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The Drudge Report is reporting this morning that several broadcast television networks are considering a series loosely based on the concept of the end of America. Details on the various programs aren't yet available, but my bet is that the fictional end will come through either terrorism or some sort of a natural disaster.
The networks have part of this right. The end of America as we know it could well be on the horizon. The networks just wouldn't dare present the end as it very well may happen. The death of America will more likely come from the advancement of the American welfare state.
Empires have life expectancies. The history of civilization would tell us that a country based on freedom and economic liberty generally last just a bit over 200 years. That's funny, I thought empires dying had more to do with... erm... imperialism. If you know of such a society that has lasted well beyond the 200-year mark, let me know. I haven't been able to find one. Our Constitution was ratified on December 15th, 1791. In just a few weeks the United States of America will be 214 years old. That, for those of you who went to government schools, is just a bit over 200 years. good for you, you answered your own question!
You can trace the decline of American to several different and varied beginning point. Among them:
1. The adoption of a graduated and progressive income tax, as envisioned by Karl Marx.
2. The adoption of a system of government education of our children, again as envisioned by Karl Marx.
3. The movement away from a rule of law to a rule of the majority (Democracy) which really took hold during the days of Franklin Roosevelt. Who was babbling about the republicans won, get over it to the Dems during certain nomination battles? Yeah, you really hate the rule of the majority.
America, the welfare state, is growing steadily. In the last few weeks we started George Bush's Medicare prescription drug program. The original estimates for this welfare boondoggle ran at about $300 billion for the next ten years. Those estimates doubled before the program even began. The actual tab will probably be closer to one trillion dollars for the first ten years .. and growing after that. Baby boomers will be retiring over the next decade. As they retire they will start drawing down Social Security and Medicare dollars by the bucketful. The cost will be enormous. As presently structured, these income transfer programs can't handle it, but all attempts at reform, at least insofar as Social Security is concerned, have failed.
Back to the main point. Americans are no longer in love with freedom. In fact, the case can be made that Americans are afraid of freedom. Oh, they want to be free to go on vacation and to chose where to live, who to marry and what to wear each day, but that just about covers it. What else were you looking for? Freedom of religion or something? Pshaw! Americans want the government to educate their children, guarantee their jobs, determine their wages, provide them with medical care, pay for their prescriptions, insure their comfort in retirement, regulate their business competitors, and control the actions of their neighbors. If you suggest that the responsibility for any of these factors be placed back into the hands of the individual the screams and howls of outrage and indignation will be heard across the country.
If the networks want to do a series on the end of America, their script has already been written ... .by some Russian named Ayn Rand.
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