So you do not miss my point, I
will state it first. It was entirely fitting and
proper for New York City Mayor Bloomberg to ban the
sale of all sugary drinks over 16 ounces. You
freedom-loving followers of my column probably just
spit coffee all over the paper, so I will let you
clean up the mess before I continue. Go ahead, I
will wait…
…okay, here is my reasoning. Progressivism is a
political philosophy proposing a perfect world can
be created by regulating every aspect of human
behavior from the type of food subjects can
purchase, the types of light bulbs in our homes,
flush volumes of our toilets, to the color of our
electricity. This system of government is founded on
the premise leaders possess superior intelligence,
education and training so as to better understand
the needs of the common man than the common man
himself. Like an invasive species, this belief
emigrated from Germany in the late 1800s and it
became permanently rooted in America’s universities
even though it is completely contradictory to the
principles of liberty written in America’s founding
documents.
Until 1776, the world believed the right of one man
to rule another was either passed in the bloodlines,
as was the case with King George, or was established
through overwhelming force. The framers of our
Constitution introduced the radical concept of
self-rule and our great American experiment in
freedom was born. Since our founding, every
generation has fought to preserve freedom from
enemies both foreign and domestic. Today’s battle is
right here at home and here is why: Progressivism is
contradictory to freedom, so political compromise
advances one belief at the expense of the other; an
oppositional fact which underlies every political
debate. If you understand this contradiction, please
read on; if you do not, then skip the remainder of
this column and turn to the classifieds because my
next point is going to sting.
After serving three terms in the Montana
Legislature, I believe every elected Democrat is a
progressive. (Notice the clarifying word “elected.”)
There are conservative, constitutional Democrats in
the hinterlands, such as my rancher friend Robert,
but they never seem to recognize the connection
between progressivism and Marxism. For example,
Robert is fiercely independent, mostly wishing to be
left alone, but recently he was howling about a USFS
representative issuing him a citation for leaving a
grain sack unsecured while elk hunting. “Bob,” I
explained. “You are the guy who blindly votes for
the party of ‘stabilization through regulation’, so
you indirectly created this bureaucracy. Do you not
get it?” He does not. He has consumed so much class
warfare Kool-Aid I doubt he will ever connect the
dots.
Half of the Republicans, with which I have served
are progressives, or progressive-lites, and also
will vote to expand the size of government.
(Progressive-lites either hold compromise in higher
esteem than conviction to constitutional principles,
or they lack friends. Republicans who help advance
the left’s agenda are immediately befriended and
invited to all the cocktail parties hosted by
Democrats.) This leaves roughly 25 Montana
Representatives and 12 Senators who strictly adhere
to their oath of office. Naturally, progressives
attack us as extremists.
To close the loop, it was entirely fitting and
proper for Mayor Bloomberg to outlaw Big Gulps
because he is a progressive. Voters should know the
core beliefs of the citizens elected into every
office from dog catcher to president. America is in
dire straits and we either begin the restoration of
our constitutional republic today or ours will be
the generation who failed to guard the watch tower
of liberty.
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