I read a very depressing statistic recently. In a nationwide poll, some 63 percent of adult Americans said they do not think they will be able to maintain their present standard of living much longer, much less improve it.
This made me very sad — and a little bit angry, too. Sad, because for 200 years, this country held out the promise of a better life to everyone who was willing to work for it. We could argue for hours about what America means to each of us. But for all of my life, until now, it meant the opportunity to build a better life — and to expect that your children would achieve even more than you have.
My grandparents arrived here as penniless immigrants. They never took a dime of charity. They would have slit their wrists before accepting welfare. As new arrivals from Ireland in the early 20th century, they saw “Irish Need Not Apply” signs on many businesses. But they took what work they could find, kept all three of their children clothed and fed — and made sure that each of them was raised to believe they could do better.
And every one of them did. My mother was offered a full scholarship to college, but had to turn it down. Instead, her parents gave her a used typewriter for her 16th birthday and told her to go to work. Neither her brother or sister went to college either, but both went on to lead successful, productive lives.
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My mother’s passion for this country and the principles on which it was founded was boundless. She was fierce, feisty, and absolutely unshakeable. She was a friend to every refugee from communism, helping hundreds of them get settled in Cleveland, Ohio, and start building a better life there. If you’ve been reading my writing for very long you know I’m also a staunch advocate of the principles she held dear.
But now we’re told that two out of every three people in this country expect their lives to get worse, not better? That would have made my mother angry. It gets me mad, too — mad at the sick ideology that is perverting the American Dream.
I’m referring here to the left’s favorite gambit, the politics of envy. For more than a hundred years, their lackeys in the media, our schools, in labor unions and worst of all, in government, have used class warfare in their effort to divide and conquer us.
They’ve promised that, if someone has more than you do, just vote for them and they’ll take some of the “extra” and give it to you. For more than a century, the Left has proven the wisdom of the old adage, he who robs Peter to pay Paul can count on the vote of Paul. As the left has proven, there are a lot of Pauls out there.
Their redistributionist philosophy is nothing more than theft. They steal from you, and from every other productive American, in two ways. First, by demanding half of the fruits of your labors in the form of taxes: not just the income taxes you pay to the federal government, most states, and many cities, but also in the unseen taxes they levy on everything you buy, use, and consume.
But their second way of confiscating your wealth is even worse. It is by creating “money” out of thin air — the massive inflation of our currency that destroys the purchasing power of the dollar. The deliberate debasement of a country’s currency is one of the worst crimes a government can commit against its own citizens.
God merely asks you to tithe — to give 10 percent of your earnings to Him and His works. He promises you a better life if you do, but does not threaten you (at least in this life) if you don’t. Government, however, is far more demanding. You are required to “voluntarily" surrender half of everything you earn. If you refuse, they will harass you, seize your property, confiscate your wealth, and even send you to prison.
Ah, but you’ve heard this rant before. So instead of repeating it again, let me share some good news with you. Come Tuesday, we’re going to throw a whole bunch of the rascals out.
Barack Obama and his supporters insisted on nationalizing the 2008 elections. That is, they made every race for the House and Senate a mandate about “the failed George Bush administration.” They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, giving them the biggest majorities in Congress seen since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Ah, but now that snake has turned around and bitten them you-know-where. Thanks to the arrogant overreach of Obama and his allies, this week’s elections have also been nationalized. And a huge number of voters can’t wait to cast their ballots against our socialist President. Count me among them.
I’ve already made plans for the “Take Back America” party I’ll be hosting on Tuesday night. I think we’re going to have a lot to celebrate. I was in Atlanta a week ago for a family affair and loved seeing the headline in the local paper, “Election Day looking grim for Democrats.” The article below said that “Democrats [are] facing the possible loss of the House and trying to hang onto the Senate.” We’ll see, but I for one am hoping their worst fears come true.
By the way, permit a brief aside. For nearly 30 years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was part of my daily reading. I hated the liberal bias of the paper, but it was the only game in town. For more than four decades, the AJC tried to out-liberal the New York Times. The Cox family, which owned the paper, along with our largest radio and TV stations, considered themselves the southern Kennedys. And they were as subtle about their biases as their hero, Ted.
Do I expect to see some substantial conservative gains next week? You betcha. But here’s something that may surprise you:
Yes, the races for the House and Senate are certainly significant. You could even argue that the future of free enterprise depends on them. But consider this: The contests for 37 state governorships and several thousand seats in the various state legislatures are even more important.
I say this for two reasons: One, it is the states that will determine the redistricting that must take place next year. Whatever they do will play a large part in deciding congressional elections for the next 10 years.
You probably already knew that. But here’s something you may not have considered: It is the states, even more than the new Congress, that will decide how far to go in challenging Washington’s enormous appetite for power and pelf.
Already, the attorneys general in 18 states have sued to stop ObamaCare in their jurisdictions. But that’s just the beginning. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be writing about one of the most exciting developments I’ve seen in the past 40 years — the growing interest in the nullification movement. Thomas Jefferson had the right idea about how the states could stop an out-of-control federal government: Just say no!
The revolution starts on Tuesday. I hope you enjoy it.
Until next time, keep some powder dry.
Chip Wood was the first news editor of The Review of the News and also wrote for American Opinion, our two predecessor publications. He is now the geopolitical editor of Personal Liberty Digest, where his Straight Talk column appears twice a month. This article first appeared in PersonalLiberty.com and has been reprinted with permission.
