by Rick Shepard

Created on: December 14, 2009

Who Moved My Bailout?

Ask someone to define the word fascism and you're likely to get several different answers. According to Webster's Dictionary, fascist is defined as, 'a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.'

Based on that definition, along with the rapid movements of the current administration occupying the White House, it's safe to say we are quickly moving towards a fascist state.

Many people will quickly point to the previous administration as a way to misdirect criticism of our current President and his philosophy, but as they say, 'the past is the past'. Additionally, many policies and actions taken by Mr. Obama are unprecedented in their direction towards government control of our economy and our lives.

We can look at several different examples for proof of our movement towards fascism, but one glaring example will suffice, the American auto industry.

For the last 30 years, the government has engaged in a full frontal assault on car manufacturers. Ever more stringent exhaust requirements have forced domestic car makers to focus on building vehicles that politicians love to hate, the SUV. Government regulations classify SUV's as trucks, with much lower emission requirements (trucks do most of the heavy lifting required by the economy, so they get a bit of a free pass). With current events on the man-made global-warming front, those requirements are looking not so necessary.

In an effort to sell more of these vehicles, the Big Three automakers offered easier credit, which resulted in a bubble. Well, bubbles burst. And when they do, free-market capitalism has a built in system for fixing the problem. Its called bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy would allow auto-makers to reorganize and come out on the other side under new ownership, and most importantly, new union contracts. However, the current administration, being quite beholden to these unions, was not about to let this happen.

Now before the union-bashing bashers get started, unions have been, and will continue to be, an important part of labor relations in our country. For decades they have leveled the playing field between capital and labor. But the major unions have overreached. They have become so bloated they can't see their shoes for their belly. They care more about squeezing the company than helping the company stay in business. They would rather stick to their guns and not give an inch, with the resulting uncompetitive firm going under, than negotiate a little. Something truly is better than nothing.

Anyway, enter the 'Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers', a government office directly answerable to the President of the United States (fascist states have a convenient habit of cloaking their agencies in compassionate sounding nomenclature). This department has full responsibility for the production policies in which the Big Three engage. One would be hard-pressed to proffer a more suitable example of fascism.

From this example to financial industry bail-outs with strings attached, to the ACORN affair, this administration has given us ample reason to believe we are headed towards fascism. November of 2010 is our next, and extremely important opportunity to turn back this onslaught, or the 2012 General Election may be too late.

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