It seems that every time you look around, things seem a little bit less in your hands and a little more in the hands of the government.  Some countries are further ahead in this "race" than the U.S., but why does it seem that the natural progression of a nation over time leads it away from a system of capitalism and toward a system of socialism?

The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. --Thomas Jefferson

I guess, what I'm wondering is, what causes the progression?

The path of least resistance.
It's easy, makes people feel good and anytime the sheeple can get something for nothing (in their own minds) they will line up for miles.
The sheeple are lazy and socialism caters to the lazy.

We are already a fascist country which is a type of socialism. We are already there. Look up the definitions.

A lot of people/sheeple would like a free ride/lunch courtesy of the local/county/state/federal government. Of course someone has to pay the price, but as in the game of musical chair, as long as you're not stuck holding the bag, everything is okay.

yup the future is now

Why?

Popular election of senators.

A good read with answers to this question.

[url]http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/decline.html[/url]

The refrains that are often heard are: "It can't happen here," or "Our country is different." But the reality is that nations are born and die just like individuals. Their longevity may exceed the average person's lifespan. But the reality is that nations also die.


History has shown that the average age of the great civilizations is around two hundred years. Countries like Great Britain exceed the average while other countries like the United States are just now reaching the average age.


Each of the great civilizations in the world passed through a series of stages from their birth to their decline to their death. Historians have listed these in ten stages.

The first stage moves from bondage to spiritual faith.

The second from spiritual faith to great courage.

The third stage moves from great courage to liberty.

The fourth stage moves from liberty to abundance.

The fifth stage moves from abundance to selfishness.

The sixth stage moves from selfishness to complacency.

The seventh stage moves from complacency to apathy.

The eighth stage moves from apathy to moral decay.

The ninth stage moves from moral decay to dependence.

And the tenth and last stage moves from dependence to bondage.


These are the ten stages through which the great civilizations have gone. Notice the progression from bondage to liberty back to bondage. The first generation throws off the shackles of bondage only to have a later generation through apathy and indifference allow itself to once again be enslaved.


This is the direction this and every other country is headed.

Pretty much already there.

Wanna know what's worse?

One day we will probably be a "global state" of the UN.

Then people will yearn for their socialist country back.

To follow up on my post, I feel we just moved into the 9th stage.



I think from the 1950's to 1970's this fits


70's to 80's


80's to 90'


In the 90's Clinton definately took us down the road of moral decay.


Sept 11, oh my, government please come and save us.  Government make my schools safe, ie zero tolerance.



The question is how long will it be before we reach the last stage?

And that day draws nigh.

TS

What the hell are you guys talking about?

Last time I checked I still own all my property and no one controls my destiny.

The essence of socialism is a system which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.  Collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.

I won’t argue that the government does tend to try to intrude into our lives “for our own good”, but “we”, as in the United States, are not even close to socialism.

I was thinking we were awfully close to #9...

really, try not paying your property taxes, see how long you stay in your house

The paying of taxes is a needed element of government in order to exist as a part of a cohesive group.  To provide services such as roads, education and the like.  Without that NO form of government could exist.

Because it's easier for most people to live in a fantasy world than it is to accept the hard work that living in reality requires.  

Somebody (an economist, I believe, though I forget who) said that most people will only work as hard as necessary to meet their minimum requirements for survival.  I believe that's true.  And they are therefore envious of those who will work harder to achieve more that they themselves have.  And then they will convince themselves that they themselves [i]deserve[/i] what the other person, who worked harder for it, has.

Thus they use the necessary evil of government to achieve redistribution of wealth.  Or, as Marx put it:

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

Sounds great, but with analysis it's purest B.S.

Most people won't bother to analyse.

Not to sharp shoot you FLgreg, but I seem to remember a situation in Florida not long back where a man told the state government that they couldn't cut down an ornage tree on his land, and when he resisted he was arrested, all on his private property with no kind of warrant. Doesn't sound like his property was so private. Does any one else remember this? Oh, and if you think you OWN your land, try not paying your taxes and see what happens.

Have you ever posted something you know to be 100% true, something that is contrary to what everyone believes? Or had conversations with people on such a topic?
You will be ridiculed and treated as if you are completely insane.
You can show people the hard cold facts but if it is contrary to what they have been indoctrinated with they will not hear a word of it.
Nicolo Machievelli wrote a doctrine for the subjugation of the masses some 500 years ago and it is used to this day. It was used with vicious and excellent results by both the communists and the nazis. It has been used in this country for several decades and is actually part of the congressional record. (You're already saying this guy is nuts.)
The doctrine has to do with feeding the people a lie until it becomes the truth and no matter what amount of evidence you present to the contrary it will be dismissed as lunacy.
A man named George Mandel House decided that Woodrow Wilson should be president because Wilson was pliable enough to plant the seeds for the destruction of our capitalist nation. So under Wilson we got the Federal Reserve, the 16th and 17th amendment to the Constitution. By the way there is not one shred of legal evidence that either the 16th nor 17th amendments were actually ratified and the Federal Reserve Bank is not part of the government but a private institution.
House then decided that FDR should be president because the man was also pliable enough and egotistical enough to complete what was needed for the destruction of this country. Under FDR we got SS, the removal of the gold standard, the removal of property rights and the beginning of an irrevocable national debt.
There are no accidents. Some people had to work very hard to get us into this mess and we continue to do nothing to stem the tide.
"Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of the day. But a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period, and pursued unalterably through every change of ministries, too plainly proves a deliberate systematic plan of reducing us to slavery." Thomas Jefferson
Good luck!

Swire, found this which expands on your post a bit:

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: "From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage."
- Alexander Fraser Tytler (later Lord Alexander Fraser Woodhouslee), in "The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic," published 1776

Politicians figured out a long time ago that you could bribe people with their own money.  We are definitely headed in the wrong direction.  Regards, Mike

Interesting read, Nick1950

It is all about the political and social elites fortifing, and strengthening their position of superiority in the world. Yet another step toward the new world order.

You own your property? Really? Try not paying your taxes/government rent/extortion and see how fast that illusion crumbles.

We are an emerging fascism. Look up the definition.
Better look again.

Try building on your property if there's an alleged endagered species anywhere on or near it. Or try to do some improvements if a puddle of water accumulates in your back yard a few days a year and qualifies as a protected wetland.

You own your property to the extent that the federal government lets you own it. After that point you're just an inconvenience with little or no rights.

The government provides exactly one service I need, roads. This is paid for by gasoline tax, ie. end user fees. The majority of government "services" are a farce and wholly unnecessary. There is no mandate whatsoever for the majority of the things that the government does, and some of the things it does are very harmful to the nation, bth individually and as a whole.

Remember that taxation in this country is a rather new phenomenon. Do you mean to suggest that before the enacting of income tax there was no US government? I assure there was, and it was a far more benign and respectworthy entity.

Edited to add: There isn't a thing the government provides that cannot be provided by the private sector, which will only provide it to those who desire it.

Thanks lokt.
Mike_48 also posted something very interesting. The philosophy is actually handed down from the Greeks and was lamented by a Greek philosopher, whose name escapes me.
As for having property rights, if you believe you do then I suggest you do a little research on any deed might hold. It is a land use agreement and not a deed of ownership. Any rights to the USE of property is extended to you by the government.