Unsolicited Punditry #6

The Inconcievability of Hope (with many pop culture references)

Every time I hear of a new government initiative or wrinkle to the bailouts, spending packages and government intervention, I keep flashing back to the movie "Demolition Man". Now before you think I've taken complete leave of my senses, consider the source material. A world that went through such turmoil, pain and agony they turned to anything possible to restore the peace, and fulfilled Ben Franklin's proto-prophetic words of "Those who desire peace and security at any cost deserve neither."

So, I keep thinking of a single quote from the movie when Westley Snipes, playing a horrific villain from "pre-utopian" days was set loose to end the last threats to this perfect world realizes what kind of a person it was who reanimated him from cryo-stasis. One of the best lines in movie history in my opinion: "THAT'S who you remind me of! An evil Mister Rodgers!"

This is what we are seeing the beginnings of today.

You've heard of Compassionate Conservatism?... Now let's meet it's twin sibling: Benevolent Fascism! Yes, that's right. The State is good for you, and will be good TO you! It will provide all your needs and wants. All you need to do is obey. Obey and be happy little sheep and work hard for your State.

I don't know about anyone else, but this seems to be the philosophy put forth by Jonah Goldberg in his book "Liberal Fascism". If you have seen the cover, you'll get my drift. Fascist Utopians will come, not with the strength and fury of militarism, but with a kind and compassionate yellow smiley face button. They will constrict you with kindness, feelings and saccarine platitudes and ideals of "caring", "tolerance", "diversity" and "good intentions". They won't mean to enslave you, but their ends will justify the means they use on you. It's all good, after all.

Don't forget one of the hallmarks of any totalitarian philosophy is summed up with the old joke about the World Workers Party (a stalinist front group) which is: "You Work; We Party". It's nothing less than old nobility based systems where a special class gets all the benefits, but the vast majority of civilization suffers under the yoke. Another pop culture reference that springs to mind is an episode of the BBC Sit Com "Black Adder 3" called 'Nob and Nobility'. When talking to an exiled French Aristocrat during the French Revolution BlackAdder asks him if he'd like to earn some money. The response is exactly what I see our current liberals and political class wishing: "No, I would like ze people to earn it, and give it to me."

Now P-BO is firing exeutives at GM. Only one so far, but don't worry, that I suspect is a trial balloon wrapped up in the warm blanket of "it's a condition of your bailout". How's that supposed to be comforting? I mean SERIOUSLY? How would you feel if the President of the United States said to your company and the American People at large that he would provide you capital for your business to survive... only if you resigned? I find it outrageous and untenable.

What is even more disturbing is that this successful move by the administration now sets precident. It is just a matter of time (possibly only days or weeks at the rate this administration is moving) before it is abused. If the state can fire people, I'm sorry, I meant request they resign, they may as well own the company. They are exerting direct control over it, without risk of financial investment. At what point does the administration come to the realization that it can control any business by this fiat is unknown, but when it does, we will cease to be a republic and become a "constitutional" dictatorship... till that becomes an inconveinence and is done away with as well.

Power by fiat of the state, I can see why it corrupts so effectively.