Disease
A little government, like a little wine, can be a good
and beneficial thing. Overindulgence in either is a cause for regret. This
being the case, I would say that we are well into the morning after, and
though our liver may be a bit fatty, it has not yet been impaired. The
question to ask may be, are we addicted to government, or can we swear
off of the stuff and go back to being responsible, and respectable? Certainly
for some of us, the desire to get off the stuff is strong, but others have
become quite intoxicated, even as they assure us that we can quit any time
we want, before any real damage is done. Overindulgence is ludicrous at
first, and difficult to take seriously the first few times it happens,
but as the course is run, changes occur which require larger and larger
intakes for any semblance of normal functioning. Eventually the health
and then the life of the victim is endangered. If the cycle is broken in
time, there is some hope, but often the victim does not realize, or will
not admit, that there is a problem. We are told that addiction is a disease,
and nothing to be ashamed of provided you get the help you need; So the
question has to be asked, is our government diseased?
Neither government, nor wine are free. Both must
be paid for with money that would likely be better spent on something else.
This too occurs in progressive stages. There is never any intention, nor
any need, to spend oneself into poverty in the beginning, but as the health
and judgment become impaired, the spending increases. As the habit begins
to define the lifestyle of the user, and take center stage, all other considerations
become secondary to it. Soon, it becomes a drain on all of the disposable
income, but eventually this is not enough. After a time, the victim does
without the luxuries of life, and then without some of the necessities,
as does the family. As the disease progresses, the victim squanders wealth
and property, so that there is a marked decrease in the quality of life.
Towards the end all resources are employed in the support of this catabolic,
self destructive master. When even these are not enough, the afflicted
will beg, borrow or steal, trading his own well being along with that of
his family and any others who he might enlist in his aid. Most of those
strongly addicted, suffer from serious malnutrition, as they sacrifice
even basic sustenance in preference to intoxicant. Taken to it's end, there
is no wealth, no property, no future, and no hope. Without resources or
friends to draw upon, the habit may finally end out of necessity, but often
it will reassert itself as soon as the victim is sufficiently recovered
physically and financially to procure intoxicant.
Government, like any intoxicant is often used as
a solution to the problems that accompany life. As with any intoxicant,
there may be a short term decrease in discomfort, but always, the problems
return, with the added complications of money squandered, and a distressing
morning after to add to the woes. The old cure of "The hair of the
dog that bit you" may be invoked, and it too may offer some relief, but
in the long run this will only perpetuate the cycle, and begin a dependence
that will make the original problems pale by comparison.
I would presently put us just past the stage of
the ludicrous, entertaining drunk(the liberalism of the sixties), and into
the middle stages of the impairment of health and judgement(political correctness,
liberal upper court rulings, litigation frenzy). This is the stage at which
the problem becomes noticeable, but is not acknowledged by the afflicted,
though it is quite apparent to friends and relatives. This is also the
stage at which the real addiction is beginning, and is starting to eclipse
all other considerations(government housing, medical care, legislated multiculturalism,
micromanagement of business and personal affairs). This is the point at
which the addiction begins to drain away most of the disposable income,
and may soon begin to empty the bank account, while dominating the life
of the victim. This is an uncomfortable stage, but not a desperate one.
Still, there seems to be no sign of us going on the wagon, and it seems
inevitable that the other stages will follow in their turn. As the disease
of addiction to intrusive all encompassing government progresses, do we
have the willpower to resist, to say no, to say "Just one more than I gotta
go." and make it stick?
We have seen the more advanced stages of government
addiction afflict many of the worlds socialist countries. It is not a scenario
to look forward to. Certainly the Soviet Union took the disease all the
way to it's terminal stage, where the country was not even able to function
any longer. You would think that this would be a lesson to us, but how
many people are discouraged from drinking by the sight of an alcoholic
lying in the street? The Soviet union has died of it's addiction; it remains
to be seen how the new nations rising from it's ashes will do. Some have
already fallen off the wagon, and attempted to embrace communism; most
have learned from bitter experience, and remain sober, trying to rebuild
their health. In this country, some have learned from the example of the
Soviet Union, some have not. Some have always known the collapse was inevitable,
and were not surprised. The real difference between the conservatives and
the liberals is not so much a belief in government, but a belief in responsible
government. The conservatives see nothing wrong with a bit of government
here and there to sort of smooth things out; the liberals want to go on
a constant binge. My own personal opinion of this is that there is nothing
wrong with governing if you know your limits and can stop when you have
had enough. If you govern, remember to govern responsibly. I will
keep a look out for a grass roots organization called MAGG (Mothers Against
Godawfull Government). It would be a hopeful sign.