Grizzly Groundswell

I really hope that level-headed Americans are paying very close attention to what’s happening in France right now, because this is the way of the left, and it’s a direction that we’re sliding in.

The BBC gently calls it “legislating from the street” but I call it mob rule. It is the byproduct of socialism and union rule. It is what happens when people believe that they are entitled to things and believe that their entitlements trump all else. What this translates into is “we want things our way or we’re going to be a pain in the ass until we get it.” Sound familiar? This is the rally call of the left right now.

First off, a little background. France is in the middle of a debilitating strike that escalated today with a series of sabotage acts against their rail service. And why is the labor union pissed off? Pension reform. It would seem that France is trying to shore up a €5 billion ($6.9 billion) shortfall in their pension system by reforming a “special” pension system that was put in place in 1698 that allows some workers to retire at the age of 50 with a full pension.

Well, obviously this won’t do! These people are entitled to this system regardless of the budget shortfalls, and the unions are going to fight the government on reform. This is where mob rule (sorry, “legislating from the street”) comes in. When the French want things their way, they become a pain in the ass, and what’s worse is that the government usually caves. For an interesting review of France’s “street legislation” read this BBC article.

So why do I bring this up? France is half-way around the world anyway, what does this have to do with us?

Ah! This has everything to do with us.

Anybody who thinks that this sort of thing couldn’t happen here needs to think again. Ask yourself what it is that is the big push right now. Entitlements. Socialism. Nanny state. Mob rule. The people here are starting to stray down that leftist path of “the government is here to take care of me” which opens the door to mob rule. Once the mentality shifts from people taking care of themselves to people need to be coddled by their government, it’s hard to ever break free from it. Just ask the French. Reform of any kind means a threat to their supposed “security” and they go ape.

Don’t believe me that this could happen here? Just look at the problems we have with labor unions already. What do they do when they don’t get their way? They strike. They cripple companies. They rule through brute force. Even if their demands are bad for the company. Even if the company can’t afford the demands. Even if their actions cripple an industry… They don’t care. They are entitled to things and they will get them regardless.

What happens when you take that same mentality and apply it universally? Essentially, that what happens with an entitlement society. Once the ball is rolling, people feel that they have the right to entitlements and it soon starts to grow. The masses get acquire the power. And when they don’t get their way and decide to take action, they cripple more than just an industry. Just look at France. Their entire country is being crippled right now.

And why? All because people believe that they are entitled to something.

Rational, level-headed Americans need to come to terms with the fact that the Democrats believe in mob rule and believe in entitlements. Is this the direction we want to go? Is crippling a nation to secure your supposed entitlements the future that we want for our country?

I think not.

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