Give us Socialism! Lest we die!!!”

Give us Socialism! Lest we die!!!”

“If government spending is reduced in order to balance the budget, which one of the following government programs should receive lower federal funding than they currently do?” The results confirm the misguidedness and/or hypocrisy of the large percentage of this nation that identifies itself as “conservative.”

The poll report : 62% agree that we should cut government spending. Only 5% prefer to raise taxes (likely on someone else besides them) in order to fight the deficit. See below for link.

The bad news is, the “less spending” claim is an absolute joke: for only one of seventeen categories of government spending did more than 29% of the same people consent to less funding. That sole category was foreign aid (71%).

Foreign aid commands less than 1% of total US spending.

This means that for every category constituting 99% of federal spending, more than two-thirds of the population refuses to accept less federal spending. In fact, for twelve of those seventeen categories, more than three-fourths of those polled refuses to accept less. Even worse, for the two most socialistic programs which pose the biggest threat to our fiscal future—social security and medicare—a massive majority of 93% (for each) refuses to accept less funding. “Give us Socialism! Lest we die!!!”

The vast majority of people in this country—including a large chunk of those identifying as conservative, Republican, and even some TEA-Party conservatives—remain closet socialists on social security and medicare, and really for almost every category of public spending. (“Sorry I just had to say that”)

A 1950s comic strip popularized the phrase, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Pogo used the phrase to propagandize for environmentalism, but it applies to all forms of government intervention, manipulation, etc. This poll confirms the truth: “We have found the Socialism, and Socialism is us.”

The force behind socialism is the public’s demand, dependence on, and defense of government handouts. Until these numbers reverse, and a vast majority of people refuse to take funds expropriated (stolen, that is) from other people, then we will continue to have government program upon government program until the deficit grows beyond our ability even to pay the interest on it. If we haven’t all ready!

In order to redistribute wealth, the government must extract wealth. The IRS alone employs over 100,000 people. One should recall Jefferson’s complaint against King George in the Declaration of Dependence “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.”

But Today we accept as normal swarms, harassment, and confiscation far beyond anything King George could have effected or imagined. And we just accept it! Our acceptance of it is our Declaration of Dependence—dependence on government invasion and coercion. What our founders fought to free themselves from, the vast majority today fights to keep.

Conclusion

The only remedy to free us and return America to a path of prosperity is for the people to resolve our hearts and minds against government handouts in principle. Only then will we be able to develop the resolve to say, “Yes, cut spending across the board.” This will involve sacrifice, physically, psychologically, and monetarily for some of us, but for the sake of freedom and integrity it must take place. Only when we resolve to say “Yes” to sacrifice can we even begin to talk about the political steps necessary to make it happen.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/04/economistyougov_polling