The great colonial America observer and French historian Alexis de Tocqueville once opined: “When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.”

    It is my suggestion to employ this thought in examination of America today, of where we have been and where we are going. We should consider this in context of national, state and local politics; economics and monetary policy; international response to U.S. changes; and a projected outlook for our country.

    In national politics, establishment Republicans have almost finished party transformation into the Whigs of 1856, when that party died after Millard Fillmore was President. GOP deficit spending without restraint “gives license to the Democrats to trump it,” according to Pat Caddell, a Democrat strategist and very good man. Due to great salesmanship by Democrats with media aid, Americans believe the idea that our bad economy is Bush’s fault and not Obama’s. They ignore facts that it is brought by a corrupt and incompetent Congress. Substantial money funding both parties of big government comes from inside government, through public-sector unions and businesses that receive government contracts (a form of welfare). Recall that it was James Madison who wrote about these foibles of human nature, that men are not angels, which led the Founders and Constitution Framers to divide national government into three branches in order to limit it.

    There seems to be a surge of questionable and illegal activities under way that are ignored or unnoticed in redress processes.

•   During the November election cycle, 70,000 cases of voter fraud were reported and documented – voter intimidation, machine error, bused-in voters, volunteer intimidation and precincts with more registered voters than citizens of voting age.

•   Over half of the U.S. public expresses deep concern over obscurations relating to the Benghazi terror attacks.

•   The public does not believe official pronouncements and statistics on unemployment rates or Cost of Living index, thinking the numbers are jiggled to make the outcome more pleasant.

•   Essentially hidden from public view are Department of State treaty negotiations that would obviate the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms).

•   By fiat regulations and Executive Orders, previously licensed rights to U.S. industry to develop energy reserves were revoked following the Presidential election without anything but “orders.”

•   Unknown to the public are Executive agencies’ use of secret, unrecorded messaging (EPA, for example) to avoid transparency of what is in the domain of public discourse.

 

   There is a deepening and intensifying opposition to bureaucratic and heavy-handed government. The citizenry does not like it or trust it.

    Government monetary policy tries to inflate money supply at a rate that keeps the country in a safe zone between inflationary boom and deflationary bust. Deficit spending by government necessitates inflating money supply, which causes malinvestment. America has experienced precisely this problem during the past four years, something the rest of the world now understands and is searching for ways to escape. All the while Americans (both citizens and politicians) remain oblivious.

    From no less a beacon in the international community than Pravda, the former Soviet and now Russian news agency, came these words from a blog post written by Stanislav Mishin in April 2009. “The American descent into Marxism is happening with breathtaking speed, against the backdrop of a passive, hapless sheeple. Excuse me, dear reader, I meant people.” He continued: “First the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture … their faith in God was destroyed … final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama.” 

    Mishin further wrote: “Prime Minister Putin, less than two months ago, warned Obama and U.K.’s Blair not to follow the path of Marxism, it only leads to disaster… the proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight ... the world will only snicker.” 

    I see two courses ahead for America. One is virtually unspeakable if these factors mentioned above are not reconciled to return federal government to sanity and honesty in all three branches. A second option could gain a foothold. It is termed the Nullification Movement and is growing exponentially. Recall that the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 were passed to nullify the Alien and Seditions Acts, which was written secretly by Thomas Jefferson with assistance from James Madison. The resolution was never tested in court, and Jefferson pardoned all those imprisoned by the Acts.

    There are currently 35 states that have filed suit against the federal government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them, and it only takes 38 states to convene a Constitutional Convention. Nullification of federal narcotics law in both Washington state and Colorado is an example and, without Department of Justice challenge immediately, the principle of nullification will stand and allow states to reverse federal insanities. IH