Don't Ever Under Estimate the Will of Government

Many years ago, I had a co-worker explain to my why a mutual friend of ours was so intelligent. His explanation was based on the absolute greed and cunning of our mutual friend. Our friend had amassed a small fortune- but had done so at the expense of others. This in America, is called "business." Exploiting people may seem intelligent to some people. And to be fair, it does take some measure of intelligence to find a niche and exploit it. Where conscience is shallow or perhaps completely ignored, there is money to be made.

The willingness to do something does not necessarily have a damn thing to do with what is right or intelligent. 

Don't ever confuse intelligence with greed or self centered-ness. These character traits can easily occupy the same space (or not) at the same time and for some- this may be confusing. I don't consider the exploitation of people particularly intelligent. The other tricky thing about intelligence is that it is highly subjective. To a half wit, everyone else looks intelligent. To Einstein, everyone else looks a little slow. The absence or use of intelligence, in varying degrees, can also be situational.

Let me give you an example. Let's suppose Politician A is a Senator. Politician A really wants a spending bill to pass for personal reasons but his constituents back home will crucify him if he votes for it. So Politician A actually lobbies privately for the bill with other Senators. They are not up for re-election nor do they come from districts that will crucify them for voting for the measure. Politician A knows precisely how many votes are needed for the measure to pass. When the time comes to vote for the measure, he votes "nay" knowing that the measure will pass anyway but making him look like he opposed it. Other Senators know exactly what he is doing. Does this shit go on? All the fucking time.

So let me ask you. Is that intelligent?

Government is very well aware that the vast majority of citizens in this country disapprove of the job they are doing. They read every bit as much as most Americans. Maybe more. They know where they stand. 

Let me tell you something else. They know they've screwed the pooch. Privately, they would tell you this. Publicly, they will never admit to this. It's easy for Americans to observe our debt spiraling out of control. Of politicians we think, "What is wrong with these people? Are they fucking stupid?"

The answer to that question is no. They simply understand and accept something the rest of us have not figured out. They screwed us. No miracle is going to come and pay off that sixteen thousand billion we owe. We also have three times that amount of money coming due and payable in the form of social security, medicare, and prescription drug payments. It is game over. There ain't no money to pay this and there ain't gonna be any miracles. No Deus Ex Machina ending here.

And then we are going to throw some gasoline on that fire in the form of Obamacare. Pure genius.

What politicians are engaged in now is a form of career triage. They are going to put their best face forward and tell constituents what they want to hear. They are going to pray like hell that when elections come- that you will all forget what they have done. They are going to take care of themselves, their little fortunes, health care and retirement packages. They are busy preparing afterlife gigs as lobbyists, consultants, bankers, speakers, and any number of cushy little jobs offered to them as a result of their years of "public service."

They are in the mother of all Catch 22's. They can't raise taxes- because there simply isn't enough money to cure this mess and people are taxed out and will vote them out. They refuse to cut government funding because they are convinced the world will go to hell  in a hand basket without some giant waste of  money like the Department of Education. 

That leaves politicians with one option. Take care of their own personal lives and fortunes and grab as much largesse as they can while they can. Their careers look pretty short. Kick the can until one day- some future President and Congress either kick off WW3 to avoid complete economic death or we declare bankruptcy.

In the meantime, government is preparing. It sees what is coming and that is a big old cloud of civil unrest and potential violence. That's why Obama hired 12,000 additional IRS agents, why FEMA is building camps and that's why Obama signed NDAA- the right to hold American citizens indefinitely. That's why we have radio frequency chips in our passports, GPS in our cellphones, and software in those smart phones that tracks every keystroke. Obama can shut down the internet. http://www.wnd.com/2010/12/244693/ Government is beginning to prepare. They are called Emergency Operation Plans or EOPS. They know what they are going to have to do one day.

I must have read a hundred pieces this week- all of them bitching about the NDAA granting our military the right to detain citizens indefinitely, without trial or due process. In no way, shape, or form should that be legal. It is counter to every concept in the Bill of Rights. The ACLU has had an aneurysm. http://www.aclu.org/national-security/president-obama-signs-indefinite-detention-bill-law

Don't underestimate the will or intent of this government. They know who the enemy is. The real enemy is not a bunch of foreign terrorists. It is 300 million angry Americans with 2 billion guns. They are just hoping to blow smoke up our collective backside just long enough to get their trenches dug and their bouncing bettys in place. It's pretty clear to me that our government has been preparing.

My only regret is that I am probably too old to see how all of this turns out.