Sunset

Two pessimistic assessments of America's future.

First, from Ace:

But Obama's excellence as a candidate (at least in 2008) and perfect timing -- the Perfect Semi-Stealth Socialist Candidate at the perfect Socialist Moment for such a thing -- cannot obscure the fact that something has changed in America. We all feel it; we all know it. Even the very reasonable and moderate-tempered Mitt Romney, who wouldn't start yelling "Socialist!" at the drop of the hat (to the chagrin of some of us), can feel it.

I think we have not been quite the same since 2008, and probably never will be the same again. We didn't leave America; America has left us.

And then this, from Victor Davis Hanson:

Every three working Americans provide sustenance for two who are not ill, enfeebled, or too young. The former help the disabled, the latter take resources from them. The gang-banger has only disdain for the geek at the mall — until one Saturday night his liver is shredded by gang gunfire and suddenly he whimpers (who is now the real wimp?) that he needs such a Stanford-trained nerd to do sophisticated surgery to get him back in one piece to the carjackings, muggings, assaults, and knockout games — or lawsuits follow!

Given that the number of non-working is growing (an additional 10 million were idled in the Obama “recovery” alone), it is likely to keep growing. At some point, we will hit a 50/50 ratio of idle versus active. Then things will get interesting. The percentage of workers’ pay deducted to pay for the non-working will soar even higher. So will the present redistributive schemes and the borrowing from the unborn.

We forget that the obligations of the working to care for the 70-80 million who genuinely cannot work become more difficult, when the 90 million who can work for all sorts of reasons won’t. Note the theme of this essay: the more in humane fashion we provide unemployment insurance, food stamps, subsidized housing, legal advice, health care and disability insurance, the more the recipients find it all inadequate, inherent proof of unfairness and inequality, and always not enough.

Sobering observations to mull over as another blizzard advances toward the Paco Command Center.