Similarities Between the Periods of 1860 and 2012, Part 5

A recent article in the Confederate Veteran magazine explained the Southern heritage of autarky, traditionalism, anti-egalitarianism, traditionalism and a community structure based on Christian principles which contrasts to those of the New England and Northern regions.  Autarky is defined as the “ability to run one’s life and affairs more or less self-sufficiently”.  This contrasts to the mindset of centralized entitlement welfare and socialism where a nanny state completely controls everyday life telling each citizen what light bulb to use, what to eat (such as the resident First Lady attempting to indoctrinate our schoolchildren), what kind of automobile to purchase and what fuel to burn in it.  How many times do we need to endure government dictates which lead to unintended detrimental consequences  before we declare enough already – consider ethanol automobile fuel requirements which have diverted corn from food streams resulting in exponential cost increases for corn and meat products to fuel additives which yield poorer fuel economy.  Litigation has commenced against automobile producers for selling (government subsidized) battery powered and hybrid cars which are yielding substandard performance and safety, and fuel economy below expectations.  Bills creating governmental oversight, regulation and bureaucracy are passed to fix perceived issues and then bills are passed to fix the problems caused by the initial law ad nauseum, a perpetual catch 22 of legislative totalitarianism.

A centralized government is invariably bureaucratic and inefficient – despite examples of failed federal programs like the postal service and indebted entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare, the American populace can’t comprehend the perils of government intrusion in a massive government run health care system.  More government control and intrusion is not a solution but a growing problem and has been for the past 60 years since the New Deal, the War on Poverty, the Departments of Energy and Education and the EPA were adopted by the well-meaning but socialist-leaning Democrats and big government Republican parties who have redistributed wealth and committed trillions in debt in failed attempts to eliminate poverty.  In contrast, traditionalism and a community based on Christian principles, similar and related concepts promote a self-sufficiency and work ethic.  It is unfettered entrepreneurship which made the United States of America great and is the only hope for the return of America as the unquestioned world economic leader and a force for democracy, liberty and freedom.