The Faith of Obama

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This rather bizarre assertion follows a twisted line of reasoning that says

1. people cannot provide for themselves unless they have a formal, income-tax generating job with healthcare benefits and FICA withholding
2. People cannot find work - especially work in their field that pays as well or better than their previous jobs and so need government support
3. it is the duty of government to pay people for not working
4. Americans deserve this.

Roughly translated, faith in the American People equates to faith in their not cheating the government when free money is offered. Faith in the American People is faith in the collective wisdom of the welfare state which, after all, can be said to be faith in the collective will of Americans who voted for Democrats for decades, Democrats who promised more unemployment and welfare programs. In short, Republicans should believe in the failure of Americans who cannot move a muscle without supervision and assistance from the great deity that is government. As in every socialist and dictatorial regime, the regime IS the essence of the People, and what benefits the regime is ultimately beneficial to the People. Opposing Obama on this is tantamount to disavowing the populace. Of course, Obama himself is the one who lacks faith in the American People. He doubts they are capable of providing for themselves, he doubts they are smart enough or ingenious enough to find a way to prosper, he even doubts their ability to scam the system. What kind of faith does Barry have in America if he thinks people are too stupid to milk a government that WANTS to give them free money? His opinion is so low that he believes they can't unzip their flies without his direction and assistance. What kind of faith does that imply? It implies the kind of faith a man may have in his dog; he may love his dog, and even be proud of the "intelligence" of the animal, but that is the pride of a master for an inferior. He realized that the dog is hopelessly stupid next to himself, and that the "intelligence" of the beast is relative to even dimmer creatures. Obama's comment about Republicans not having faith in the American People is illustrative of a man who lacks that faith himself. He thinks that he has to provide for the People as a man provides a bone or dogfood to his "bright" little pooch; neither has the sense to actually serve themselves. It also implies a man who does not see individuals but sees the People as a collective. To Obama, the People are THE PEOPLE, a sort of gestalt, a group first and individuals by happenstance, a pesky happenstance one might add. Individuals have talents, abilities, initiative, creativity. The Collective is but an amalgamation of the many to Obama, and when dealt with as a group the high unemployment rate clearly fits the "doggie" paradigm; those latent talents and abilities are falling short FOR THE GROUP, and the only remedy is to provide a bowl of Purina for them. Obama cannot believe that the individual is capable of action separate from the group, and if unemployment is present it is a group problem, one requiring government action. People will not start their own businesses or make their own way; they are restricted to official channels. They are like a herd of cattle on a cattle drive; decisions must be made for their benefit. Of course, the rise of small businesses during the 1990s was a direct result of the Bush/Clinton recession; people gave up on the traditional job search and created their own employment. Would the boom of the 1990s have occurred if unemployment was extended forever? Would it have occurred if the old union-dominated industries had been bailed out by the taxpayers? (Actually, it's happening again.) Much has been made of the loss of blue-collar industries, but the fact of the matter is that this has been a good thing, freeing Americans from the choice of union or management despotism. The information age made it possible for many to be their own bosses, to discard the slavery of the factory and the coal mine. THAT is precisely what Obama wants to restore; the collective employment. How else can we explain his many bailouts, his taking control of General Motors for example? Obama wants to keep those dullard citizens on the plantation, or the cattle in their pens. The shepherd uses his dogs and crook to keep the sheep in line, the cowboy his rope and horse, and Obama his unemployment checks and stimulus money. (One should bear in mind that the GOP was objecting to UNFUNDED extensions of unemployment; two thirds of the stimulus money is still unspent, and they wanted to use that money to fund the extension rather than borrow more. A cynical person would argue that Obama wants that debt to mount in order to create an economic leash for the unruly American people.) David Harsanyi makes the point clear about Obama's touching faith in the People:

"Was it the administration's faith in the wisdom of the American parent that persuaded it to shut down the voucher program in Washington, D.C., and continue the left's decades-long campaign denying school choice for kids and parents? Or was that just faith in public-sector unions? Was faith in American industry behind the Democrats' support of a stimulus bill that was predicated almost entirely on preserving swollen government spending at the expense of private-sector growth? Is this hallowed faith in the citizenry also what compels the administration to dictate what kind of car we will be driving in the future, what kind of energy we will be filling these "cars" with and what amounts of that energy will be acceptable? Is faith in American know-how why Washington funnels billions of tax dollars each year to its hand-picked industry favorites rather than allow the best and brightest to -- please pardon the pun -- organically figure out what the most sensible energy policy is, as we have in every other sector? [...] Similarly, that faith has led to the 20-year explosion of paternalistic regulations (often with the help of Republicans) that propose to regulate everything from the size of candy to tanning salons to fast-food restaurants to the pressure in your shower head. A faith that the American citizen has the self-control of a deprived toddler. It was faith in the American people that led to health care legislation that denies you the right to buy insurance outside of state lines or have any useful portability or even enjoy the same tax break that corporations are afforded. The left has so much faith in Americans that it has to force you to purchase a government-approved plan. One only needs to propose the idea that citizens be allowed to allocate portions of their Social Security retirement funds -- extracted from their paychecks and deposited in faith-based government accounts -- to witness the level of faith many on the left have in your decision-making abilities. Republicans may not have faith in the American people, but in this instance, Obama probably is confusing faith in people with faith in power. Because as hard as one tries, it is difficult to find any instances of choices expanding under this administration. That's the true test of confidence in the citizenry."

Yes indeed! Obama turns this exactly 180 degrees, with faith in the public being faith in their slavish, doglike devotion. Consider Obama's slogan "yes we can!"; he presupposes we instead of you because he does not believe in individual action. And Obama further fails to understand the self-serving nature of government, that those seeking wealth and power gravitate toward it as surely as flies gravitate toward fresh excrement. Every regulation, every dollar of unemployment and welfare, every act of governmental charity must be at the expense of liberty and property rights. There is not a dollar of unemployment that does not come from a private citizen. Government has no money of its own. And for every dollar spent a dollar or two comes away with sticky fingers. Faith in the American People should logically include faith in their keeping their own money and possessions. It should include faith in their ability to manage their own lives. Paternalism - no matter how well-meaning - is still stifling and destructive. And the arrogance of the man is so boundless that he really believes we should be grateful to have him to tell us how we must live. Barack Obama has faith in abundance, but mostly in himself.

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