How did the United States, a country founded on the principle of individual freedom and having achieved great wealth and world influence, find itself in its present financial and societal predicament?  Until the bulk of the American citizenry understands the why, there is no hope of reversing the nation's headlong plunge into the abyss.

The history of mankind is replete with the rise and fall of major civilizations.  The downfall of these societies inevitably stemmed from a prolonged period without adversity, during which time internal strife developed out of political intrigue and avarice on the part of the ruling classes.  In due course these empires were easily conquered or dominated by others.

This history was well known to the founders of the United States.  The overall concept of government being answerable to an informed and involved citizenry was their effort to avoid such an outcome.   Unfortunately, today's destructive political/economic philosophies such as Marxism and socialism, manipulated by the self-absorbed to achieve political power and an uninvolved and ill-educated citizenry, were factors the founding fathers could not have foreseen.

The end-product of Marxist thought is eerily similar to the reality of monarchies and oligarchies-- the domination of a state by a select class or individual.  Today's progressives or socialists are no different than those throughout the history of the human race who believed they were pre-ordained to rule the masses.  As modern democratic societies will not accept the concept of an authoritarian dictator or monarch, a powerful central government, with its trappings of legitimacy, serves as a substitute.

In order for this strategy to succeed, the public must be manipulated into accepting the premise that only government -- and not the individual -- can provide economic and personal security.  This cannot be accomplished in a country such as the United States in an era of adversity but rather one of peace and prosperity.