It’s All About Control

 

There were some cold winters in the ’60s and ’70s.  The environmentalist movement was just getting started, and it suggested that the smoke from our car exhaust was blotting out the sun, making it colder here on earth.  They demanded that we drive smaller cars, to raise the earth’s temperature.  Then we had some warmer winters in the ’80s, and the environmentalists said that the exhaust from our cars was creating the greenhouse effect, making it warmer here on earth.  They demanded that we drive smaller cars, to lower the earth’s temperature.  Observing such inconsistencies, there were some who began to suspect that this wasn’t about weather, and it wasn’t even about cars.  Some conspiracy theorists even went so far as to suggest that this wasn’t about the environment at all, it’s all about control.

The more you read about our tax code, the more one point becomes absolutely clear:  The American tax code was not written to generate revenue for our government.  If you wanted to raise money to fund government activities, this is not at all how you would do it.  In fact, our tax code is impossible to understand – it makes no sense.  Well, it makes no sense unless you look at it as a means of controlling American citizens, businesses, and industry.  Unless viewed through the lens of control, our tax code makes no sense whatsoever.  Some conspiracy theorists go so far as to suggest that it’s not about taxes or revenue at all, it’s all about control.

We don’t have racism in America like we once did.  Events that would be recognized by, say, Martin Luther King as racist are, thankfully, somewhat rare now.  But from Rodney King to George Zimmerman to George Floyd, whenever something happens that might possibly be portrayed as racist, the left plays it up as a clarion call that we must fundamentally change America.  Some find it unhelpful that the role of racism in all those events is not entirely clear, but that may be a positive.  Because now the left can scream “RACISM!!!” when a white teenager shoots three white criminals in a white town in Wisconsin.  They can use fears of white supremacy to encourage you to vote against black candidates, like Larry Elder and the Virginia lieutenant governor.  Some conspiracy theorists are going so far as to suggest that this isn’t really about racism at all, it’s about control.

There are many more examples, of course.  But it seems clear that when the left talks about the environment, the tax code, racism, or nearly anything else, that they’re really talking about control.  It’s all about gaining control, by any means necessary.

Think of the fiasco along the Mexican border.  If Hispanic immigrants voted 75% for Republicans, do you really think that Democrats would be opening the border, and talking about the rights of people to live wherever they want?  Of course not.

So I’m gradually reaching the conclusion that when dealing with the left, the issue at hand really doesn’t matter.  It was something else yesterday, and it will be something else tomorrow (unless today’s issue helps the left).  We’re not really debating about transsexual wedding cakes.  Leftists don’t care about such things any more than I do.  We’re talking about control.

In much the same way as issues don’t matter, I don’t think that Democrat politicians matter.

Much has been made of President Biden’s mental status.  He may have a degree of dementia of some variety.  I’m not sure – he was never terribly bright, and maybe he’s just getting a bit older.  I don’t know.

But I don’t think Biden’s intelligence matters.  How would things be going differently if one of the other candidates had won the Democrat primary?  The top three in delegates won were Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren.  Buttigieg was also up there.  Would anything have changed if one of them had won instead of Biden?

Of course not.  The Democrat candidate was going to win this election.  And their policies would be about the same, and the Democrat Congress would be doing the same thing as they are now.

So if leftist issues don’t matter, and leftist leaders don’t matter, what does matter?

The only way we can stop the metastatic disease of leftism is to never allow these tyrants anywhere near power.  That’s all they want.  They don’t care about the environment, or taxes, or racism, or anything else that matters to you.  All they care about is control.

Remember that when you vote.  You’re not voting about whatever issue is on your mind.  You’re voting about control.  Government control vs individual freedom.

Choose carefully.  While you still can.

Issues of the day, fake compassion, and fear of uncertainty are simply tools used by wanna-be tyrants to gain control of the populace.  You shouldn’t be focused on separate graduation ceremonies for different races at colleges, or Greta Thunberg, or oil pipelines, or whatever the riot-of-the-week is about.  Those are all simply distractions from the left’s real goal.  Don’t be distracted by such things.

You should be focused purely on keeping leftists away from power.

Because we all know where that leads.

As the saying goes:  You can vote your way into socialism.  But you’ll have to shoot your way out.

Published in General
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 44 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: Some conspiracy theorists go so far as to suggest that it’s not about taxes or revenue at all, it’s all about control.

    I am not a conspiracy theorist.

    Yes, that’s what he’s saying.

    • #31
  2. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    Stad (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: The more you read about our tax code, the more one point becomes absolutely clear: The American tax code was not written to generate revenue for our government. If you wanted to raise money to fund government activities, this is not at all how you would do it. In fact, our tax code is impossible to understand – it makes no sense. Well, it makes no sense unless you look at it as a means of controlling American citizens, businesses, and industry. Unless viewed through the lens of control, our tax code makes no sense whatsoever. Some conspiracy theorists go so far as to suggest that it’s not about taxes or revenue at all, it’s all about control.

    I dread signing our tax returns every year for fear the government will find an honest mistake and turn it into a Federal case . . .

    Or something which is not a “mistake”, but the right answer according to one law, but wrong according to another.

    • #32
  3. Misthiocracy got drunk and Member
    Misthiocracy got drunk and
    @Misthiocracy

    Norm McDonald Bought The Farm (View Comment):

    I’m a conspiracy realist.

    Look out! It’s Brewmeister Smith!

    • #33
  4. Misthiocracy got drunk and Member
    Misthiocracy got drunk and
    @Misthiocracy

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    I did not like the 1970’s the first time around.

    Oh come on! The 1970s gave us way better movies and rock music than what we’re getting now.

    Art often flourishes in horrible times.

    Then how come today’s art is so crappy?

    • #34
  5. Misthiocracy got drunk and Member
    Misthiocracy got drunk and
    @Misthiocracy

    Instugator (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    I did not like the 1970’s the first time around.

    Oh come on! The 1970s gave us way better movies and rock music than what we’re getting now.

    I’ll give you the music, but not the movies.

    Really? You think this…

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_in_film

    …is better than this?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s_in_film

     

    • #35
  6. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    It makes more sense to think that he wants to get rid of fossil fuels order to placate his Democratic base.

    You think politicians function to please their base rather than for money?

    They need to get re-elected to do the corruption. It makes perfect sense for a democrat to do dumb stuff with pipelines because they believe in stupid stuff.

    • #36
  7. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    It makes more sense to think that he wants to get rid of fossil fuels order to placate his Democratic base.

    You think politicians function to please their base rather than for money?

    They need to get re-elected to do the corruption. It makes perfect sense for a democrat to do dumb stuff with pipelines because they believe in stupid stuff.

    I’ll give you one little edge here. In some cases, early in their political career, they do things to please their base because they think it necessary for re-election, but soon they come to realize there is money to be had and that takes complete control.

    • #37
  8. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    I did not like the 1970’s the first time around.

    Oh come on! The 1970s gave us way better movies and rock music than what we’re getting now.

    Art often flourishes in horrible times.

    Then how come today’s art is so crappy?

    • #38
  9. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    I did not like the 1970’s the first time around.

    Oh come on! The 1970s gave us way better movies and rock music than what we’re getting now.

    Art often flourishes in horrible times.

    Then how come today’s art is so crappy?

    Today’s art is magnificent, where you can still find it.  The problem is that, like in the Soviet Union, the government has seized the means of art.

    What’s left is the inspired, reviled samizdat:

    BUT SERIOUSLY, I suspect that the largely crap quality of the current movie menu tells us that, right now, movies in general are a dormant art form.  TPTB for movies are furiously excavating the past for fear of looking at the present.  Movies are “sitting this one out”, after carrying water for the left for decades.  Why?  They know they’re guilty, and at any rate, the only profitable thing to do is zero-talent comic-book nonsense.  It’s wildly popular with the bread and circuses crowd, and it flies under the radar of the political content police.

    They’ll be back.  But they’ve checked out for now.

    By the way — the painting above was done by Olga Vishnevsky, who does fine-art Pepes as her main line.  IN RUSSIA.

    • #39
  10. Headedwest Coolidge
    Headedwest
    @Headedwest

    Instugator (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    I did not like the 1970’s the first time around.

    Oh come on! The 1970s gave us way better movies and rock music than what we’re getting now.

    I’ll give you the music, but not the movies.

    In the 1970s my wife and I went to a movie most weekends. In the last decade, I have been to a movie theatre twice. 

    • #40
  11. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Percival (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    I did not like the 1970’s the first time around.

    Oh come on! The 1970s gave us way better movies and rock music than what we’re getting now.

    Art often flourishes in horrible times.

    Then how come today’s art is so crappy?

    This is a serious question and I am trying to understand what is happening I will talk to Franco tonight to try to better understand what is happening. 

    I think our art sucks because it is disconnected from the human soul. I don’t want to start a religious war or anything but stories are utterly drained from their meaning if the human being is merely a black or a heterosexual or a kulak. Every great story involves good and bad and the internal experience of life. It involves happiness and bravery but our modern philosophy speaks only of serotonin and adrenaline. 

    The Brothers Karamazov explains this brilliantly when Ivan goes to Smerdyakov. Without a soul, all morality, all beauty and all sense goes out the window. The world only makes sense if people have a soul. When you ignore this, everything gets tipsy turvy.

    • #41
  12. Instugator Thatcher
    Instugator
    @Instugator

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    Instugator (View Comment):

    Misthiocracy got drunk and (View Comment):

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    I did not like the 1970’s the first time around.

    Oh come on! The 1970s gave us way better movies and rock music than what we’re getting now.

    I’ll give you the music, but not the movies.

    Really? You think this…

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_in_film

    …is better than this?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s_in_film

    Sampling error. You give me a decade of 70’s movies and a single year for 2020 movies. 

    • #42
  13. Instugator Thatcher
    Instugator
    @Instugator

    Headedwest (View Comment):
    In the 1970s my wife and I went to a movie most weekends. In the last decade, I have been to a movie theatre twice. 

    I also went to more movies in the 70’s. They took forever to go to network TV and the video rental industry was practically nonexistent. 

    Now movies rapidly move to video on demand where I will spend up to $20 for a lifetime viewing rental on a comparatively large screen and the food/drink are much better. 

    In short, the method of consumption is different. 

    • #43
  14. Headedwest Coolidge
    Headedwest
    @Headedwest

    Instugator (View Comment):

    Headedwest (View Comment):
    In the 1970s my wife and I went to a movie most weekends. In the last decade, I have been to a movie theatre twice.

    I also went to more movies in the 70’s. They took forever to go to network TV and the video rental industry was practically nonexistent.

    Now movies rapidly move to video on demand where I will spend up to $20 for a lifetime viewing rental on a comparatively large screen and the food/drink are much better.

    In short, the method of consumption is different.

    That would be an important point if I actually consumed the current movie output at home. I do not. I almost never care to see a movie made in the last decade.

    • #44
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.