Tuesday, June 7, 2011

America’s Political Cancer – Progressivism

In case you haven’t noticed it yet, America is sick.

Inside the country lives a foreign organism that is eating away at it. It was diagnosed about a hundred years ago. Many efforts have been made to cut it out, but it has always returned, stronger and more determined to consume the host.

We’re seeing the effects of this sickness everywhere we look: our economy is anemic, we’re saddled with unimaginable debt, inflation is running rampant, there are record numbers of Americans living below the poverty level and on food stamps for the first time, and that’s just in the first breath.

The rights you were once guaranteed are now under attack. You no longer have property rights thanks to the awful Supreme Court Kelo decision that gave local governments the ability to seize your property for its purpose, those being unrelated to the traditional expansion of a community.

In the not-so-distant past, these traditional uses were for the building of roads, or schools. Everyone accepted the need for such services and understood the reasons for them. But since Kelo, your property can now be condemned for private developers who promise to increase the tax base through their redevelopments.

Your clearly defined right to own a firearm has been under attack for generations. I wonder which part of “The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” cannot be understood by those who would rob us of this very basic right.

All this and more is a clear indication of a country that’s not what it once was. As concerning as all these problems are, they are only symptoms of a larger disease.

That disease is called “progressivism.”

You may say to yourself, “But Mr. Boy, isn’t progress a good thing?”

Well, out here in the real world, it is. But understand that in the realm of politics, nothing is as it seems and the words you and I use in everyday conversation have a radically different meaning in the alternate universe that is politics.

Some of us remember when a garbage man was called a garbage man, not a sanitation engineer. In order to be a valid and accurate description of the position, one would normally associate the word “engineering” with the actual act of engineering, something that is difficult to envision happening while hanging from the rear of a large truck filled with refuse.

This is a perfect example of the alternate reality of politics. Clear speech is twisted and distorted so that only an insider would understand it. We now are expected to speak (and therefore think) in a politically correct way. What was once called “war” is now termed “kinetic military action.” Terrorism is now called “man-caused disaster.”

It’s ironic in the extreme that politics, which should be the repository of clear thinking and concise action, now creates its own language that confuses simple issues.

Again, this is merely a symptom of a much more serious problem.

It’s important to understand just what is meant by the term “progressive” in today’s politics. You may have guessed it doesn’t mean what you think it means.

Sure, the word sounds innocent enough. Who wouldn’t want progress? Isn’t that the normal course of history, to progress and to become better?

That, gentle reader, is exactly what you’re supposed to think.

The mere act of introducing alternate, political meanings to everyday language should set off your alarm bells and have your Bullshit Meter pegged. True, language evolves, but this isn’t a natural evolution of language: it’s a deliberate attempt to confuse you with words.

And it seems to be working quite well.

Today’s “progressive” is yesterday’s Socialist. Or Marxist. Or Communist. Or Fascist. Take your pick; they’re all opposed to the American values of individual liberty, limited government, private property rights, and capitalism.

You might be interested to know that we already have a Socialist in Congress, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Although he official designation is that of Independent, Sanders is a Socialist, which his Congressional web site readily acknowledges.

How this has managed to occur in our fair country, that we elected an American to high office that aligns himself with anti-American political beliefs, is a mystery. It is a testament to the power of purposeful confusion. And also to the stupidity of Vermont voters.

Or didn’t you know that socialism is directly opposed to American values?

Of course you did, that’s why you’re here, reading this blog.

What you may still not know is that the Democrat party has undergone a not-so-subtle transformation in the past few decades. What it stands for today is far removed from its roots.

Today’s Democrat is likely to call itself a “progressive” instead of a Democrat. This is a not-unimportant distinction. It could also call itself a "Progressive Democrat," thus doubling down on the idiocy.

While I could spend several thousand more words explaining why “progressivism” in our political system is a bad thing, I don’t really need to. All you have to do is look around to see the results of big-government, free-spending “progressives.”

Do you like what you see? Do you think that a 9.1% unemployment rate, when we had a rate half that high less than five years ago, is a good thing? Do you think our skyrocketing debt is good for you, or your children, or your grandchildren? Do you think that the Obama administrations’ takeover of the healthcare system will be good for the country? Do you think that the EPA’s threatened shutdown of oil drilling in Texas to protect a worthless lizard is good for gas prices and your wallet?

This and much more can be laid directly at the feet of “progressives” and "progressive thought." Even that term is misleading, for thought requires the admission of that pesky thing called reality, and a recognition of logic and common sense. None of that figures into what passes for "progressive thought," based as it is on emotionality and feelings.

You really should start to believe that we have a problem within our own political system. It can be removed from the body politic, but it will take some effort.

We have to purge “progressivism” from our political system if we are to continue as a country of laws and freedom. If you find anyone in any political race that calls themselves a “progressive,” be they Democrat or Republican, know that this person is your enemy and do everything in your power to defeat them.

“Progressivism” should be viewed as the cancer it is, eating away at our liberties and our way of life. And those who call themselves “progressive” are the willful carriers of this most dangerous political disease.

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