ADDICTING PEOPLE
Consider this. As politicians tax, spend and give, economies slow down. This affects all people the same; those who were receiving free stuff and those who did not. But as the economy gets more difficult, those who did not take from the government have no choice but to do so to maintain (or at least slow down the decay) in their standards of living. Socialist policies are the only addictive drug known to humankind that produces direct addiction on non-addicts as a side effect. It's like if shooting heroin in a park would slowly but surely make heroin addicts of people living in a distant (and different) city. Yes, this is how bad it is.
DETOXIFICATION
Once people are addicted (and we all are to one degree or another, sometimes even without noticing it due to hidden subsidies), there is no easy way out. We truly have been addicted and became 100% dependent of the socialist drug. Is this constant barrage of "free" stuff that we get from the government (all the while sinking lower and lower in depressed economies) that modifies our brain chemistry and reinforces our neural paths. We believe the lies. It's the economy. The government is working hard to fix it. The government is supporting you. The government is taking care of you. Just take another dose; do feel good and don't call us in the morning. Everything is going to be OK. Just relax and keep paying taxes. It's OK.
In order to detoxify a person from such as vicious drug further reinforced by constant government (their henchmen and power elite) propaganda, is almost impossible. Sure, once in a while a few people have the courage (and the training) to think through it. We here and F&P did it, but it was not easy. You can do it if you wish to do it and we will be here, with you, supporting you all the way. But the rest of the population is doomed. They don't have either the fortitude nor the inclination to think critically. Paraphrasing the movie The Matrix who said it far more eloquently than ever we could:
"Socialism is a system, dear reader. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it."
As such, the only effective detoxification treatment for the masses is to unplug them against their will. Total and sudden abstinence from the drug. Of course, this will produce extreme withdrawal syndromes and great deal of pain and suffering.
We cannot induce such an event. You cannot induce such an event. Nobody can. But there is good news. Socialism is also a self-destructing system. The system will destroy itself hence detoxifying all people. We can only teach, watch and hope that our meagre efforts accelerate the process.
THE DEPENDENCY DRUG
Socialism is a highly addictive drug which creates the stronger dependency there is. But its most pernicious side effect is that it discourages us, all of us, from taking our own life into our own hands. And this is the prerequisite, no, scratch that, the core of Libertarianism which is all about making our own decisions and be fully responsible and accountable to them. As such anything that nullifies our will to do so delays the advent of our freedom. By providing physical money, goods and services politicians prevent us from seeking them ourselves. They remove our motivation to become part of the greater market, to take chances, to invest, to dream, to invent and to struggle and progress. Socialism has destroyed our will to live because the sky is no longer the limit. We can only hope to achieve the gray and boring ceiling imposed onto us by politicians and bureaucrats. "Socialism is a drug that provides scraps so that we don't starve to death all the while preventing us from farming our own land." F&P. Until we have the fortitude (or be forced) to reject those scraps and go back to farming, we are doomed by a cycle of destruction we are cursed to repeat forever… well… almost.
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE AGAIN
But there is good news. We have shown before how Libertarianism progresses When Countries Dissolve. The good news is that an event of cataclysmic proportions happening simultaneously at a world-wide level is not necessary. All that it is required is that people evolve politically at their own pace. One person at the time. One location at the time. Once this begins it is unstoppable. Once people have changed their mind through hardship, desperation and misery and they have learned the lesson of self-reliance and confidence, it is almost impossible to change it back. Once it starts, no matter how good politicians are and how much they may want to dismantle socialism, it won't work. All political authority will be disbelieved. It will be too late. The slippery slope will this time play on the side of freedom and will become an unstoppable snowball rolling downhill. It won't happen today. It won't happen tomorrow. Hell! The Roman empire took close to 300 years to disintegrate and this after close to 1000 years of successful evolution. Our current modern democracy is only 200+ years old. We still have ways to go. But don't despair. Times are quickening now. Everything has a faster pace. Socialist policies have passed the point of no return and their trajectories are becoming ballistic. There is no stopping the upcoming destruction. The only thing to do now is to keep educating and wait.
CONCLUSION
Socialism is an extremely addictive drug. There is no easy treatment for it and for the vast majority of people, there is no escape. Until most of us are detoxified and we return to our original state of mind, there cannot be freedom. The physical impact of socialism in our lives prevents us from exercising our physical decisions. We are only human and as such physical beings who need physical means. Any system that enslaves us through those means will be very hard to get rid of. Until that day, there cannot be freedom.
Then, of course, we respect and value your opinion. If you still believe that a system that prevents people from progressing is the way to go, it's your choice. We are only going to point out that it has already been tried and it failed miserably. Never forget there was such a thing called the USSR.
Note: please see the Glossary if you are unfamiliar with certain words.
