Remember a few years back when the financial crisis in Greece was in the news? The Greeks, not known for their strong work ethic, were struggling to succeed in the new unified economy. And because they were tied to the Euro instead of having their own currency, there was nothing they could do on the monetary policy side to help save their sinking economy. The Greeks were basically at the mercy of the Germans to bail them out. And the German government demanded harsh austerity measures be imposed on the Greek citizenry in return. The Greeks, feeling entitled if not particularly motivated to work, were outraged by this imposed austerity. They took to the streets and staged massive protests against this government imposed austerity.
I remember thinking to myself how pathetic and impotent those protesters looked. Despite their huge numbers and bluster, they were completely helpless to change their situation. Like millions of tiny plankton drifting with the currents and tide. And I remember thanking God that I was born in a free country where my success or failure isn’t decided by a bunch of government bureaucrats. That I was an American, a free citizen in charge of my own destiny. Able to rise as far as my talents and ambitions would allow. Free to chose the kind of life I wanted to live.
To the globalist left, and their adherents in the Democratic Party, the level of autonomy afforded to American citizens is problematic. They believe that Americans produce and consume too many goods and use too many resources. That our (relatively) unregulated and unguided free market economy encourages mindless overproduction and consumption. That we need to reign in our lifestyles, make do with less material wealth, and live in a more equitable and sustainable manner. And that the government should impose the necessary changes whether the citizens agree or not (spoiler alert: they don’t.)
This ideology of globalist collectivism is now ubiquitous on the American left and permeates the platform of the Democrat Party. From turning our economy over to EU climate bureaucrats, to allowing massive immigration from 3rd world countries, to thwarting domestic energy production, to mandating the kind of car you must drive and the types of food you may eat. The left wants to fundamentally transform America into something unrecognizable and decidedly less free. A perfect example of this type of thinking is this recent article in Bloomberg. The author pushes all of the criticisms of American values and culture that make the globalist left smile.
The author starts out by mocking Americans’ expectation to be able to just go to a store and buy the goods and services they desire. Citizens of other countries can make do without. Why should Americans be so privileged? I’m sure it has something to do with racism or white supremacy. Ugly Americans!
But suddenly, Americans can’t spend like they used to. Store shelves are emptying, and it can take months to find a car, refrigerator or sofa. If this continues, we may need to learn to do without — and, horrors, live more like the Europeans.
In addition to your cars and food, your home is another problematic issue for the left. Why do Americans need such large homes? And air conditioning, even in the Northern States? Really? Starting with Obama’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing push, the American left has started to wage a stealth war on the suburbs. The people must be forced into right-sized dwellings in the big cities to keep them from taking up too much space and traveling excessively. Sustainability demands it. SCIENCE!!!
And these numbers reflect big changes in Americans’ lifestyle. The average U.S. home was 1,700 square feet in 1980, by 2015 it was 2,000 square feet, even though the number of people in the average household shrank. In 1980, 15% of households didn’t have a TV, now only about 3% don’t. In 2015, 40% of American households had three or more TVs, including 30% of households earning less than $40,000 a year! In 1980, only 13% of households had 2 or more refrigerators, in 2015 30% did — including many low-earning households.
The author then switches to the supply chain debacle which was caused by government ineptitude and mismanagement of the covid pandemic. The supply chain was just fine for many years with similar levels of consumer demand. It was politicians, not overconsumption, that broke it. And since it is Bloomberg, the author can’t admit that it was Donald Trump who renegotiated trade deals and applied tariffs which were wildly successful at bringing manufacturing back to America. She claims the Biden Administration (turns head/spits) intends to expand the policy. Call me skeptical given the “smart set” in DC have been against both for decades. If President Poopy Pants does continue Trump’s policies, he will undoubtedly do it in a stupid and counterproductive way.
The pandemic revealed vulnerabilities of this hyper-efficient global market. Ports are backed up causing shortages — for the first time in many Americans’ lives. The odds are that eventually the port issues will be resolved (we hope). But there are reasons to believe the age of over-abundance is over. Even before the pandemic the U.S. government offered more subsidies and imposed more tariffs to encourage companies to produce more goods domestically, and the Biden administration wants to expand the effort to promote resilency (sic).
“Do it for the children” used to be the refrain when some busy-body wanted to shame you into acting in a way that they approve of. Nowadays they use “Do it for the planet.” I’m going to take the first piece of advice in telling leftists like the author to go to hell. I want my children to inherit the liberty that our forefathers left for us. The planet will be just fine.
Finally, if we are truly serious about protecting the planet, being a good global citizen will take more than driving an electric car or installing solar panels. It means consuming less so that we throw less away. Maybe that means getting by with only one refrigerator or avoiding fast, disposable fashion.
This next paragraph is a howler. Bummed about having zero freedom, being crammed into a tiny urban apartment, with few possessions and a carefully rationed allotment of energy? No problem. Just take a long bike ride!
Americans tend to overspend or buy cheap substitutes rather than save up for longer-lasting, better-quality goods. That’s a function of the accessibility of cheap goods, of having more space to store our purchases, and also of a culture where buying stuff feeds the empty part of our souls. European souls are not necessarily more fulfilled, they just find other, more eco-friendly ways to shut out the darkness — like going on a long bike ride.
Take this as a warning middle America. The globalist left is coming for you. Hard. Our ancestors fought off the most powerful military in the world to secure our liberties… many of whom went to battle without even having proper shoes. The least we can do is fend off a bunch of pencil-necked authoritarian technocrats for the next generation.