Can We Affect Change Without Revolution?

Americans know what they want: Socialism. Despite what they say, and from time to time how they vote, in the end, it always comes down to destructive selfishness. They have learned the New Deal lesson well: Government will provide; it's your right.

Over the years since 1933, Americans have become accustomed to the national government taking over more and more aspects of their lives, to the end that they cannot be weaned from this accepting behavior. Although seemingly rejecting Barack Obama's socialist health care program, polls show that many Americans still think Obama and the Democratically controlled Senate are on the right track in proposing massive government spending that adds to an overwhelming deficit because we are "entitled."

To the rights specified in the Constitution, collectivists want to add the right of citizens to have equal incomes regardless of ability, education or training. The new class-ism says that the rich folks obviously stepped on the poor to get their resources, so they must, through government taxation (theft), give it back. Any opposition to a government program designed to give money or other advantages to racial minorities, regardless of whether the program makes any sense, is branded as racism. Rather than a classless society, America now is made up of special classes of racial or economic minorities that demand special rights not available to the society as a whole.

Americans like to pretend that they still are the rugged individualists who fought for their freedom against repressive government and built a great nation; really, though, they are fearful sheep willingly giving over their individualism to collectivism. Even those who strongly disapprove of our political, social and economic circumstances just live their daily lives using their comfortable circumstances as their paper shields against government repression, in the vain hope that things will change without them having to do anything to help.

Why do we who believe in constitutional government go along with this? Do we want to live in an Atlas Shrugged world? Not I. I want change I can believe in: a return to constitutional government along with some new amendments that will fix some flaws; a return to capitalism and fiscal sanity; and above all, an end to a socialist entitlement system that cannot be sustained anyway, thus avoiding the economic collapse that will result from that system.

How? It only takes a determined, organized corps of individuals to effect change, as we saw in the 1960's in both the civil rights and the anti-Vietnam war movements. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. A new movement to restore constitutional government could, like the 60's movements, be mainly peaceful although with some violence to be sure. There already is a minority of Americans who will not accept the political and economic situation that we're in. That minority, like the 60's civil rights and anti-war movements may peaceably demand change. But it may also determine to act in what it decides is the only way left: revolution.

At this point I don't see a revolution as the only way to affect change. I want Americans to wake up and demand that the federal government live within its means and follow the Constitution. I do not want a violent revolution. But if it comes down to it as the only way correct the impossible situation that we're in, and it happens, then I will embrace it. Let the drums roll.