The United States Slow Road to Socialism

"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men." -Woodrow Wilson 1919, six years after signing the Federal Reserve Act

In 1913, J.P. Morgan, Paul Warburg, and John D. Rockafellow managed to trick our federal government into giving them the control of the money in this country. As the story goes, the three of them convinced Secretary of State Philander Knox to lie to the American people that the states ratified 16th Amendment to the Constitution.

The 16th Amendment reads: The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

These bankers believe that who controlled the money in the United States has the ultimate power, and the citizens were led to a tax on their labor. Later that year, while many Senators were at home on Christmas break, these three powerful bankers managed to get Congress to pass the Federal Reserve Act. This handed the control of the federal currency to these bankers. In doing so, the government now had to borrow money from these bankers to finance the government, and the government was charged interest which made these bankers richer and more powerful. The American people were forced to pay the income tax to cover the government's bill to these bankers.

Now there's a reason I recall this legend this evening. I feel that we need to pay closer attention to what is going on in Washington with the current bailout plans. I am not a conspiracy theorist, and that's why I am careful of bringing up this legend. At the same time, I see a transformation going on in our country unparalleled with anything I have seen before.

To most Americans, it's complicated; therefore, they will catch a few numbers here and there and go on back to their lives. Some, like me, will try to follow it because we know it stinks. Whatever is going on in Washington, it is leading this country closer to socialism and away from the free-market democracy we have known. Maybe this has been gradually in play for nearly 100 years. As I am observing, it seems the government is gaining power at an alarming rate over our industrial giants, our largest banks, and other infrastructures of the economy.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a group of representatives from these banks met with Henry Paulson to distribute the bailout funds. Chairman Richard Kovacevich of Wells Fargo bank rejected the bailout. His bank wasn't in trouble. Paulson kept him in the room until he agreed to go along with the bailout. WHY?

Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke demanded that a bailout package be passed immediately to save the economy. Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid led the charge on Capitol Hill for what was suddenly the most nonpartisan moments in Washington since 9/11. Bush and Pelosi were working together to pass this because Paulson said it was dire that we get it done before Friday. Friday came, the package failed, and we woke up the next few days as normal. The economy didn't stop. Paulson demanded it get done. Eventually, $700 billion dollars and a bunch of earmarks did get passed. Why did it have to be done right here, right now without time to let the taxpayers consider the options? Why did Congressmen like Roy Blunt in my district ignore the pleas of the taxpayers seeking them to vote against it?

Isn't it ironic that around that same time, Barack Obama slips and mentions clues that he believes in socialism? It was reported today that Obama didn't agree with all these bailouts, but now he is is pushing them. Do our votes count? Is he just part of the plan?

I might be on to something, or maybe I have become doubtful of my government and now I am buying into conspiracies. The more I hear about this bailout, which now has tripled in cost to the taxpayers, the more I know something stinks. Our government is slowly killing the free market, while the Federal Reserve is becoming even more powerful. I felt the need to put these questions out there tonight because I am concerned with the direction of my country.