The power of government rests on ignorance of the people, and it knows this, and therefore will always resist enlightenment.~ Leo Tolstoy
Every
nation has its fair share of people with no useful abilities yet
harboring considerable ambition and an insurmountable craving for la
dolce vita. The longing is there, but with no means for its realization.
So, what are they to do? Sooner or later the mediocre find a workable
solution: they go into politics.
A
sufficiently high position in a government structure that doesn’t
require any special abilities or talents gives a nearly assured
opportunity to receive lucrative benefits, including money, respect, and
influence. There is a famous saying: "Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” There is a corollary: Those who can’t teach, govern.
This
is how the selection process works: mediocrities float to the top.
Thus, government agencies accumulate several bureaucratic politicians
for whom the main goal in life is to hold on to their positions and, if
possible, move up the career ladder. The good of the country and its
people becomes secondary and intrusive. Many professional bureaucrats
possess just one talent: seizing and holding onto power.
Until
recently, leaders of many countries had a clear understanding that the
intellectual potential of a society can be of exceptional value to the
state and for the preservation of their power. Even such bloody
dictators as Stalin and Hitler allowed a certain degree of free-thinking
and independence of ideas in scientific and technical academia. They
were well aware that quality education and the existence of an
intellectual elite were among the cornerstones of the foundation of
their power.
This understanding seems to have been lost in America.
Nowadays,
our ignorant leaders don’t understand the importance of studying the
sciences, which has led to the systematic destruction of education on
all levels. In colleges, the ability to play football is valued far
above mathematics. Children in secondary schools often don't study
physics, chemistry, biology, and other basic subjects. These have been
replaced by an ephemeral discipline called "science," which, like a
salad, comprises little bits and pieces of everything.
When
high school graduates go to colleges and universities, many of them
take what is called "liberal arts." Today’s highly politicized version
of these disciplines don’t develop strong analytical and critical
thinking, nor entice creativity, and thus don’t prepare students for a
productive life. The vast majority of liberal arts graduates cannot find
jobs in their fields, so they work as baristas or in other semi-skilled
trades or live off their parents and occupy themselves with nonsenses
like fighting climate change or protesting all kinds of things, no
matter what, as long as they are "against." Due to the collapse of
education, young Americans en masse have become mediocre -- which is
exactly what the ruling elite wants. It’s easier to govern such people.
As
a result, science and technology are deprived of domestic human
resources, and the country's intellectual elite is disappearing.
Engineering departments still exist in colleges and universities, but
enrollments lean heavily toward those not born in America. Go to almost
any school and you will find a disproportionate share of students from
Asia or of Asian ethnicity, while many of the faculty and researchers
are immigrants. Going to almost any high-tech company much of the
intellectual and creative work is done either by recent immigrants or
foreigners. In Silicon Valley, almost three-quarters of the
professionals are from other countries. The native-born Americans work
in marketing, sales, customer service, and other positions where highly
specialized education is not a job requirement. This forces companies to
outsource R&D and production overseas.
Because
of a high standard of living (which was created by the previous
generations), people live well in the U.S., better than in many
countries. Thus, young people have little incentive to study or work
hard. Why bother when you're doing just fine, and the "old folks"
readily provide enough freebies? The result was the decline of
intelligence, degradation of morality, destruction of work ethic, and
decrease in the intellectual and moral quality of the U.S. population.
Mediocrity becomes the norm.
One
can see that today’s upper echelons of government are bad managers and
inept businessmen. Everything they touch turns to ashes. During the
first year of their direct rule under the figurehead presidency of
Biden, there has been a sharp decline in all economic indicators, and
inflation has reached levels not seen since the failed presidency of
Jimmy Carter. The worst thing they have done to the country is the
distribution of freebies — massive “stimulus” payments, even to those who don't need them, a form of universal welfare.
To
keep the populace on a short leash, the mediocre have turned on the
printing press and now are spending money like a drunken sailor. The
national debt is skyrocketing. Fuel prices have doubled since 2020,
everything becoming more expensive, and a situation unseen in history
has arisen: millions have dropped out of the labor force and most
businesses cannot find workers. Apparently, people prefer not to work
but to live on handouts. Today, in a country with millions of idle hands
there is an acute shortage of labor.
Free
cash has destroyed the foundation of Americanism — the incentive to
work and strive for personal success. Why work when your government pays
you to stay at home and do nothing?
What about the other areas?
The
inept government doesn’t know how to deal with the tsunami of illegal
immigrants besieging the southern border. History has seen this before —
ancient Rome collapsed because of an influx of barbarians pouring into
the empire for free bread and circuses.
Think
of the staggeringly botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
when scores of billions of dollars worth of the most advanced military
hardware were abandoned.
Think of the FBI persecution of dissenters who dare to disagree with critical race theory and political correctness.
Think
of the rampant crime: record-setting murders in Democrat-run cities,
smash and grab shoplifting gangs, and the passivity of intimidated
police.
Think of stifling freedom of opinion in academia. Shall I continue?
Only
a year ago, under Trump's presidency, the situation was diametrically
opposite: prices were falling, for the first time in decades the country
became energy independent, unemployment was noticeably lower even amid
pandemics and mass quarantines (3.6% at the end of November 2020).
Trump
must be called anything but a mediocrity. Yes, he is a bull in a china
shop, but he was doing what was good for the country with little concern
for his reputation. Unsurprisingly, Trump's actions went against the
interests of the inept bureaucrats, and they did everything they could
to replace him with a vegetative puppet, which led to the degradation of
the American way of life. They declared war on him and they won. Even a
year after Trump's departure, they continue to persecute his supporters
— the fear of a "Reconquista" is too great.
Over the past half-century, our political system has been transforming into a form of governance that I would call "dexiosocracy," which in Greek means "the rule of the mediocre.” Consequently, the country is heading toward the abyss.
The mediocrities have seized power, and we are reaping the rewards.
Taken from The Silicon Investor
3 comments:
"The inept government doesn’t know how to deal with the tsunami of illegal immigrants besieging the southern border." The "Biden" administration is AIDING AND ABETTING that tsunami! What we're witnessing right now is government-sanctioned TREASON!
A bull in a china shop was exactly what the country needed and was exactly who I voted for!
We are seeing "Atlas Shrugged" being played out before our eyes...
Peter principle
He is on the money...
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