It’s Halloween. Though it’s origins trace back to Europe about 2,000 years ago, this day has become one that is known for things like costumes, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, horror movie marathons, spooky music, party’s, etc.
The American Halloween tradition is rich with scary characters like Jason (Friday the 13th), Michael Myers (Halloween), Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street), Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and others. But all of these movie marvels have one thing in common… they’re all fictional. Not a single one of them can harm you. They’re simply not real.
Compare this to the reality of something that is truly a fright… a centralized all-powerful federal government– with all of its characters in the Washington, DC Swamp.
Costumes? Oh yes. Many of them parade around as one thing during election time, when they are indeed something quite different. They may come in the form of a Tea Partier– only to go to Washington to reveal themselves as Establishment Republicans. Or in the case of Democrats, they may vote with the Chuck Schumer’s and Nancy Pelosi’s of the world, only to come home at campaign time to pretend they can work with a Republican agenda.
Trick-or-Treating? Got it covered. The treats are plentiful according to many of these political spooksters we call politicians. The list of treats is too extensive (not to mention expensive). While I couldn’t find a current website, a more dated one showed over 1,600 government-funded programs. I can’t imagine that it’s any smaller today. And a current website shows over 80 federal welfare programs (Ex. SNAP, Pell Grants, Medicaid, etc.).
Pumpkin carving? Politicians don’t carve pumpkins. They carve the taxpayer… dollar by dollar.
Horror movie marathons? One need look no further than CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, etc. And if you really want a hard-core scare, just watch C-SPAN’s coverage of floor debate in the United States House and Senate. For a close to near-death experience, fire up a replay of last years Presidential Debates and think of what it may have been like to have a President Hillary Clinton.
Scary characters? Well, there’s obviously too many to list here. Some would suggest there’s just short of 535 of them. But there’s some that stand out more than others. Names such as Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, and others are enough to make a lot of people want to sleep with the lights on.
What more does the fictional have in common with the reality? It can be summed up in one word– fear. The fictional utilizes fear as a means of momentary entertainment. The reality utilizes it as a means of keeping the electorate in line day after day and year after year. If you don’t believe me, consider this: What happens if you don’t pay things like your income taxes? Property taxes? Inheritance taxes? You know the answer– jail time, confiscation of property, extensive legal fees, etc. All of it instills fear and forces compliance.
But perhaps the scariest aspect out of all of this can be realized in the form of a question. Is the government and all its monsters simply a reflection of us– the people? I mean, after all, aren’t the majority of the American people the one’s who put them where they are?
Yes, indeed, we must face this cold reality– however spooky the political paranormal may be, only we can stop the horror. It’s much like a spine-tingling Halloween flick that raises the hair on the back our necks. Only far too often we choose to keep watching, instead of turning it off.
End the horror. Get rid of the monsters.
Sources:
1. http://funding-programs.idilogic.aidpage.com/
2. https://singlemotherguide.com/federal-welfare-programs/
