Tuesday, September 27, 2005
THE COLLAPSE OF AMERICA: THE SEEDS ARE PLANTED (1900-1945)
Looking back, it is hard to say when the decline really began, or at least the seeds of the decline. Some say the seeds were planted early in the 20th Century when Wilson decided to embark on empire. His decision to enter WWI was foolish. Germany was hardly an evil like WWII. The war itself was unnecessary as well. It was an incredible destruction of human life and property for nothing. It however had three outcomes: The creation of the Communist USSR, The Great Depression worldwide and the rise of Hitler/WWII.
Another seed was set early in the century: The Federal Reserve Bank. This gave private big bankers the power to control the economic system for their own benefit. They even were able to do this under the guise of being a public institution. This allowed financial manipulation to benefit the bankers at the expense of the citizens.
The progressive income tax was also began. Sold to the masses as a way to get the rich to pay the bills of ambitious empire, it would with the inflating currency reach into most peoples pockets over time and garnish an ever-increasing share of the nation's wealth.
The next seeds were planted in the 1930's by FDR. He took the speculations of Keynes as doctrine and spent like mad, creating all sorts of programs. Many were useful creation of infrastructure like damns to create electricity. But he created a bloated bureaucracy that never went away. He also created Social Security, a program that would expand over following administrations. It also bet on an age of death that was surpassed by almost two decades in ensuing years. Finally he confiscated people's gold, the only stable monetary value. This set a precedent for the future.
After resounding victory in WWII and the only essentially untouched industrial nation of this very destructive conflict, the United States enjoyed a great era in all ways: Prosperity, social stability, science, technology and record numbers entering college. This golden age lasted nearly twenty years until the mid-1960's.
In the next chapter, we will see a golden age of the United States, but also how during that period the seeds of destruction took root.
Another seed was set early in the century: The Federal Reserve Bank. This gave private big bankers the power to control the economic system for their own benefit. They even were able to do this under the guise of being a public institution. This allowed financial manipulation to benefit the bankers at the expense of the citizens.
The progressive income tax was also began. Sold to the masses as a way to get the rich to pay the bills of ambitious empire, it would with the inflating currency reach into most peoples pockets over time and garnish an ever-increasing share of the nation's wealth.
The next seeds were planted in the 1930's by FDR. He took the speculations of Keynes as doctrine and spent like mad, creating all sorts of programs. Many were useful creation of infrastructure like damns to create electricity. But he created a bloated bureaucracy that never went away. He also created Social Security, a program that would expand over following administrations. It also bet on an age of death that was surpassed by almost two decades in ensuing years. Finally he confiscated people's gold, the only stable monetary value. This set a precedent for the future.
After resounding victory in WWII and the only essentially untouched industrial nation of this very destructive conflict, the United States enjoyed a great era in all ways: Prosperity, social stability, science, technology and record numbers entering college. This golden age lasted nearly twenty years until the mid-1960's.
In the next chapter, we will see a golden age of the United States, but also how during that period the seeds of destruction took root.
