people want males to have access to women’s locker rooms.
the people want government to ban incandescent light bulbs.
the people want government to ban plastic straws.
the people want government to ban gas stoves.
the people want government to ban gas-powered vehicles.
the people want denominations of currency no higher than a $100 bill.
the people want total dependency on the electrical grid for transportation, household energy and financial transactions.
the people want bureaucrats to tell doctors how to practice medicine.
the people want government to dictate the vaccines they must take.
the people want government to limit the ability to bear arms.
the people want shoplifters to go unpunished.
the people want to reward irresponsibility and subsidize homelessness.
the people want criminals released back into the streets without putting up bail.
the people of San Francisco and other cities want feces and needles littering their streets.
the people of California want to reward illegal aliens by giving them $300 of taxpayer money each week.
the people want government empowered beyond its Constitutional charge to suspend their Bill of Rights liberties at its discretion.
the people want a government with unlimited power.
Unless the propositions above represent issues in which the public clamors for, the concept of “government, of, by and for the people” should be properly identified as a guise promoted by public schools, the mainstream media and various political entities to deceive the public into a belief that current policies are generated by popular support. Ask yourself, if America was truly governed by consent of the people, would two thirds of us believe America is going in the wrong direction? Is it reasonable to conclude that the people are voluntarily seeking to reduce their options and restrict their liberty?
Until Americans understand the true nature of government as the relentless transfer of power from the individual to the state — rather than accepting that that which has been delivered to us is a result of our own choosing — we will continue the trek as human livestock being led to liberty’s slaughterhouse.
Excellent, exactly correct! Political power is a zero sum game. If one faction gains power, it can only happen if another faction loses power. Unfortunately, the people are most often the losing faction. The founders gave us the tools to keep gov't under control, but we have failed to provide the eternal vigilance required to prevail. That has to change, now!