Posted by
Saltwater on Sunday, February 22, 2009 6:28:10 PM
J.M Powers at God and Country wrote about Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's suggestion that drivers could be taxed on miles traveled. LaHood calls his proposal, “...thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America.”
Powers rightly expressed concerns about how implementation of such a plan, with the government tracking our daily movements, has the possibility for very negative impact on personal privacy and freedoms. In describing this chilling scenario, Powers asked, “What's next?”
If this is the way of the future as envisioned by Obama, what is next?
Obama's Administration will eventually have to come to grips with all the promises made by Liberals buying votes. It is an extensive list – “New Deal”, “Great Society”, “Hope and Change” – all designed to grow continued dependency on governmental subsidy. As more gather at the White House gate with their palms up, the piggy bank will soon empty. The standard Liberal immediate fix will be to have the Fed printing presses churn out more money, leading to runaway hyper-inflation.
The biggest problem on the horizon will be an aging population queuing up for their Social Security, placing additional strain on the system. Those who didn't buy into the Madoff style scheme of lifetime government pensions, and actually made plans for their own retirements, will be crushed when their nest eggs are destroyed as US currency plummets to the value of single-sheet bathroom tissue. They will also be forced to line up for some of Barack's beneficence, causing total system collapse.
The Welfare program was approaching such a state, but was headed off by removing recipients from governmental dole. Those able to work had to go to work. A similar solution will not work for Social Security. There will come a time where “thinking outside the box” is needed to thin the growing retirement rolls. People can not grow younger to stay off Social Security. The only sustainable alternative must dictate finding solutions that ensure fewer people reach that point in life.
Powers referred to the classic George Orwell novel, “1984”, as the model for LaHood's solution to falling gas tax revenues. I fear that the “out of the box” thinkers may draw on a more recent hack novel for inspiration on solving a Social Security crisis – a story where maintenance of senior citizens was no longer a problem – Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson.
So, that is my answer to the question posed by J.M. Powers. I sincerely hope that on this occasion my answer is incorrect.
Dennis P. O'Neil