BREAD AND CIRCUSES
It’s reached the point where a large segment of our citizenry employs their creative energies in getting free money from the government. They obsess over their subsidies. They plot to get more. Some don’t hesitate to prevaricate when necessary. Their creativity is dissipated while they focus on how to keep the money coming. Simultaneously, their skills and talents are obliterated by the corrosive force of dependency.
Consequently, the core of our cities have become behavioral sinkholes. On reservations and ruralities addiction and alcoholism have become a way of life. No matter what their race or creed, there is a sickening similarity of irresponsible behavior among the subsidized. Eventually, dependency evolves into helplessness. They become unemployable, ravaged by their vices, permanently shiftless from the government dole. It wasn’t always so. A century ago, virtually everyone worked, had pride, struggled and became better for it. Then the socialists and statists had their way and gradually the weakest fell into enslavement.
The U.S. government became the chief enabler for millions who inevitably turned to drugs and alcohol to relieve the stifling boredom of idleness. The liberals and social planners defend this atrocity with the vigor of true believers. As usual, they failed to consider the unintended consequences of subsidies that do more harm than good.
As the politicians in Washington ponder the means to subsidize even more, they fail to address the towering behavioral problem of the underclass. Chemically dependent parents are lousy parents. The crime you read about in the newspaper barely touches the depth of mindlessness, character breakdown, cultural decay and bizarre behavior among welfare recipients. Meanwhile, their numbers grow relentlessly and entitlements lure more and more down the path to dependency.
This isn’t going to have a good ending. It’s not normal for people to feel that they are entitled to what others have earned. They will be enraged if something is taken from them. Some have been taught by leftists to believe that they are victims. You might want to be out of the country when this social carbuncle gets lanced.
As long as the government keeps sending out checks, the pot won’t boil over. The risk lies in runaway inflation. When the government’s monthly pacifier no longer buys enough necessities, it’s going to get dangerous. The Feds will do anything short of torture to squeeze wealthy taxpayers out of the lion’s share of their income. That’s in order to fund their welfare supporters. But the Santa Clause principle liquidates itself. Eventually the tax dollars don’t cover expenses (like now). Resorting to currency debasement risks hyperinflation. It’s probably inevitable at some point. Runaway inflation doesn’t last long, but it sure is stressful. Distribution breaks down, money doesn’t reach and panic prevails. Call it the day of the survivalist.
In everybody’s life there are periods when everything comes up roses. Then there are times when things are bad. When you’re hot you’re hot and when you’re not, you’re not. What goes for an individual often goes for a nation. We could be in for a rough stretch. If there’s a lot more bad stuff to come, it’s not going to help that a big chunk of the populace can’t, or won’t fend for themselves.
