44 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 17 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds   

"Back to Work!" The Futility of Appeals to State and Capital

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   No comments
Message Dan Mage

"Back to Work!"   The order came from inside my own brain somewhere, the remainder of a lawfully prescribed chemical fog, a single strong beer, and a late-night carb-binge draining rapidly from my body and the sensation of imminent drowning driving me to that first blast of caffeine"

I woke up today not wanting to face my life, but realized quickly that there was nothing to be gained by staying in bed. My truck needs work but the steady rain discourages me from going out there and messing with it. I feel the sickly sensation of zero-gravity as the floor drops out from under me in an elevator going down.   If I can't keep "the truck" (an aging one-ton van) on the road, I'm even more screwed...a brief discussion with my wife about the work-related doom-and-gloom of Sunday's New York Times, and   "what the hell are they doing, why are they doing it and what do they think is going to happen?"

We concur on the phenomenon of an alienated intelligentsia that increasingly shares the economic woes of the masses, people who are marginally self-employed, people who recently lost a job, a house, a marriage, chewed up and spat out by the dream-machine in spite of their best efforts, a potentially explosive situation, if recent history is any indicator.

"Might as well write an Op-Ed, it's raining".

I have e-mails from Move On, from the Obama camp, from the Libertarian Party and various lesser groups of miscreants and malcontents, all of whom I've lost patience with at this point. Where did they get the idea I have money to give them, or even the time to read their tired out pleas is support of this or that legislative initiative? Yes, I agree, Obama is at best a spineless sell-out, and more likely, as some of my online friends are implying now, a corporate Trojan-horse from the beginning.

What the hell am I supposed to do about any of this? Where did these people...? Then I remember that I don't exist other than as an email address in a database of miscreants and malcontents, and that I've made the mistake of making small donations and adding my name to petitions destined for congressional wastebaskets. "The Government" knows too, so I might as well keep writing.

It's not going to go away, but at this time The State, and "government," anywhere above the municipal level, where some examples of sane government still exist here and there, is so entirely controlled by the institutions of global corporatism that it is best to just stay out of its way, and depend on it for as little as possible.   Getting caught on the wrong side of a "government" in progress can rival falling victim to an earthquake or tsunami in terms of sheer body count . Of course, then yet another government will appear to clean up the mess, and hand out food and medical supplies to the survivors"

[None of the foregoing is intended to suggest that those currently depending on governmental payments to live should give them up without a fight, or that those facing homelessness and hunger not take every "entitlement" available to them, while they are still there to take!] (Even Ron Paul in a discussion with Steven Colbert implied that once the government has your money, you might as well try to get some of it back.)

The mistaken notion that "progressives" cling to is the idea that "if we just get the government to do this thing or that differently, things will get better." Whatever action the government takes, and whatever the given result, that action will always have the side effect of increasing the power of the state, which at this point in history does not translate into an increased level of representation for "the people."

Whatever might be granted to Americans by the state will be granted at the expense of even further incursions into personal liberty and privacy; the inclusion of drug screening at the applicant's expense when applying for emergency public assistance is a prime example. Anyone who has ever had to fill out forms destined for the bowels of some state or federal bureaucracy knows the extent of the state's demand for surrender of privacy.

"Government;" what a brilliant scam! If you have ever worked, and spent any money on anything taxable, at a store, gas station, pharmacy, or any above-ground business, you have been made to pay for it, even if you belong to that "lucky" segment of the population so reviled by the higher paid servants, that "doesn't pay any taxes." Even if you get a full refund at the end of the year, you just gave the government an interest free loan, something no one in the public or private sector is about to do for you (with the possible exception of family members and good friends).

We are told we need this thing to protect us from "terrorists" and criminals:   Islamic extremists and home-grown right wing nuts, drug traffickers and inner city street gangs; The State creates problems and provides solutions that always increase its power at our expense. Legislators talk about making "tough choices" that never inconvenience them in any way, or cause them even the slightest discomfort.

The State's monopoly on the legal use of lethal force translates to a license to do home invasions and kill with impunity. Incidents involving the use of lethal force on persons not involved in the commission of any crime are on the rise, and more often than not, the perpetrators of these violent acts escape even civil liability for their homicidal behavior; a growing class of professional sadists and killers is a clear warning sign of what lies ahead.

Yet, if one is to believe the MSM and the babbling from the nominal "left" and "right," the primary argument is about the individual's right to trade time and effort for money, and the right of those who have money to make more. We are still expected to believe that who we vote for will decide the extent to which our own interests are protected by our government, when at best, we are endorsing one ruling-class faction's agenda over another's (my favorite analogy for the elite being that of a gang planning a heist, and arguing over the how, where, and when, the division of the spoils, and which of the victims can be left alive without posing a security risk).

Each vote however is an act of surrender, a decision to be "governed," in the name on one "belief system" (BS) or another. Let those who wish to be "governed" put their faith in government, only those accustomed to the act of governing the lives of others will benefit, those who choose to be governed will get what they wished for, and what they deserve.

We who have little or nothing left to lose would be well advised to take back the one thing that we still have control over: our time. What good is safety, comfort and a full belly when it comes at the cost of willingly surrendering to the theft and destruction of our lives, of our time and the control of how we spend it?   Yet more than anything, we fear being slaves cut adrift by our masters.  "Jobs, jobs, jobs," the mantra of both the nominal "left" and "right," leaves the institution of wage-slavery not only unchallenged, but elevated to a sacred status.

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Interesting 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Dan Mage Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

I was born in NYC in 1959. I grew up in the DC area, the product of suburbia and liberal parents with doctoral-level educations. I dropped out of the public school system in eighth grade, and from all schooling by the age of 16. My life rapidly (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Revolution for the Freedom of the Mind "Jesus of Malibu" an Independent Film

People as Livestock: The Cult of Fundamentalist Materialism and the Cheapening Life

Why "Hard Drug" Users and Addicts Commit Suicide: A Declaration from the "Other One Percent"

The Politics of Psychiatric Assessments

The Tea Party and Fake Libertarians: Rebellion, Backlash or Death Spasms of a Hate Cult

Rethinking Rand: "Going Galt" on The 1%

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend