Friday, February 13, 2009

The Growing Army of Angry Men

"The hour is fast approaching when each and every one of us will have to decide for ourselves whether we will try to fight this devastating government machine, or join it."

My thanks to Jackie Junti for forwarding this to me from LewRockwell.

The Growing Army of Angry Men Whose Lives Have Been Destroyed by the Federal Government

by Mark R. Crovelli


One of the hardest things to deal with in the current economic depression is the disgusting hypocrisy of the U.S. congress, the new president, and the members of the Federal Reserve System. It is one thing to be told, as we all are, that we must hand over fat wads of our hard-earned money to these warmongering and thieving snakes or face jail terms, but one feels a whole new level of revulsion when these people make statements to the effect that they, and they alone, are in a position to "save the economy" by "creating jobs." These statements are made by people who have done virtually everything in their power to destroy the American economy over the last few decades, but who have now proclaimed themselves to be our saviors. Only the most naïve and unlearned among us could possibly be falling for the idea that a bunch of self-serving politicians, bureaucrats and bankers are going to "save" us from problems they have caused.

On its face, the idea that politicians, bureaucrats, and bankers could "save" the economy is laughable. These are people, after all, who live exclusively at our expense. That is, these are people whose entire livelihoods are dependent upon taking money away from productive people and spending it on themselves and their favorite wasteful projects. It's true that they do not all share the same ideas about how to spend the money they take from us. Some prefer to use it to blow up innocent people in foreign lands, while others simply want to take our hard-earned money without our consent and hand it over to other people. The bankers, on the other hand, merely content themselves with printing vast amounts of new money out of thin air that they either hand over to the Treasury Department, or gift to their other banker-buddies to lend out at a profit at our expense. Nevertheless, it should be crystal clear that these people do not actually produce anything themselves (except the bankers, who are very skilled counterfeiters of money). They take money from us through taxation and inflation, (and threaten us with severe punishments if we refuse to obey), and then spend every last penny of it – and more – on war, socialized boondoggles, and welfare. These are the people who would have us believe that they can "save" the economy? How exactly would they accomplish such a thing? More taxes, more idiotic socialized projects, more war, and more newly-printed green paper? Do these actions really seem likely to produce a vibrant and healthy economy, or do they seem more like the actions undertaken by the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.?

They would also very much like for us to believe that they are the only people in the world capable of "creating jobs" in the United States. A more ridiculous idea would be hard to find. Again, these people are only in the business of taking money from productive people, and either wasting it entirely (e.g., war), keeping it themselves, or giving it to other people (e.g., entitlement programs, foreign aid, and paychecks for bureaucrats). As such, any actions undertaken by these people will necessarily depend for funding upon those who are forced to pay taxes; namely, the increasingly-dwindling group of productive people who have not yet lost their jobs in the private sector. Does it really seem possible that this sort of parasitism on the productive people of the United States really can create jobs that produce the things that people actually want? If socialized job creation is the only way out of this economic quagmire, as the politicians would have us believe, then why don't they socialize the entire economy? If it were indeed the case that the federal government can "create" productive jobs better than the private sector, then why don't they take over all aspects of the American economy, and we can all live happily ever-after in a brave, new, socialized America where everyone is enslaved, I mean employed, by the State.

And don't think for a moment that the politicians and bureaucrats are themselves going to help the productive people shoulder this onerous tax burden. On the contrary, politicians and bureaucrats do not actually pay taxes. As Murray Rothbard has noted in this regard:

"If a bureaucrat receives a salary of $5,000 a year and pays $1,000 in 'taxes' to the government, it is quite obvious that he is simply receiving a salary of $4,000 and pays no taxes at all. The heads of the government have simply chosen a complex and misleading accounting device to make it appear that he pays taxes in the same way as any other men making the same income. The UN's arrangement, whereby all its employees are exempt from any income taxation, is far more candid."

Hence, while Mr. Obama is fond of telling us that "we" are going to have to get out of this recession together, what he really means is that those of us who are employed in productive private lines of work in this country are going to have to hand over more and more of our hard-earned money to those people in this country who pay no taxes at all; namely, men like Mr. Obama himself and the rest of the fat, parasitic political and bureaucratic class that infests this country.

Some of the more shameless of the political class in this country, or their academic lackeys, have even tried to convince us that the trillions of dollars they are wasting in Iraq and Afghanistan are going to help us get out of this depression. They have been taking our money and blowing it up in these two dreadfully poor countries year after year, and they would like for us to believe that this senseless destruction of wealth is going to make us richer. Often known as "Military Keynesians," this group is perhaps more aptly described as the "kill ourselves rich" crowd. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that neither you nor I are made better off when the federal government steals our money, hands it over to Lockheed Martin to purchase bombs, and then uses those bombs to blow up Pakistani civilians. The only people who benefit from this forceful expropriation of our money and indifferent murder are the merchants of death occupying lucrative posts at Lockheed, Blackwater and the Pentagon.

What the political and bureaucratic classes are actually accomplishing very well, however, is creating a veritable army of angry men whose lives have been destroyed by the federal government. Many have lost their jobs, thanks to the collapse of the largest artificial economic boom in American history – a boom that was directly caused by the actions of the federal government and the Fed. In addition, thanks to years of merciless and ceaseless money creation by the Fed, this army of men has found that their savings purchase fewer and fewer goods over time. This depreciation of the dollar will inexorably increase astronomically over the next few years as the massive amount of new money the Fed and treasury have already jointly printed, and are planning to print over the coming months and years, floods the system.

This army of angry men has very little to be optimistic about in the near future. At best, they might be able to keep their present jobs in the private sector – shouldering a heavier and heavier portion of the tax burden that funds the congress and president's wars and socialization schemes, while the value of their savings continues to erode into dust. Those who have lost their jobs might be permitted to work on Mr. Obama's "public works" projects, and thereby become virtual slaves to the whims of the political and bureaucratic classes. Many others will simply find it easier to start sucking at the state's teat in the form of unemployment insurance or food stamps, et cetera, and thereby lose all respect for themselves. One thing is certain for every member of this army of angry men, though; every single one of them will now find it very difficult, if not impossible, to carve out a living for himself, on his own terms, and without being at the complete mercy of politicians, bureaucrats, and bankers he has never even met. The age of the independent, responsible, and free American citizen is now dead.

The hour is fast approaching when each and every one of us will have to decide for ourselves whether we will try to fight this devastating government machine, or join it.


February 10, 2009


Mark R. Crovelli [send him mail] writes from Denver, Colorado.

6 comments:

Phelps said...

"If a bureaucrat receives a salary of $5,000 a year and pays $1,000 in 'taxes' to the government, it is quite obvious that he is simply receiving a salary of $4,000 and pays no taxes at all.

Actually, it has become apparent of late that they don't even do that. They simply keep the whole $5000, and expect no one to ever "notice". Perhaps if we were honest and simply called this embezzlement, like it is, people would recognize how serious it is.

Anonymous said...

FWIW, I do think it possible that we're under economic attack along the lines presented in China's military strategy manual "Unrestricted Warfare", 1999.

What's compelling about that theory is a number of factors.
-Within the manual, the authors discuss Network warfare and we know the Chinese have already set up 'hacker corps' to put that in action.
-On 9/15/08 there was a $550 billion electronic run on banks which nearly toppled them within about 2 hours time. Interestingly, while the run itself is being remarked on, nobody is discussing who was responsible.
-Last, destabilising the US economy would permit a Taiwan grab at the very least.

Just a thought.

Anonymous said...

This brings to mind the concept of a revolution having to liberate the broadest part of society - everyone (except for the would-be overlords).

The reality of the economic chains of slavery that the Lords of Walstreet and DC have forged for us is now becoming obvious to the average guy on the street.

That may well provide the underlying fuel of a real revolution, whatever the spark turns out to be. (you need long burning fuel, not just a spark).

There is a great parallel here with what happened in the American Revolution.

At that time, it became obvious to the common man (thanks in large part to Thomas Paine) that the English Crown and parliament were using the colonists as mere resources, like cattle or fields of wheat, to be harvested for the benefit of those back in England.

That realization and the anger it created was the fuel. The spark was attempted arms confiscation on April 19, 1775, but the spirit of resistance was already there by that time.

Today, it is becoming obvious to the common man that the District of Criminals, and their masters on Wall Street, are also using the people as mere resources, like cattle and fields of wheat, for their own benefit.

This is a government of, by, and for the banksters and the rest of the banking/political/legal elite. And all they do is designed to perpetuate that order, and make it safer for them to be more brazen. Gun control is part of that design.

Gun confiscation may well be the spark, but by then there should already be a spirit of anger and defiance over being treated like cattle and slaves.

It has to be about far more than just guns.

Just as the American Revolution was about a broad based liberation from onerous taxes, confiscation of property, and violations of ancient rights of Englishmen (jury trial and the freedom from warrantless searches) it is important for a modern revolution to also be about all the interconnected abuses of our rights.

We need to make it obvious that there are a "long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evince [ing] a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism ...

Tap into the discontent of the common people about how they are being used - how food is being taken from the mouths of their children - and how they are being treated as wage slaves, working half the year just for the bankers and their political puppets, and how that is tied to the violation of ALL of the long standing rights of Americans.

That will be the fuel.

Gun confiscation is just the most likely spark.

Anonymous said...

We've repeatedly elected knaves and fools.

Boehner says that no one has read the entirety of the bill passed in the House this afternoon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnwOjDjnH4

Ben

Dakota said...

Outstanding post High Plains Lawyer, I agree.

Anonymous said...

..freedom from warrantless searches?..they are already being proposed by police agencies in gun control crazed states in the name of "searching for non-registered or declared weapons" Meantime criminals continue freely using illegal guns with no regard or fear of any gun control legislation!.Many of our constitutional rights are being trampled besides the right to bear arms in defense of life and liberty.This includes enemies from WITHIN as well as from without.
As a naturalized american citizen I often look with dismay on the 60% morbidly obese pack of "consumers" we are starting to become. Work more to get less pay to buy more "stuff"..to keep the people that make the "stuff" working so they can go out and get more "stuff" etc etc etc.Everyone up the line paying 1-income tax,property tax,sales tax,school tax (got kids of college age?-can you afford to send them there?).Something is VERY broke here folks... My 2cents and yep I am an angry man,,