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The American Dream

I've just finished reading Nancy MacLean's book, Democracy in Chains, and I recommend it to everyone who is at all, even remotely interested in the future of our country, political stripe notwithstanding.  Whether you tend to vote Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Communist, or Write-In, this is a book that you should read. 

It is a deeply informative book with great historical context about James M. Buchanan and the development and application of his economic theories.  Ms MacLean also delves into his connections to organizations like the Mont Pelerin Society, his involvement with Chile's Augusto Pinochet, America's Koch Brothers, and more.  Dovetailing into the Buchanan background, MacLean then turns her focus toward the Kochs and how they have developed a plan, based on Buchanan's work, to take control, bit by bit, of the levers of power in and around the government of the United States in order, ultimately, to shift the balance of power from the majority to the wealthy minority.

MacLean makes it clear that for the wealthy who are aligned with Charles Koch's take no prisoners, fend for yourself, win control at all costs (and I do mean all, including, but not limited to the dishonest manipulation of the citizenry), Darwinian plan for the future of America it must seem like their American Dream is about to be realized. 

For those of us on the normal pay scale, those living paycheck to paycheck, those for whom the questions do not revolve around which high-end car we should buy, but rather whether or not we can afford a car at all, if we don't wake up now and take steps to counteract his machinations we are soon to wake up in a country where

  • organizing to protest might be illegal 
  • clean water will be provided by unregulated private companies rather than government provision (Flint, MI water, anyone?)
  • there will be more control and weight given to the voices of the wealthy who happen to own property, rather than each and every individual to whom has been endowed "certain inalienable rights"
  • the Constitution is being rewritten to shut out the masses. (see Chile/Pinochet/Buchanan)
Those truths the country's forefathers held to be self-evident, "that all men are created equal", which has been expanded to include men and women, of all races and creeds, and of all financial histories will be changed to apply to the wealthy "producers" rather than those they deem to be "mooching" off the system through their use of Medicare, Medicaid, public schools, public water works, and more.

I know this all sounds extreme, but Ms MacLean has it all well-documented.  According to her research the Koch machine is not interested in protecting Republicans, nor Democrats, nor Libertarians.  Indeed, it is intent on protecting the interests and wealth of the wealthy, and it seeks to usurp the control of government from the majority and hand it over to those wealthy individuals.

It seems to me upon having read this work, that Charles Koch and his acolytes have gamed-out the possible permutations of the fights and challenges they might face.  After gaming-out the possibilities they began eliminating them one by one, starting with the easiest and least visible, from the end of the line forward so that when the step is taken which we will all see, and which will cause us to begin to realize what is happening, it will be too late to stop it.  Think of it like this.  If we don't stand in front of that bowling ball soon, it will be too late.

This book is worth the time it takes to read!  You can find it here on Amazon.  Please read it and go to the polls in November to make sure that Koch's tightening choke hold on American democracy is weakened. 


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