Length: 475 Words Reading Time: 2 Minutes
I have recently come upon a group or movement calling themselves, Justice Democrats. The tactical and strategic objectives of this group, on a first reading of their political manifesto or plan, appear to be the fundamental transformation of America’s political structure and the implementation of a socialist agenda.
To counter them, I want to briefly highlight some thoughts from a libertarian perspective versus the statist/collectivist views of the Justice Democrats.
I believe in the free market system and have always considered individual freedom, personal self-reliance, and limited government as essential attributes of a civil and free society. I also believe in the concept of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity transfers power to the states and local governments. These entities are best able to resolve public policy issues and to legislate for the common good.
The Federal Government, to my mind, is the “impossible monster ” (my descriptive term of disparagement) with a voracious appetite for power, control, and interference in the lives of its citizens. The quintessential examples of that appetite for control and interference are the Patriot Act, the NSA spying programs, the weaponization of several Federal agencies, and the rise of the political correctness meme. I believe the First Amendment is clearly in jeopardy and the rest of the Bill of Rights as well, based on the language the Justice Democrats use in their political manifesto.
I believe this Justice Democrats movement is for real, as the quality and detail of their plans and thinking demonstrate. They are relying on the Millennial Generation (some 70 or 80 million individuals), as well as Generation Xers, and the power of social media to create progressive change, an order of magnitude greater than previous attempts.
The Justice Democrats have elected at least three “true believers” to the House; the most famous of the three is the young woman referred to as AOC. Will the Justice Democrats succeed? Only time will tell.
I have always believed that the so-called welfare state would lead to socialism, and socialism would eventually lead to totalitarianism. History contains many examples of totalitarian and despotic societies and dictatorships that extend back to early Chinese dynasties and the various empires in the Middle East. The most recent examples are governments like Stalin’s USSR, Mao’s China, Castro’s Cuba, Pol Pot’s Cambodia, and Chavez’s Venezuela. I recall what the philosopher, George Santayana, once wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Eric Hoffer’s great quote is also instructive here. He wrote, “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and ends up as a racket.” The Federal Government is a prime example of such a racket.
I am now almost 76, and I probably will not be around to see the end of the greatest experiment in freedom and government by the people, the world has ever seen. I am sad, nevertheless.