The great American addiction!

The great American addiction.

I have heard many people say that each generation of Americans find their own particular drug of choice and the addiction begins….

Per-prohibition we had the love affair with alcohol – a love affair that resulted in hopelessness, family break-ups and soul numbing binges. The addiction to alcohol was seen as the greatest threat to America….so the nannies stepped in and determined that the solution was prohibition. Government felt the need to decide what the citizens should do, and in doing so provided the very climate for the rapid growth of organized crime.  Government determining what is best for the citizens is not often the right solution.

In the 60’s it was drugs….the relatively harmless weed quickly became replaced by the more debilitating heroin. Drug laws did little to stem the flow of the drugs demanded by the addicted.

The drug of choices change continually….heroin, cocaine, crack…all the same in that they provide the means of escape while enslaving the addicted.

Cigarettes…same thing.

America’s capacity to become addicted to that which is bad is legendary.

But the drug of choice is not the only thing that America is addicted to. In fact, it is not even close to the biggest addiction America faces.

Let me ask you a question….

If more than 20% of America’s population was addicted to a “product” that ultimately and quickly destroyed their life….we are talking about 60 MILLION people waiting for their next “hit”…and the economic cost of this addiction was measured in the TRILLIONS of dollars every year, would you be wanting the government to look into it? To perhaps, at the very least, study what could be done to reduce that addiction?  Would you want the government to find some way to reduce the economic cost?

What about if it was YOU who was actually paying for this addiction? What if the economic cost was being paid out of your pockets? Would you want to understand it better, would you want to see something done about it?

After all…as I wrote at the start of this blog…to the addicted, their drug of choice is a way to escape BUT in reality it is simply a way to become enslaved.

To find a way to help the addicted get over their addiction could be seen as providing them with the very freedom they were seeking….it would be a great thing to do, right?

So…why do we let the Government continue to feed the addiction? Why do we allow the government to continue to take money from your pockets and use it to keep the addiction growing, to lead more people to succumb to this drug, and to prepare the way for more pushers to stand on street corners handing out the drugs at no charge to the addicted?

You think I have lost it, don’t you? Devereaux has finally gone crazy with talk of government provision of drugs with the intent of addicting people? Not quite…..

In fact I have never been saner.

The drug I am speaking of is the drug of dependence.

Dependence on the government.

Dependence on the government for food, health care, college tuition, housing…even retirement assistance.

The Heritage Foundation today released its latest report of Government dependence, and it shows exactly how dependent and addicted Americans have become. One in 5 Americans depend on the government for all aspects of their life….that is over 65 million people.

And the government looks after them.

In fact the government looks after them better than many people can look after themselves.

Here is an example…

“The average individual who relies on Washington could receive benefits valued at $32,748, more than the nation’s average disposable personal income ($32,446).”

What this means is that the average disposable income in America is LESS than the benefits that can be received by the dependent.

With this fact firmly in my mind, I marvel that there is only 65 million people opting for the government benefits. After all, why work 40 hours a week and be worse off than somebody who can sit on his government provided sofa in his government provided house munching on his government provided potato chips while watching reruns of Hogan’s Heroes on his big screen TV that he bought with his government provided money?

Of course, he will use his government paid cell phone data plan to text all his friends and tell them they are suckers for working for the man when they could be getting it all for free.

So the addicted spread the word….the army of the addicted grows….the skills of the addicted, like those addicted to drugs, become less marketable as what is left of their minds become even more numbed with re-runs of Jerry Springer.

Like all addicts, they do not see the impact their addiction has on them. They do not see that by becoming addicted to government slavery, they have nowhere better to go. They cannot get a better life, they cannot hope for the realization of their dreams…they are as trapped by the handouts as if they were addicted to crack cocaine.

And we as a society applaud this under the guise of a “safety net”.

So, how does the Government continue to feed this growing addiction?

Easily. They take it from you and me. They take the money we earn and use it to provide the handouts to the addicted.

But there is a problem. The addiction base is growing…but the taxpayer base is shrinking. Nearly half of the U.S. population (49.5 percent) does not pay any federal income taxes. Now, let’s think about this for a moment…we have 20% of the population already addicted…with 49% not paying taxes. That means that there are 29% of the populations that are “low income”…and available to be seduced into the government giveaway addiction without a second thought. These are the folk that our friend with big screen TV is calling and telling to get the handouts instead of working.

BY some estimates, the cost of the addiction is currently around $2 trillion a year (this excludes things such as Social Security and Medicare…this is only for welfare, food stamps, section 8 etc.

If the number of people demanding these benefits doubles (which is quite likely given the number of low income folks) the annual cost could be $4 trillion.

That has to be funded either through higher taxation of the 50% of the income earners who pay tax, or through additional borrowing.

How much do you want to pay to keep Joe Nohoper sitting in front of his TV eating Doritos and adding further strain to a health care system that he gets free of charge?

So, why does the Government encourage an addiction this harmful to the individual and to the economy?

One word answer…votes.

If the government can keep as many people as possible addicted to their give-aways, then the elections become a question of who will provide the most giveaways. After all, the addicted do not care who supplies their drugs…all they care about is that they get them.

It is the same with votes….the addicted will vote for the person who feeds them the best drugs.

And the democrats play this game better than anybody else. Starting with Woodrow Wilson, and becoming established with FDR, the intent of addicting the masses has been gradually increasing….with many new methods and drugs being offered in more and more sophisticated ways.

And the final intent has always remained constant…re-election. Republican administrations are equally as guilty.

So…are you supporting the addiction of the masses? Do you believe the safety net is a social necessity? Do you believe that addiction leads to loss of humanity, loss of pride and loss of dignity?

Is the type of country you wish to live in?

What you do speaks volumes about what you believe...do the right thing!

…..devereaux