Friday, February 08, 2013

When Glenn Reynolds speaks ...





A revolution in the works?
Glenn Reynolds
Res Ipsa Loquitor

Americans are out of sorts, and increasingly they're unhappy with the government. According to a Pew poll released last week, more than half of Americans view government as a threat to their freedom.
There are two possible ways to address this problem. One is to elect people that everyone trusts. The problem with that is that there aren't any politicians that everyone trusts -- and, alas, if there were, the odds are good that such trust would turn out to be misplaced.

And it's not just Republicans unhappy with Obama, or gun owners afraid that the government will take their guns: 38% of Democrats, and 45% of non-gun owners, see the government as a threat.

Add this to another recent poll in which only 22% of likely voters feel America's government has the "consent of the governed," and you've got a pretty depressing picture -- and a recipe for potential trouble. - [Glenn Reynolds cont]



  Reynolds suggests that the last best chance to avoid a bloody messy revolt is to call a constitutional convention. " Are we there yet? I don't think so. But we're getting closer all the time. Political class, take note."

God bless him for his optimism, no matter how muted, because I cannot for the life of me see any way that  a nation who elected Barack Obama could make political soup that wasn't more toxic than what we have.  The only hope of course is to appoint me benign dictator for just, say, 100 days.  You know I'm right.

Thanks to smibsid for the heads-up on this one.


10 comments:

Jess said...

The government can only operate if there is money. When the money is gone, whether due to economic collapse, or by an unwillingness of the people to contribute, the big changes happen immediately.

While many people think the government will take money by force, they forget those that now are the majority in the government have no loyalty, except for the wealth they can accumulate while they abuse their position. No money; no force and lots of concessions.

Anonymous said...

There are a bunch of concerned people about . I used to feel that I was in the minority , but lately it is showing itself everywhere I go . I must have had 20 different people ask me about going to the gun show in Chantilly , Va. this weekend . I've never seen anything like it , and it feels good to see America waking up ; ) > SMIBSID

DougM said...

I don't see how a constitutional convention solves the problem of the FedGov not living up to its existing constitutional contractual obligations and constraints.
Why would one think it would live up to a new one?
Nah, that can only work by legitimizing the existing, ongoing sins.

He's right about a convention being a precursor to revolution, though. Well, a precursor to secessions.
My first thought is usually heads-on-pikes (you know, examples), but that just legitimizes repression.
There's no way to cut off the money, either. The tax-collection machine is too automatic, the fear of the IRS is too strong, and the people are too risk-averse as individuals.
There seems to be no existing official mechanism to protect us from overreach, corruption, and irresponsibility, save some miraculous whole-sale overturn of legislative and executive officeholders willing to truncate the scope of the FedGov back to Constitutional limits and to clean out and fumigate the bureaucracy and judiciary.
I don't see that happening, given the population's brain-washed addictions and expectations.
We got here over a hundred years of constant Progressive brainwashing, but I don't see the reverse happening, not realistically. The lotus-eating doesn't seem reversible. (Then again, we're still here, so it's theoretically possible, I guess.)

America still retains a useful inherent characteristic, however: regional diversity.
Looking at the red/blue map (rural/urban map), I see a possible mechanism for change.
If the Constitution is no longer considered a contract by the blues, then the reds have no contractual obligations, either. Therefore, there is no longer any constraint against region secessions.

Unfortunately, that will eventually result in totalitarian blue regions in close proximity with republican reds (whom the blues will depend on for almost everything and whom the blues outnumber).
Offhand, that seems to be an even worse situation … a much, much worse situation, if history is any judge.

Where does that leave us? Dunno.
Individual, regional, and State resistance? Education and new media (counter-propaganda)? Massive political push-back?
(What? Okay, maybe a few heads on pikes.)

Rodger the Real King of France said...

You, Doug M, shall be given sole authoship of the new constitution when I'm in power!

george said...

Good call my benevolent King. Oh Doug please leave out that "provide for the common good" stuff.

Anonymous said...

Well, I wanna be Lord High Executioner. Been choppin' wood all fall and winter, political necks gotta be way softer.

Tom Mann said...

The Glenn Reynolds essay (USA Today ran this?) makes reference to . Out of curiosity, I watched this on channel and was quite taken with it. As a result, I read the three novels in the series despite their being targeted to the young adult reader.

It’s a well-spun story of a distant Capital keeping the people in poverty and under their thumb while it’s dilettante denizens live a life of luxury and privilege.

While at times it’s emotionally manipulative, there are also good action sequences and clearly defined good and evil characters. Also, there’s lots of killing without the use firearms.


ps – The series author, Suzanne Collins, lives in Newtown, Connecticut.

Tom Mann said...

PRIOR COMMENT WAS INCOMPLETE

The Glenn Reynolds essay (USA Today ran this?) makes reference to The Hunger Games. Out of curiosity, I watched this on Epix channel and was quite taken with it. As a result, I read the three novels in the series despite their being targeted to the young adult reader.

It’s a well-spun story of a distant Capital keeping the people in poverty and under their thumb while it’s dilettante denizens live a life of luxury and privilege.

While at times it’s emotionally manipulative, there are also good action sequences and clearly defined good and evil characters. Also, there’s lots of killing without the use firearms.


ps – The series author, Suzanne Collins, lives in Newtown, Connecticut.

Anonymous said...

A couple of nights ago, my wife and I were watching "Jeopary", their Teen Tournament. Trebek asked one boy what he wanted to be after he got to be an adult. The kid said that he would like to be President. Then Trebek asked what he wuld bring to the White House that his predecessors had not over the last couple of decades. The kid said< "Honesty and accountability." That stopped Trebek immediately.

Scottiebill

Rodger the Real King of France said...

I've put up wanted posters all over town!

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