WAS: What Adults are Saying about the Express Lane to the Third World
Our Leaders are Purposely Fueling an American Decline
In the days before the United States was an international force assessing a country’s power was most about the outcomes of caustic colonialism than much of anything else. After the Renaissance those who successfully sailed the seas, conquered and gentrified lands and brought customs and economies with them held most of the world’s juice. In the end that came down to the Spanish and the Brits—unless fighting one another—and the Portuguese for a secondary slice. Uncle Sam’s “yankees” were a by-product of this and for 150 years were just more Brits in a far off land.
A little tea party in Boston, a shot in Lexington and 170 years of tumult changed that. America became the rare, modern country that told its governing sponsors to go to hell so those who first immigrated here could start its own national experiment. It’s initial aims were hardly all lofty as native lands were conquered and slaves used to buoy economies. White and privileged were the calling cards of the day. Until….
Until…WWII. Ranked by many historians as the most important event in civilized history (behind only the ascension of Jesus Christ), that complicated, contorted, painful event re-ordered all international standing mid-20th century and the youthful United States was its biggest benefactor. The fruits of that outcome, status of a new world order and a voracious post-war consumer demanding to be sated gave way to something most of us know first hand—the American middle class.
With this also came a new way countries were ranked or assessed. The top countries like the US where lands went untouched by the ravages of war, embraced democracy and built mammoth economies and infrastructure became the “first world”—places to which most aspired to live, work and enjoy the freedoms of the time. That Old Europe had significant war clean-up and the Japanese were both psychologically and physically vanquished from the conflict—America had virtually no international peer for a generation.
As the first Baby Boomers started to attend college slowly, almost imperceptibly, this started to change. Redeveloping countries or those newly freed from the scourge of colonialism (as in Sub-Saharan Africa) emerged. Soon the world had first, second and third world countries—the latter a mish-mash of dictatorial governments who oppressed people while holding 19th century economies or worse. In those days America was “always” at the pinnacle of international rankings and that facilitated us knowing who else was moving into or out of first, second or third world status. The cultural and social defeat of the Soviet Union fortified this standing. Even as global economic and military competition intensified—first in the 1980s and then, at the turn of this century—America was always the unquestioned world leader (in both good and bad ways) and competed fervently with all. Until…
Until…now. The 47 administration and its rolling clown college is now codifying a new American era placing it in a one-way express lane to the 3rd world. Current leaders are triangulating three things that virtually guarantee this. After first corrupting what was thought a rock-solid judicial system and then withdrawing ourselves as both an international moral leader and ally, recent legislation has formalized action to make our own people the enemy of government. Remember in our nubile youth it was “We the People..” who were to govern. That has now transformed to an emerging culture where our most serious national threats are exclusively internal.
The shambolic mess that is 47’s Cabinet ensures America’s operating “departments” are daily imperiled as led by unqualified, incompetent, preening bootlickers who regularly invoke theatrical malice onto our people’s as a form of “fun.” That burnt souls and misguided priorities guides these sinister morons is little consolation—especially once digesting that severe pruning of civil service work staff are routinely announced. Even though it may or may not come to pass these intents reflect a style of governing and envisioning all of us as just so many problems that cost money. Of course the money is ours.
Consider the aggregious behavior by so-called “ICE agents.” Little more than repurposed kids who last week worked security at your dog groomer’s, they’ve been given two seconds of training, a wardrobe upgrade to their camouflage wear, masks and a directive to act as clumsily menacing as possible. Clumsy they are to the point where one wonders how long might they ever survive in a legitimate military theater without rapidly flying the color white? But that awkwardness also brings enough menace where fear, social and economic disruption and less frequent but highly publicized detentions turn communities on their heads. Southern California in particular has been ground zero for this nonsense where threatened, daily roundups of the jornaleros are creating significant disruption.
Then a maniacal 47, melting more rapidly than southern Alaskan glaciers, tromps the accelerator to the third world by returning our modern trade economy to the 19th century. Few respected economists anywhere believe the inter-connectedness of the modern world can withstand tariffs as an economic tactic—especially when as used by 47—is principally diplomatic extortion and threat.
Even the lamest of Congress’ has done its part to contribute by passing recent legislation that directly targets the most economically insecure Americans on such extravagances as food stamps, health care and school lunches. So much does the administration believe this is righteous it publicly has asked “what is so bad about children and old people picking lettuce” in the absence of suitable farm labor chased away by ICE? A gang of coked-up satirists couldn’t write such jaw-dropping mania that principally is done for effect, at whim and to lavish the greasy 47 with more praise as the insightful “leader” heading this madness.
And for what? So that rich descendants of the Confederacy and the Jim Crow south can see a reversion to their preferred lifestyle? So that 47 can abet Putin in dismantling NATO? So the new Gilded Aged of “technoindustrialists” can reduce the humanity of life in a democracy to just so many walking spreadsheets—eagerly measuring everything about themself except the degree of soul rot? For those “real” third world countries we know how they achieved that dubious status—largely through political, natural or economic calamity. America has had her share of all that and, fittingly, rebounds and moves on. But this is different. The hysteria of 47 and his toadying followers is purposeful destruction. Burning down the barn simply because they can and somehow convincing themselves it is fine entertainment. When we arrive at that diminished place and time elders will struggle mightily to explain to youngsters that America was once a deeply flawed but magnificent place . One where continued improvement was a national default—at least at the institutional level. Those elders will be quickly dismissed because a quick scan will reveal the days of freedom-stoked satisfaction and safety, have long passed.