Meaningless political rhetoric

There's a harsh reality facing America that most politicians and pundits talk around constantly. All the jabber about tax cut extensions, unemployment extensions, cap and trade schemes, healthcare tweaks, military spending, etc., hardly addresses the fact that America will soon be faced with the task of dismantling the welfare state and replacing it with something viable. Debt commissions and reductions at the margins, even if they seem radical to some, won't get it. The modern welfare state relating to social needs and the Merchant-State relating to the economy are both out-moded forms of government which have attempted and failed to deal with safety net needs and economic management. Social justice and social engineering are remnants of the 20th century which have lost credibility. The socialist influence which gained prominence in the early and mid 20th century and has sinced morphed into progressivism in America has been discredited as we wait in limbo and stagnation to create something viable.

Most of the political controversies of our time are simply empty of meaning, so, instead, the political class calls for non-ideological pragmatism, hoping that technocrats will develope workable solutions. We are reduced to real problems, though, first -- one being we're broke and going in debt deeper and faster than any time in our history, and hardly anyone admits to knowing how to stop the bleeding. It's obvious, though, that the only way to stop the bleeding is through serious cuts in government programs. Raising taxes will only prolong the out of the control spending. The first order of business is to limit government power and reduce its size. The reason no one is seriously proposing this is because so many people are dependent on government services. At some point soon it won't matter who's dependent on government services, cuts will have to be made anyway.

America needs a Big Meeting. A courageous leader, or a handful of courageous leaders from both parties, and leaders in the business communities, could announce a change in direction. They could tell the American people in no uncertain terms that we're broke with no way to continue in the direction we're headed, that government services will be cut, with taxes cut at the same time, and that the American people are now in charge of their own safety nets and their market and means of producing, buying and selling goods and services. The American people should be told that if they care about the poor and unfortunate, then private organizations should be created to deal with the problems, funded by private donations. The government should admit its failure and the impossibilty of statism in the 21st century. It should be made clear that there will still be the rule of law and rights will be throroughly protected -- by downsizing governent, it will become more focused and efficient in its job protecting citizens so they can freely trade and interact in competition and cooperation.

I don't see any other way out of the statist march to collapse and ruin, and although I have no way of knowing, and I couldn't even begin to list the detailed actions that would have to take place, I believe wholeheartedly that America would respond, that private assistance would develope and that economic growth would be greater than any other time in the history of humankind -- not without turmoil and resistance in the beginning, but stability and growth and security would come about. Yes, I know, this is madness, I don't understand -- well, we'll see how the technocrats do.