Saturday, January 23, 2016

A Ruling Class?


Old Gadfly:  Gentlemen, is there anything in particular about the presidential campaigning that concerns you?

AM:  Two quick observations:  First, one party seems unified in its political ideology while the other shows a diversified set of candidates.  Second, it amazes me that there is so much support for a self-proclaimed socialist and for an individual who appears to be above the law.

Old Gadfly:  What is wrong with socialism?

AM:   Gadfly, you and I each served over 30 years to defend our Nation against the inevitable tyranny that stems from socialism.  Socialism, which is advanced by intellectuals as a form of utopia this side of death, is not sustainable.  It is a transition phase that transforms into either communism or fascism.  Just look at all the promises being made by some of the candidates?  How can an economy generate enough wealth to sustain this volume of welfare?  We already have nearly $20 trillion in public debt, not to mention the unfunded liabilities that are five to six times the public debt.

Old Gadfly:  Go to my bookshelf and pull down Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville.  Good, now locate the chapter entitled, “What Sort of Despotism Democratic Nations Have to Fear.”  Read the first sentence out loud.


AM:    “I had remarked during my stay in the United States, that a democratic state of society, similar to that of Americans, might offer singular facilities for the establishment of despotism; and I perceived, upon my return to Europe, how much use had already been made by most of our rulers, of the notions, the sentiments, and the wants engendered by this same social condition, for the purpose of extending the circle of their power.”[1]

IM:  Amazing.  Tocqville wrote this book between 1835 and 1840.

Old Gadfly:  Notice Tocqueville’s observation of how rulers exploit “notions, sentiments, and the wants” of other members of society “for the purpose of extending the circle of their power.”  Incidentally, another great mind who is less recognized and appreciated is another Frenchman, Frédéric Bastiat, who in 1850 published an important rebuttal to the socialistic thinking that dominated Western Europe.  His book, The Law, argued for the importance of laws in protecting and enabling individual liberty.


IM:  Combining the observations and arguments of Tocqueville and Bastiat, it appears that a ruling class in a socialistic society is above the law.  They must be in order to have power over the masses.  Despite the concerted and complicit suppression of important news within the mainstream media, there is one candidate right now who denies any criminal behavior despite the growing body of evidence to the contrary.

AM:  Yet, many of her followers dismiss this as a fabrication of a “right wing conspiracy.”

Old Gadfly:  The notorious tyrants of the recent past (Stalin, Hitler, Mao, etc.) knew that narratives did not need to be true, but merely plausible.  People are inclined to believe what they want to believe.  AM, now locate the fifth paragraph in the chapter about despotism.

AM:    Here it is. I’ll insert some editorial comments within brackets:

After having thus successfully taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp, and fashioned them at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community.  It covers the surface of society with a net-work of small complicated rules [i.e., promulgated by an unelected bureaucracy via administrative law], minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd.  The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided:  men are seldom forced by it to act [the Affordable Care Act is such a case], but they are constantly restrained from acting [e.g., IRS censorship of certain voices]:  such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence [e.g., Dinesh D’Souza prosecution and conviction]; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to be nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.  I have always thought that servitude of the regular, quiet, and gentle kind which I have just described, might be combined more easily than is commonly believed with some of the outward forms of freedom; and that it might even establish itself under the wing of the sovereignty of the people.  Our contemporaries are constantly excited by two conflicting passions; they want to be led, and they wish to remain free:  as they cannot destroy either one or the other of these contrary propensities, they strive to satisfy them both at once.  They devise a sole, tutelary, and all-powerful form of government, but elected by the people.[2]      

Old Gadfly:  Thank you, AM.  I would encourage you to eventually read the entire chapter, but you’ve read enough for us to get the point for now.  While it is obvious that Tocqueville had a deep appreciation for how democracy might play out in America, the transformation to a central government controlled by a ruling class is certainly the case for today’s America.

IM:  What is the ruling class?

Old Gadfly:  The ruling class comprises elected and unelected members of government and the lobbyists that keep them there.  It has grown significantly, especially since the individual income tax was reestablished in 1913 with the Sixteenth Amendment.  Based on government data, here is a graph that reflects my calculations for the cost of the federal government in constant dollars (i.e., accounting for inflation) per capita (accounts for population growth):
 
            This graph does not reflect the most recent budget, which would make the picture look even worse. 

If one is a socialist or progressive, there is an assumption that governments solve problems.  The above graph shows that citizens have been coerced by federal law to provide more and more of their wealth through taxes or public debt.  These resources are then supposed to “solve problems” for society.  Recently, the noted political scientist, Francis Fukuyama, provided extensive analysis to support his thesis that America is in decay.  This decay stems from political dysfunction.  I contend this dysfunction reflects the progressive disdain for the Constitution and the concept of federalism, and a passion for an unelected administrative state.  Charles Cooper, a constitutional lawyer, presented a compelling article on this threat to our way of life.

AM:  I have a lot of friends who are very concerned about this development.

IM:  Notice that for both political parties, most of the candidates have been elected to office—career politicians so to speak.  But there are three who are not career politicians:  Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina.

Old Gadfly:  What might we infer from their presence and the apparent interest in these candidates?

AM:  They do not represent the ruling class that many in the public narrative call “the establishment.”  This might especially explain why Donald Trump has such a large following so far.

IM:  Yet, those who denigrate Trump for whatever reason are concerned that he may lack the experience and skills to be effective as the President of the United States.

AM:  This kind of argument assumes a philosopher king and not the executive of a government originally designed to be limited with enumerated powers delegated by the people [who are not timid and industrious sheep], and balanced through checks and balances and federalism.

IM:  I think those who have confidence in Trump see a man who has lived the American dream, a man who created jobs and built things within a system of laws and free enterprise.

Old Gadfly:  Some say he’s crass.

AM:  I see a breath of fresh air in what I consider to be authentic and sincere expression.  Trump talks about ideas and issues that concern others who want to be freer and less regulated by a ruling class.  I see a man who is not timid, and who refuses to be an industrious sheep.  I see a man who risks criticism and invests his own earned wealth to be an example for others to have the courage to exercise liberty within a system of laws that apply to everyone.  Remember, Tocqueville warned us:  “After having thus successfully taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp, and fashioned them at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community.”  Trump represents a contrary force in our society.

Old Gadfly:  Good point, AM.  Some in America are drawn more to rhetoric (hope and change) as opposed to real achievement (creating businesses and jobs and building things).  IM, what do you say about the candidates from the other party?

IM:   Until he dropped out, James Webb offered a potential candidacy that was more constitutional, and less ruling class in nature.  Unfortunately, the remaining candidates are socialistic, even the one who denies being socialistic, yet claiming instead to be progressive.  If we agree with Tocqueville’s observations and arguments, then I think his prophecy was fairly accurate for those who affiliate with or submit to a socialistic or progressive candidate.  They can be counted upon to be “timid and industrious animals” in the progressive march toward socialism.

AM:  Aren’t some Republicans progressive?

IM:    If a more centralized government is a feature of progressivism, then yes.  However, if these individuals are truly progressive and socialistic, then they are really Democrats in Republican clothing.  On the contrary, most Republicans who appear to support a larger and more centralized government are more likely to have succumbed to being a member of “the establishment” or ruling class.  This may explain crony capitalism and corporate welfare that corrupts and perpetuates the establishment, or ruling class in both parties.

Old Gadfly:  Do we have a candidate that might have a vision and capacity for getting America out of this quagmire?

AM:  Ironically, one candidate talks about making America great again.

Old Gadfly:  This is a good start.  Hopefully this candidate understands that moral and virtuous character provided the inspiration and that the Constitution provided the structure and blue print for a once prosperous and peaceful nation.  But most importantly, the outcome of the election will be determined by a collective “we the people” that prefers individual freedom and the responsibility and accountability of self-governance through a system of laws that ensures justice for all.  Americans have outsourced political power over the years and deserve the government that we have.  “We the people” still have a choice:  (a) to remain timid and industrious animals guided by the recent attempt to transform America; or (b) to shape a government that protects the real American ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not an imagined utopia that ruling class progressives or socialists promise.    




[1] Alexis De Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Complete (translated by Henry Reeve), Volume I, 1835; Volume II, 1840.  ISBN-13:978-1508419129, p. 396.
[2] Ibid, p. 398.

1 comment:

  1. I have been hesitant on Trump, This may have convinced me.

    ReplyDelete