Every time I read a story about the financial travails of a state like Illinois, I am reminded how thoroughly corrupted and dishonest the various levels of government in this country have become. Additionally, the employees of said governments have reached a level of willful ignorance that is truly astounding.
Governments have promised vastly more than they can deliver in terms of pensions and benefits. Now, to a simple man like me, making a promise with the full knowledge that the promise will one day be broken is what we commonly refer to as a lie. So that makes government a collection of lying scumbags who will promise anything to their public sector drones in order to maintain control over, not only said drones, but over the rest of us as well. Political liars will promise anything to anyone in order to maintain their power and prerogatives. That power is built on a rapidly deteriorating foundation of mendacity and delusion.
Therefore, that makes government employees innocent victims right. Wrong. It makes government employees who willingly voted for, and maintained in power, those who lied to them, partners in the lie. They knew at some level they were being lied to. What does that make them with regard to the lie? Go ahead. Say it with me. It makes them complicit in the lie and by being complicit in the lie; they forfeit any claim to victimhood.
It goes something like this: Politicians lie to win elections. Voters all know this, but they believe the bullshit because they want to believe the bullshit and the lies of politicians validate their world view and make them “feel” better. With public employees, it goes a step further. When they believe the lies, they not only “feel” better, their lives are materially improved by believing the lie and keeping the liars in power. By accepting that material improvement in their lives (generous pension, benefits, early retirement ages, etc.), they have become partners in the lie. The best part for both the liars and the lied to is that they do not have to pay for it…at least not right away and that is kind of the point.
It is a sweet, albeit unspoken, deal. The liars get to keeping lying and reap the benefits of being in control. The willing dupes get to reap the benefits at the expense of their fellow citizens. This corrupted symbiosis is showing signs of decay. The liar’s bill is coming due, first in places like Illinois, then, inevitably, in most every government jurisdiction in the nation.
Here are my proposals/solutions for this problem. If you are a government pogue (especially one of the “hero” variety) who willingly believes that you can retire at 58 or 62 or whatever bullshit number you were promised, and do so with a life-long pension and medical benefits, then you are partner in the lie and deserve whatever you get in the coming financial debacle. Additionally, you do not get to save yourself by taking another strip of flesh off my or any other taxpayers, back. They lied to you when they promised it. You lied to yourself when you believed it. Sorry about that, but it is way past time for you to live with the consequences of your own self-delusion.
For those of you who are on the hook for the tab, I have this suggestion. If you can get out of places like Illinois before the authorities get desperate enough to find a way to keep you from leaving, I would suggest doing so. The real bitch is that eventually this problem will be nationwide, and just like so many other national time bombs ticking away, it is going to get more and more difficult to escape to somewhere else. In fact, somewhere else is rapidly becoming nowhere else.
Oh…a couple more things: If you are a willfully ignorant government drone, stay put and take your medicine. That is, if you can afford your prescriptions after all the benefit cuts. You will get no sympathy here. For the escapees, if possible, stay the hell out of Montana. We have enough of our own dupes, drones, and dumbasses to deal with.
For a few years now I’ve been on my wife’s case about leaving California. She won’t hear of it because our only grandchild lives in San Diego. I see what’s coming but she refuses to acknowledge it. First, Calpers, the state pension fund is essentially insolvent. Secondly, the only way we can afford to stay here is Proposition 13 which froze property taxes. The house was purchased in ’82.. It’s just a matter of time before 13 is overturned. Whether Brown does it by edict or the free shit army “votes” it down, it’s going to happen.
I’ve seen the California Dream morph into a nightmare. I’ve seen the collectivists turn SF, what was arguably the most beautiful city in America, into a shithole.
Rugs, first off, thanks for the larger font size. Made it easy on me peepers.
Agreed, on your post sentiments. Union municipal workers at the local level are on gravy trains. I know 2 who back loaded the OT near retirement, to fatten up their pension disbursal amounts. One guy is taking in 80k. More than he ever made ‘earning’ it while still on the clock. And yes, the Illini can stay home, & come out of retirement when the coffers run dry. We don’t need the hungry cockroaches from there scattering into neighboring states when the light is turned on, and their kitchen cupboards are bare. Democratic governed cities, states, and the nation need to wake up to the fact that sooner or later, you run out of other people’s money. Just wait until the food stamp freebie spigot runs dry. Then, there will be blood in the streets on a level 100X what we’re seeing today. That’s gonna make rural preppers and self sustainers look like geniuses, until the masses start looking to plunder from them. Hence, the reason some stockpile ammo, and plan for having strength in numbers. Hunker down, but how soon? Tick tock. Montana sounds like a great place to set up as an Alamo of sorts. Good Luck, in the mayhem to come.
Yeah, I can just see fat LaQuisha flip-flopping her way down my rural road dragging her 4 niglets behind her. We have coyotes out here ya know!
Leaving a state that is in financial straits hurts the tax base in two ways. First, there are less taxpayers. Second, there is a loss of taxes from the decline in generated income . There will be no escaping the problem unless national politicians promise bailouts in return for votes.
If national voters rebel against the bailouts, all bets are cancelled.
Whadda coinkydink- there’s a story on Drudge today about the migration out of Illinois.
You and I both know the Federal government will save them .As long as the Federal Reserve can ” make money out of thin air ” there will be money for state Pensions and the free shit Army .Especially if the Liberals Demonic cats Control the Congress.
Well, hopefully that rescue will have some serious strings attached to it, like ones demanding real and strict future financial responsibility.
But it will probably take place under the Leftist’s control and won’t.
Since we are talking multiple trillions in bailout money nationwide, and DC doesn’t actually care about the States, I doubt it. But if the US does go Venezuela, there will be extremely high inflation and massive anger at the politicians who authorize it…It will be Weimar, and the results will be similar.
Why would Trump “save” Illinois? or any other of the bankrupt Blue States for the matter?
I think that this issue will be what starts the crisis period of the 4th turning. It will happen when PTB have milked every last dime out of us they can.
xrugger,
This was a good article and I reposted it. I hope you don’t mind.
Not at all. Thanks Robert.