By Glenn Beck - The Fox Forum
Published: 02-24-09
Its officialI may have spent too much time in New York City these past few years because Im actually beginning to think about things like a New Yorker. For instance life with our new President Barack Obama is beginning to feel a lot like being in a taxi stuck in rush hour traffic:
Youre not crazy about the guy behind the wheel not only do you not like where youre going (you are trapped in Manhattan after all) but you cant understand the route hes taking to get you there and the whole thing is costing you a small fortune. Yes a cab ride in the big city is like being on The Road to Socialism.
There are lots of concrete real world and immediate dangers to whats happening in Washington right now. But what also worries me is how this philosophy" being encouraged by Washington will affect our future our children.
When the government starts taking control of private industry where else can this road lead? I dont like it any more than you do but that doesnt mean either of us can close our eyes and pretend its not happening.
And its not just any industries Im talking about here. If Obama wanted to rush in to save" the ice cream cone industry I could probably learn to live with that. As much as Id hate to have the low quality government cones I think wed all live happy normal and productive lives if we were forced to eat our ice cream with spoons out of little bowls.
But when the government has its dirty little fingers on vital elements of our economy it has its hands around the throat of capitalism itself…and its squeezing hard.
Think of the housing bailout. A part of that plan (the TV show Lost" is more rooted in reality) is President Obama giving homeowners an incentive payment" of $1500 if they remain current through their loan modification (translation: a handout just for doing what youve previously agreed to do). They also qualify for a bonus of $1000 a year for five years if they keep up with payments. Thats a $6500 perk for people to stay in homes they already cant afford! And by the waydo you have a five-year mortgage? Me neither. Most of us have 30 year mortgages so this is an awfully expensive band-aid on a problem that well only have to rip off in five years and you know how painful that can be. Plus for good measure weve allowed people to remain under the delusion that they can and deserve to stay in homes they never should have been able to buy in the first place. Its so insane Id actually laugh if I wasnt so busy crying.
There are lots of concrete real world and immediate dangers to whats happening in Washington right now. But what also worries me is how this philosophy" being encouraged by Washington will affect our future our children. The message theyre sending will have long-term ramifications some of which are already being felt. Some communities are considering offering incentives" to families like a payment of $50 to get their kids a library card. And a recent study shows that nearly one third of all students believe they deserve a B just for showing up to class and if they do the workregardless of the quality or its correctnessthey deserve an A! Whether President Obama likes it or not its a cruel world out there and there are still places (though not in Washington or Wall Street) where performance and results matter.
Kids who read perform better. Theres the incentive" for getting them a library card. And success in school requires more than just showing up-in real life there are no As for effort. We do no one a favorneither our children nor our own futureby believing anything else.
Yup were on The Road to Socialism and while we may have not yet reached our final destination were well on our way. And just like that New York City taxi the meters running. I wonder how high will we let it get before we tell this driver to pull over?
