Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), better known as Otto von Bismarck, is credited with being the father of socialism, the modern-day welfare state. He said, “My idea was to bribe the working classes, or shall I say, to win them over, to regard the state as a social institution existing for their sake and interested in their welfare.” Politicians were quick to see the power and simplicity of Bismarck’s concept. Convincing the public that government existed for their sake and their welfare enabled politicians to expand into areas previously considered off-limits. The US, constrained by its Constitution and a predisposition toward liberty, held out longer than Europe, but tradition and law were eventually brushed aside and/or ignored.
Bismarck’s bribery was the model that altered the nature of politics. Politicians loved buying votes, and the populations loved the bribery myth. After generations of propagandizing Statism, the goodness of government, intervention as a necessary means to equity and prosperity, and the need to invade and manage virtually every aspect of our lives, a majority of voters believe the myth. Liberals (Progressives as they now like to be called) in the US, despite deliberate distortion of the Founders’ original intent, used the “general welfare” clause in the preamble to the US Constitution as justification for a social welfare state.
Bribery, by way of an expanding welfare state, has been the predominant political strategy. Economies are being destroyed by Socialism as practiced via the welfare state. The euphemisms of Socialism and welfare state also provide convenient cover for what amounts to political enrichment and job security. The US has now run out of both time and money. The malignancy of Socialism nears its ugly end, the bill has come due. As Margaret Thatcher said, “The trouble with Socialism is, sooner or later you run out of other people’s money.”
Socialism, and the welfare state, depends upon voters believing these three myths:
- Prosperity is available without effort
- Government creates prosperity
- Government will take care of its people
Politicians were able to support this myth only with “other people’s money,” but it is now finally becoming apparent to many that none of these premises are true.
This welfare state/bribery myth is injuring the US (and world) economy by removing money from the economy by:
- obscene levels of taxation
- destroying the seed capital provided by previous generations
- borrowing funds that were never intended to be paid back
Despite propaganda from the MSM and the Obama administration, government produces nothing, nor has it ever produced anything. Government depends upon a thriving private sector to play sustain the welfare state myth and continue the illusion that the government is the source of prosperity. The fraud cannot go on much longer because governments have crippled private enterprise via onerous rules, regulations, and taxes. Government was able to hide the problem by spending more than it took in. Governments around the world have reached the point where spending levels can no longer be sustained via tax revenues or bond sales to foreign countries. The secret of Socialism and the social welfare state has become apparent – it was never anything more than a political gimmick to gain or retain office and power. As a result, the world faces sovereign debt defaults, financial system collapse, civil unrest, and a Depression that will make the 1930s look mild in comparison.
But that’s just my opinion.