The day after...

I sent this out to several friends (Conservatives AND Liberals) the day after Election 2012: "Two centuries ago, a somewhat obscure Scotsman named Tytler made this profound observation: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy." Welcome to the day after the tipping point." Shortly after, I received a rather muted rebuke from a liberal friend who, though he could understand the sentiments (of both the original author and me), that we all need to take a big breath and roll up our sleeves to work for one Nation, irregardless of elections or outcomes. (Leave it to Don to put me in my place.) I tried to view things from that third-person perspective, but it proved more difficult than I expected.

Frankly, I can't find the bipartisan platitudes inside myself any more. I am, sadly, persuaded that the American spirit is giving (has already given?) way to a European-style, entitlement mentality. People no longer aspire to excel and BECOME rich on the merit of their own efforts. Rather, they aspire to mediocrity, supplemented by benefits and subsidies extracted from the 'wealthy' by governmental force and intervention. They feel society 'owes' them. "Give me my 30 hour work week and free contraceptives!"

The inconvenient truth about the wealthy, hidden in plain sight from most, is that even taxing those so-called evil rich at the rate of 100%, only a week or two worth of revenue (at current spending rates) would be generated. We don't have a taxing problem, friends, we have a spending problem. A moral compass that has been demagnetized by a love of comfort -- at someone (ANYONE) else's expense...at ANY expense. (Who is John Galt?) It was "unpatriotic" to have amassed $4 trillion in debt in 2008, but we are to believe it was perfectly patriotic to snowball that to $16 trillion by 2012?!? By God, we will REALLY be patriotic at the end of the next 4 years!

Above all else, I fear for the future my children face in repaying the bills - and worse - namely, that they may live in a violent, apocalyptic society such as is emerging in Greece or Spain. Because, sure as the sun rises tomorrow, the bills are coming due - and those accustomed to their cushy subsidies WON'T be happy when the government or pension checks start bouncing. I am left approaching my middling years wondering if I have done my children the gravest injustice simply by bringing them into such a world as I am passing to them.

So yes, I am left pessimistic at the selfish whims and inexcusable ignorance of the American electorate as a whole. Votes cast, seemingly, for free cellphones. Payments to unions before debtors - by government fiat. Subsidies for unsustainable (pun intended) businesses owned by campaign bundlers.

Chickens DO come home to roost.

And Atlas may soon shrug.