Slipping towards tyranny
This week the Drudge Report linked to an Investors.Com article by one of my favorite social and political commentators – Thomas Sowell.
Sowell is an economist and a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Sowell is also a syndicated columnist who has for years successfully paired intelligence with simple common sense. He has also authored 31 books.
The Investors.Com article is titled Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny? Read article here.
In the article, Sowell uses the BP oil spill fiasco to highlight the abuse of power coming from this pathetic administration in regards to “punishing” the private sector.
Sowell writes:
“With vastly expanded powers of government available at the discretion of politicians and bureaucrats, private individuals and organizations can be forced into accepting the imposition of powers that were never granted to the government by the Constitution.”
He also aptly points out that “without constitutional government, freedom cannot endure. There will always be a “crisis” — which, as the president’s chief of staff has said, cannot be allowed to “go to waste” as an opportunity to expand the government’s power.”
On a previous post titled Obama’s BP speech: a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, I put forth my belief that the BP oil spill plays right into Obama’s hands. Sowell also pointed out something that I often highlight on this blog; ignorance and apathy embolden and empower tyrannical rule.
Sowell writes:
“When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics.”
“Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler’s rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions.”
Unfortunately, this sounds like many of today’s Democrat Party faithful. It also sounds like most of the young people who attend the nation’s colleges and universities. I have long worried that these ignorant (some are willfully ignorant) sheep will ultimately be the downfall of Western Civilization.
Evidently Thomas Sowell agrees with me. In his usual straight to the point style, he points out that “a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive.”
Amen!
