July 4th and the Progressive Overreach

The 4th of July and the Progressive Overreach

American Thinker
By Steve McCann, July 04, 2010

On this 4th of July, 2010, when the future of the United States appears to be in serious jeopardy, it should be noted that sometimes in the history of a nation, what appears to be an event that could lead to long-term disaster may, in fact, be its long-term salvation.

A case in point: the election of Barack Obama as president and the Democrats in full control of the Congress. To be sure, the far-left domination of government is not a situation to be wished for, but in a perverse way, it was necessary.

Over the past fifty years, regardless of who was in the White House or in charge of Congress, no one has been able to halt the incessant spread of Progressivism in our institutions and the concurrent uncontrolled spending and growth of government.

When a president as accomplished as Ronald Reagan was unable to do so, no future Republican president or Congress, short of a major national catastrophe, could ever fully turn back this tide, as they could not overcome the apathy of the people and the hostility of the media, academia, the entertainment establishment, and federal bureaucracies.

A long as the American people remained largely disengaged (the result of unprecedented prosperity), the damage done to the society as a whole and to the long-term financial health of the country was unknown to the vast majority.

This indifference has begun to undergo significant change as the reality of the nation's future comes into focus, but that reality has started to come to the fore only as the result of the policies being pursued by a far-left government.

Today, thanks to a confluence of two factors, the opportunity exists to reverse the course the United States has been on and change the political power structure in the country.

The first: the emergence of alternative news sources that has broken the stranglehold on the dissemination of news by the traditional outlets dominated by the left.

The second: The election of a president steeped in socialist/Marxist ideology and a Congress controlled by the Progressive element of the Democratic Party.

A trait common to those on the far left is an inability to have any humility; there is an intense conviction of superiority, both intellectually and in their capability to rule the masses. The true believers are incapable of hiding their philosophy and, once elected, are convinced that nearly everyone does or should share their dedication to the power of a central government.

Those who do not conform will be demonized. These extremists will move heaven and earth to achieve their ends, regardless of any long-term consequences, and they cannot avoid shouting from the rooftops what they are doing as tribute to themselves. . . Read entire column