Watching the results of the elections tonight, I couldn't help but notice that not a thing fundamentally changed from before the voting to after the voting. Democratic Senate, Republican House, and Obama in the White House before the election, Democratic Senate, Republican House, and Obama in the White House after the election.
Observing how people have been interacting, a lot of the tone seemed to resemble the dynamics of a sporting event. A "my team beat your team" kind of of vibe. For all the talk of tolerance by the side of those who won the election, I see very little on display.
Anyone who knows me is well aware that I find those with the R's and D's by their name to essentially be on the same team. Just check who Goldman Sachs got behind. (hint, it's both). The lip service might have some differences, but on most major steps you will see a unity that unveils the truth of the matter.
In reality, today was a lot of theater, and the real business will begin when the lobbyists begin filling the calendars of the incoming representatives and senators, and the executive orders begin issuing from the White house. This is a corporatist dynamic, something that has nothing to do with real capitalism or free markets. The fact that some people title what happens in Washington and Wall Street as capitalism is perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of the whole process.
I find myself in a small number of people that notices a large storm building on the horizon. Wars, rising deficits, and an eroding economy have this country on the brink. An increasing number of people are looking to see how much they can get out of government, and a decreasing number of people are getting businesses started, innovating, and taking risks.
This is a really serious mix of elements, and so very few are regarding things like the deficit with the true urgency that is needed. Money is printed out of thin air, debt ceilings are raised, and the dangerous game will march onward unimpeded.
Add to this mix the near certainty of a major war in the next 1-2 years, and you have a crushing impact on a weakened country. I see a major economic crisis on the horizon, one that will likely become global in nature. When that time arrives, beware the solutions offered by the very ones who are the cause of such chaos.
The motor of this nation was free people embracing self-determination, personal responsibility, and pursuing their ambitions. That motor is grinding to a halt under the weight of a constantly expanding, bloated government, one equipped with a huge surveillance apparatus, a ravenous appetite for spending, and a penchant for squeezing more and more out of those who are productive and successful.
Small business cannot survive this. A middle class cannot survive this. The end game is going to be catastrophic to so many, and sadly most will not realize what the root causes of it are. The pied pipers will lead many with empty promises.
As I always have, I will continue to champion and defend the smallest of minorities in our society; the individual. For it is the individual, and the exercise of free will, short of force or fraud to others, that leads to success and prosperity. When taking risks can meet with great rewards, and when ambitions can be pursued without burdensome hindrances, you will discover what makes a society flourish.
Not many societies truly have the courage to do this, because a society based on individual freedom trusts in the potential for good in others, rather than putting up all manner of "safeguards" because it fears and mistrusts others. Unfortunately, the USA is moving farther and farther away from these kinds of principles.
Perhaps the flame of freedom can be restored here, or maybe one day a new, visionary society will be founded that holds fast to the extraordinary power of individual freedom.
I know one thing for sure. That society will know tremendous prosperity and advancement, and when this new society rises, it must remain vigilant and steadfast always; or it will face the fury of the great storm that is now advancing upon this land.
Batten down the hatches.
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