POLITICS WITHOUT PATRIOTISM:
WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THE 110TH CONGRESS
Justin Oldham
Jan. 10, 2006
You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to know that we're about
to see the start of a new kind of power struggle. As the Congress
comes back in to session, our elected leaders are prepared to fight
over a budget that is actually shrinking due to over-spending and
poor debt management. Issues of domestic spying will dominate the
news. Supreme court confirmation hearings will be messy. On top of
all that, we will bear witness to one of the dirtiest election
seasons on record.
As the 2006 campaigns unfold, the voters will be told "sacrifices
must be made." Rising federal debt and a mis-managed economy will
result in the loss of consumer spending power. The media will report
endlessly on the threat of inflation. Career politicians from both
parties will be quick to plead for new powers to combat this problem
which they made. Both parties will make promises designed to reward
us for voting a certain way. Policies, pledges, and propoganda will
each be designed to herd us like the cattle they think we are.
These are my predictions for 2006. As voters, we face many new
challenges. For the first time in our history, the massive flow of
tax dollars which we give to Washington will not be enough to
cover...anything. Democrats will rage and scream about Republican
excess. Conservatives will counter by saying that Dems will raise
taxes. The truth is that they will both be right.
In my first novel, Politics & Patriotism: The Fisk Conspiracy, I
wrote about this very cavalier attitude that today's elected
officials have about government. I painted a picture of just one
possible future that might result if we continue down this path.
It's no accident that the events in my book bear a strong resemblance
to what's going on today. Greed is predictable.
I don't expect you to take my word for it. Being a good citizen is
hard. Some times, it means doing your own homework and making up
your own mind.
When a politician talks about the federal deficit, listen for words
like "unforeseen" and "necessary." This is code for "it's not my
fault." The fact that Senators and Representatives feel obliged to
spend your tax money without fear of paying it back should tell you
something.
When a politician talks about domestic spying like it's no big deal,
you'd better listen. We all know there is a war on. We all know
that some degree of surveillance is necessary. We should also know
that they'll keep spying on us...after the war is over..if we let
them. This vigilance is our responsibility, not theirs. That's one
reason why good citizenship is so hard.
2006 will reveal one more scary truth. Our elected leaders are on
the verge of achieving total power. If the trend in government
growth continues, we should expect to see a 'crisis' in the next ten
years that will "require" our leaders to intrude even deeper in to
our lives as they assume more power than the Constitution allows.
This won't happen quickly. It'll be done to us so slowly that we
might not see it coming. If we let them do this, we will have only
ourselves to blame.
Justin Oldham
Anchorage, AK
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