Guest Opinion: As they help the rich get richer, the poor get poorer
Since retiring 10 years ago, I have had the time to read very many books. History and conservative politics were the dominant themes as I tried to understand the big picture of how power was established, and wealth was accumulated. There seemed to be the classic fork in the road where the brutal dictatorship was the main path for centuries. Armies from the time of Rome were constantly at war with other civilizations fighting for dominance. The weapons evolved but the philosophy stayed the same. Kill or be killed as dynasties were established and paid any price to preserve that position. People who do not think history is the most interesting subject to study are selling themselves short and become vulnerable to “fads” and completely misunderstanding major historical trends.
The megatrends of Socialism, Marxism and Communism are critical examples where ignorance allows these ideologies to get started and eventually take hold. The ideals developed by the West stand in complete opposition to these philosophies and the West with the principles of freedom and liberty established a new model that changed the world for the better. Respect for human dignity became the hallmark with concepts born in Greece, Italy, England eventually coming to America. The West became the standard for civil government, property rights and independence to create your own future by working hard and, in many cases, taking very risky chances.
There were opportunities galore in a developing world as science and technology offered unlimited opportunities for both the person with the ”big brain” and those with “big muscles.” Everyone could participate and virtually everyone did. I am talking big picture and I refuse to get bogged down in the “sins of the West” that seem to be dominating the conversation and the destruction of the West. No system is perfect. However, I feel we have reached a point where we have a startling crossroads in the history of the globe. Individualism for the masses is being replaced with dominance of the oligarchic class. This is a worldwide phenomenon where “elites” are calling all the shots. Oligarchs are controlling the big picture. "Social justice warriors" are controlling the rest. The death of the West has been written about by several brilliant historians and it is becoming more obvious every day.
So, what is my point? My guess is that 80% of us are becoming pawns in this new, very sophisticated game of life of politics and power. We are not seeing the big picture. The light went on in my head from reading "Secret Empires" by Peter Schweizer. Political insiders are an incestuous bunch. Self-enrichment is their goal. They only care about acquiring wealth and the conspiratorial nature of this operation is staggering.
Technology has allowed extreme power to be concentrated in hedge fund managers. Meanwhile, the general population is busy posting pictures of themselves on Facebook. This is the big distraction of accumulating “Likes” by showcasing your personal life to the world. If there is no world outside of your world, radical changes get ignored and asinine leaders get elected.
Read the book and you will understand the big difference between progressive cronyism and populism. We are entering a new period in this country where there are two classes — the extremely rich and the extremely poor — and the extremely poor constantly enhance the power of the extremely rich. How else can you get more government handouts? The hard-working “little guy” is still doing well but this “middle class” of both upper and lower levels is disappearing, and it will be the end of the greatest experiment on Earth.
Mike Zuroick lives in Langhorne.
This article originally appeared on The Intelligencer: Guest Opinion: As they help the rich get richer, the poor get poorer
