Charlie Daniels

When the progeny of a free nation, a prosperous thriving nation that sits at the very pinnacle of the international pyramid of privilege, security and opportunity, become convinced that the nation that gives them this place of prominence, simply by virtue of being born there, is corrupt and has gained its high standing by using deprivation and repression to hold down the unfavored classes and has used its military might unfairly, to nation-build and occupy, there is danger in the wind, and the future of that nation is in dire jeopardy in the coming years.

There is also a reason for the attitudes of the young people, who have, much as the deceived citizens of the world before them, fallen for the utopian lie that “Mother Government” is the answer to every problem, large and small.

Much of this disillusionment comes from the halls of academia, where educators are steeped in socialist doctrine and are “experts” on social injustice and the time-worn theory that only big government can level playing fields and make America live up to its potential.

They insist that America was founded by imperialists and expansionists who rode roughshod over anybody who got in their way in domestic and international ambitions.

They point at slavery and the deplorable way Native American populations were treated as not what America “was” but what America “is.”

No doubt, slavery was the darkest period of our history, and there were enough broken treaties between the U.S. government and the different Indian tribes to paper the south wall of the Grand Canyon.

There are still inequities, some glaring and unaddressed, including the scars of the relocation of so many American Indian tribes that will never completely go away, but there is not one slave owner or ambitious frontier general left alive today. And contrary to ultra-progressive doctrine, the remaking of the country and the retooling of its government will never solve the racial and social problems facing our nation.

The word racist has been so cheapened in its use by people who don’t even know the meaning that it has been reduced to the status of “jerk” or “scumbag,” and “fascism” has been redefined by actual fascists who point fingers at anyone who disagrees with them.

Another reason for shifting attitudes among the young is politicians who make wild promises they know they can’t fulfill because it would be impossible, but for the gullible who think the cold war had to do with climate change, or that Che Guevara was a hero instead of a pathological murderer. It’s not a far reach then to believe that, if only the rich would pay their fair share, all the needs of life could be free and everybody would receive a regular paycheck whether they work or not.

Think about this: do you believe that if the people who fought and died to bring about the revolution in Russia would have known what kind of dictatorship their nation would turn into they would have given their lifeblood for it?

Free anything – except for the love and grace of Almighty God – is a fallacy.

Free health care? Are the doctors going to work for free? Are the drug companies going to start passing out free medicine and spend years developing new cures out of the goodness of their hearts?

Are the nurses, ambulance drivers, janitors, dieticians, office workers and the other thousands of people involved with supplying healthcare going to work for free?

Free college?

Can you even imagine the very professors who expound the socialist line being told that they will no longer be getting paid, or the book and computer companies giving their wares away, or the cafeteria workers cooking and serving food for no pay?

The point I went around my elbow to get to my thumb to make here is that nothing is free. Somebody has to pay for it.

Socialist theory: “let the government do it."

Reality: the government doesn’t make a cent by the sweat of its brow, and every tax dollar that comes into its coffers, only a portion remains after the time the cost of just maintaining the bureaucratic status quo is peeled off the top.

Insufficiency is the modus operandi of modern government, as incompetent, repetitive agencies siphon off billions of dollars, generate reams of meaningless paperwork and spend crazed politicians waste tax dollars on inane studies and bridges to nowhere.

So, more and more money is needed to maintain the social utopia. The rich are taxed at three quarters of their income and promptly move their fortunes and businesses offshore, so the exorbitant tax rate drops another step down the social scale to include people who make a comfortable living and finally works its way down to even those on minimum wage.

Prices and inflation start spiraling out of control and a value-added tax is implemented. And then, much to the dismay of the inhabitants of this socialist paradise, government subsidies and services are cut. Then there are lines at grocery stores and gas stations, and it takes a year to get an appointment to get your appendix taken out.

Between budget cuts and ever-expanding entitlement rolls, the quality of life goes into free fall. The more militant take to the streets, and the indigent sit at home behind locked doors with a baseball bat close at hand, which is the only kind of protection they can get their hands on since one of the first things a socialist government does is to confiscate firearms.

Now, I know a lot of you are sitting there wondering how we got from liberal politics to near starvation in a few paragraphs. Well, all I ask you to do is to research some of the nations who have resorted to socialism and the results. Even the Scandinavian socialist countries are beginning to step back from programs they are now realizing are unsustainable.

It all begins with the premise that what you have isn’t the wonderful thing you thought it to be, that freedom and opportunity aren’t enough, and that you deserve the same things those folks living on Park Avenue have whether you work for it or not.

You become convinced that abortion isn’t really murder, that its perfectly normal for a race of people to abort themselves into extinction, that having legal borders is a crime against humanity and that anyone who has more than you got it by cheating people like you out of it and should be forced to give it back.

Look around, America. Look at Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela. Research ancient civilizations that were once the most powerful nations on earth, and their downfall came not from losing wars but from the greed and rot from within.

Think about it.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

— Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels is a legendary American singer, song writer, guitarist, and fiddler famous for his contributions to country and southern rock music. Daniels has been active as a singer since the early 1950s. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 24, 2008.