Age of Hypocrisy

European types have experienced a number of eras to which they gave labels; the Enlightenment, the Renaissance, etc.

This era may stand out as the Hypocritical Madness.  Either you get or you don't.  Not sure expounding on it is worth the trouble.

I was thinking how I am not a fan of basketball. It is OK, I guess, but doesn't appeal to me.  On top of that I do not agree with Obama's view of the USA, the role of government in general, and federal power specifically.   This would easily land me the label of "racist" among those who lend non-critical support to anything the president does.

Yet, my views are not formulated using race as a factor in the equation.  Oh well.  Label away.

One statement which defines our difference in viewpoint was made during Obama's first inauguration.  I paraphrase but I think the essence is intact.  He stated that the size and scope of government is not an issue, only whether it works.

How one defines what "works" means in that assertion is less and less a mystery every day.  It is not comforting that some close to the president, supporters in the Congress, have stated that China's government "works".  It is a slippery slope.

My idea of a government that works would be one in which individual rights are protected, and one's freedom is maximized as much as possible; personal freedom, and economic freedom.  That is not a system under which citizens are subjects and businesses are running the state through convoluted regulations, cronyism, and competition killing measures.

My ideal place is not one in which the immediate answer to anything bad is to curtail the natural rights of individuals.

So, that is why I don't support the would-be king, and most of the others who live large while stealing, and seeking to control the lives of those whom they view as "the masses".

A totalitarian system can be said to work, if your goal is unfettered control over the individual.   Of course those in charge assume they know best.  One benefit of being older is that one may have glimpsed a freer time, and observed as the political world created crises and wars, then pretended to address the issues by closing the grip on the citizens.  Over and over and over again.

Create a problem, tout a worthless fix, spout ay irrelevant lie needed, over and over until people buy it for rational, or include some inducement which will quiet people's better sense.  Then do it again.  The result is incrementally more responsibilities for government, more money spent, more erosio of rights and liberty.

One key is the casting of the crumbs.  nother is convincing people that only the evil, label of the month to hate, group is affected.  Like "the rich", the "1%", NRA, Oil, this that the other.  Wow, I get a phone or some other perk while my lords stick it to the rich or some ethic group who is out of style.   Yippee.

And the truth is, the evil whoever is probably not phased.  Especially the echelon of that group which is very much in bed with the powers that be.   Often the public face of the relationship is a total facade to project a adversarial impression.  If you have never had cause to discover such deception first had, you may think this sounds like paranoia and fantasy.

I assure you it is not.  I was bit pretty hard one time due to this phenomenon in our federal government. I'm sure it occurs on every level to some degree.  Anyway, there was no doubt about the truth.  My discovery was the result of pure coincidence and being in the right place at the right time.  Or wrong time, depending upon how you look at it.

I'm just venting.  It is all true and right, but...never mind.  I know this is a worthless waste of time.  I like to write such things down.  I'd say, "so sue me", but I'm not sure you won't, ad not sure you wouldn't win.

.