By J.D. Longstreet ——Bio and Archives--January 6, 2013
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The trouble with Socialism is, sooner or later, you run out of other people’s money.The writer goes on to explain:
"Those dependent on the welfare state are unaware that their benefits are not sustainable. Most believe tomorrow will be like today and the checks will keep coming from Mother Government. Political power was gained based on promising these benefits. No politician will risk his position by trying to reduce them. No democratic society has ever rolled them back via peaceful political means."And the the writer says THIS: "The financial hole dug by most social welfare states is too deep to get out of. The finest turnaround manager in the world, unconstrained by politics, would be unable to remedy the problems. The mathematics of the problem are just too far gone. Radical cost-cutting and proper economic policies can no longer work. Hope and change may work in a political campaign, but slogans carry no weight against the iron laws of arithmetic. The world is on the verge of massive sovereign defaults." So much for the US avoiding the so-called "fiscal cliff," huh? We may have avoided the cliff only to plunge head long off the lip of the economic Grand Canyon! The writer at Monty Pelerin goes on to say: "Welfare states have become zombie economies. These “walking dead” are shells of what they once were. A failure in one probably produces a domino effect that dooms all." He/she offers the following as solutions:
"The Economic Solution This solution requires that government spending be brought into line with revenues and held there (or below) for a lengthy period of time. That requires reneging on many social promises and possible sovereign debt defaults. A depression would occur. Homes would be foreclosed and businesses closed. Wealth, defined in terms of physical assets, would be re-allocated. New owners and uses of assets would result. So, too, would a complete cleansing of the cancer that prevents economic growth. The economy would be traumatized, but recover rather quickly so long as government refrained from intervening. Pain and suffering are inevitable. Civil unrest is probable and so is the risk that government(s) could be overthrown. This solution is horrible in every sense but one — it is the better of two alternatives."So, what, then, is the worst solution? The political solution. But according to the writer there is NO political solution. Here's what he/she says: "There is no political solution, although that will not stop politicians from pretending there is. “Pretend and extend” is all they can do. Intervening with additional stimulus and more printed money buys some time, but worsens the economic problems. Problems and distortions are made bigger, requiring even more adjustment when they inevitably occur. Pursuing this strategy flirts with currency destruction which would destroy the savings and fixed incomes of the middle class. The end result is the same as the economic solution — a complete and total collapse of the economy. The difference is that the collapse is more severe and that many may be destroyed in a hyperinflationary blow-off." WOW! I found this article to be awesome and I recommend you go over to the site and read it in its entirety. You will find it here: (By the way -- "Monty Pelerin" is a pseudonym derived from The Mont Pelerin Society. Just thought you'd want to know). Smart people make me feel so, well, inadequate, you know? But then, I think about what the writer has said and, slowly, I realize he/she is just expressing what so many of us feel but have been unable to articulate. This writer just did it -- and did it extremely well. It would appear the people of earth (with apologies to science fiction writers everywhere) have just passed the "point of no return." We haven't enough fuel to return to our point of origin, and we have just discovered that we haven't enough fuel to reach our planned destination. In plain English: "We're screwed!" Could THIS be what our collective amygdala has been trying to warn us about. It explains the global feeling of "unease" felt by so many across the globe. It is information presented in such a way as this that compels one to look upon the "preppers" with a new sense of respect. Could it be they have been right all along? It is certainly beginning to look that way. Now, if you think I am taking this a bit too lightly, I assure you, I AM whistling past the graveyard! For, you see, I share that feeling of tip-toeing along the precipice of something unknown. And I have suspected for rather a long time now that many more of my species feel the same nagging worry of impending doom. The recent end-of-the-world non-event was evidence of a sense of something ending permeating our human society. What do you do when there is nothing you can do? What do I do when it is the worst of bad nightmares for a control freak like "yours truly." May we be so bold as to suggest the following: "1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper : the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night." ... Psalm 121:1-6 There comes a time in the lives of all of us when we have zero control over events affecting us. The unavoidable is, well, unavoidable. A remnant will survive to carry on and embrace whatever the future may hold. So, do humanity a favor, and take notes! To avoid the unavoidable in the uncertain future depends totally upon not repeating our history of mistakes. See you on the other side? J. D. Longstreet © 2013
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(Editor’s note: J.D. Longstreet passed away in 2014. He will be greatly missed.)
Longstreet is a conservative Southern American (A native sandlapper and an adopted Tar Heel) with a deep passion for the history, heritage, and culture of the southern states of America. At the same time he is a deeply loyal American believing strongly in “America First”.
He is a thirty-year veteran of the broadcasting business, as an “in the field” and “on-air” news reporter (contributing to radio, TV, and newspapers) and a conservative broadcast commentator.
Longstreet is a veteran of the US Army and US Army Reserve. He is a member of the American Legion and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A lifelong Christian, Longstreet subscribes to “old Lutheranism” to express and exercise his faith.