Never Let a Plague Go to Waste

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times

During Americaโ€™s first-ever national lockdown, thousands of unelected bureaucrats, as well as federal and state governments, assumed enormous powers not usually accorded to them.

They picked and chose which businesses could stay open without much rationale. They sent the infected into nursing homes occupied by the weak and vulnerable.

Their rules for prosecuting those who violated social distancing, sheltering in place, mask wearing, or violent protesting often hinged on political grounds. Their spending measures on โ€œinfrastructureโ€ and โ€œhealth careโ€ were excuses to lard up redistributive entitlements.

Conservatives moaned that left-wing agendas were at work beneath the pretenses of saving us from the pandemic. And the giddy left bragged that it was true.

After the 2008 financial meltdown, Barack Obama spoke of โ€œfundamentally transformingโ€ the country. Now heโ€™s back, weighing in on the panic-driven, multitrillion-dollar spending that has pushed Americaโ€™s debt to nearly $30 trillion.

Obama Interview with Klein in New York Times
Barack Obama weighing in on the panic-driven, multitrillion-dollar spending that has pushed Americaโ€™s debt to nearly $30 trillion.

โ€œThereโ€™s a teachable moment about maybe this whole deficit hawk thing of the federal government,โ€ Obama said in a recent interview with Ezra Klein of The New York Times. โ€œJust being nervous about our debt 30 years from now, while millions of people are sufferingโ€”maybe thatโ€™s not a smart way to think about our economics.โ€

He apparently means that borrowing tons of money in a pandemic and not worrying too much about paying it back is a new, better approach to economics.

Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom boasted about leveraging Californiaโ€™s statewide quarantine.

โ€œThere is opportunity for reimagining a progressive era as it pertains to capitalism,โ€ Newsom said. โ€œSo yes, absolutely, we see this as an opportunity to reshape the way we do business and how we govern.โ€

Hillary Clinton said something similar early in the pandemic: โ€œโ€ฆ This would be a terribleย crisisย to waste as the old saying goes. Weโ€™ve learned a lot about what our absolute frailties are in our country when it comes to health justice and economic justice โ€ฆโ€

The โ€œold sayingโ€ she cited was actually a recycled quote from Rahm Emanuel, who was Obamaโ€™s chief of staff. His exact quote was: โ€œYou never want a serious crisis to go to waste.โ€

Later, Emanuel clarified that crises allow radical changes that had never been considered or were considered impossible. Without catastrophe, no one in his right mind would vote for far-left agendas.

Manipulating COVID-19 is not just a left-wing effort. The Davos crowd responsible for the World Economic Forum has talked of using the global crisis to push โ€œthe Great Reset.โ€ These self-appointed guardians wish to create global rules governing the worldโ€™s economy, energy, transportation, education, climate, wealth distribution, and media. In other words, a few elites will seek to override local laws.

What do all these efforts have in common?

One, they are all top-down agendas. Polls show that average Americans are worried about massive borrowing. They fear the government gaining new powers under the pretext of a pandemic.

Two, our elites are anti-democratic. They talk of forcing change down the throats of citizens through edicts, executive orders, court decisions, or bureaucratic directives. Obama, Newsom, Clinton, and the Great Resetters donโ€™t want to put up their agendas for discussion before the people and their elected representatives.

Three, behind fancy slogans about not wasting crises, teachable moments, and resets is the panic-porn reality that these initiatives are not popular in normal times because they defy common sense. If Americans tried Obamaโ€™s economics with their family budgets, they would go broke or go to jail after piling up unpaid debts. Only elites, with their private security guards and the money and influence to remain safe, talk of defunding the police. Few of the woke elites who fly their carbon-spewing jets into Davos ever fly economy class.

Four, our rich revolutionaries have no record of policy success. Massive borrowing, increasing government powers, restrictions on personal freedoms, higher taxes, and more regulations donโ€™t appeal to most Americans. Brexit and pushbacks against the European Union suggest that the same is true abroad.

Many members of the left-wing elite became wealthy by monetizing their political careers through lucrative insider networking. A cynic might conclude they didnโ€™t go full reset until they first got filthy richโ€”allowing them not to live like, think like, or listen to the rest of us.

Victor Davis Hanson is a conservative commentator, classicist, and military historian. He is a professor of classics emeritus at California State University, a senior fellow in classics and military history at Stanford University, a fellow of Hillsdale College, and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. Hanson has written 16 books, including โ€œThe Western Way of War,โ€ โ€œFields Without Dreams,โ€ and โ€œThe Case for Trump.โ€

By Victor Davis Hanson

Read Original Article on TheEpochTimes.com

Victor Davis Hanson
Victor Davis Hansonhttp://victorhanson.com/
Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Residence in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, a professor of Classics Emeritus at California State University, Fresno, and a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services.

The Sacred Honor of the 56

Today we're celebrating the sacred honor of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Alligator Alcatraz: A Bold Step Toward Secure Borders

Alligator Alcatraz funded through FEMA, represents a decisive move by the Trump admin to address illegal immigration with efficiency and resolve.

Is America Broke?

Silicon Valley investor and economic commentator Balaji Srinivasan made...

Hungary: Prideโ„ข Cometh Before the Color Revolution

The EU engaged in a diplomatic siege of the Eastern European nation-state of Hungary pressuring it into embrace global trannyism or face wrath of Brussels.

Understanding the Trump/Musk Feud

The passion Trump and Musk exhibit over the OBBB is not contrived or for show. Each is addressing the problem from completely different approaches.

Noem Waives Environmental Restrictions to Fast-Track Water Barriers in Rio Grande

DHS Sec Kristi Noem waived federal environmental laws to fast-track construction of 17 miles of waterborne barriers in the Rio Grande in South Texas.

Federal Officials Warn of โ€˜Lone Wolfโ€™ Terror Threats on July 4, NY Governor Says

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed that federal officials informed her about a possible terrorist threat ahead of the July 4 Independence Day holiday.

Record 1 in 5 Buyers of New Cars Committing to $1,000-Plus Monthly Payments: Edmunds

The share of new car buyers committing to make monthly payments of $1,000 or more hit an โ€œall-time highโ€ in the second quarter of 2025.

US Economy Adds 147,000 New Jobs, Unemployment Rate Dips to 4.1 Percent in June

The U.S. job market remained strong in June, as labor conditions continued to hold up amid economic uncertainty.

US Keeps Pressure on Chinese Goods Amid Vietnam Trade Deal

Transshippingโ€”rerouting goods through a third country to disguise the origin of the productsโ€”is a focal point of trade negotiations with Asian markets.

White House Report Reveals Top Earners, Staffers Working for No Salary

The Trump admin released its yearly report that shows the salaries for White House staffers, also revealing officials who arenโ€™t accepting salaries at all.

Transportation Secretary Urges Governors to Remove Political Messages From Crosswalks, Intersections

Duffy sent letters to governors, mayor of D.C., and gov of Puerto Rico urging them to remove political messaging from intersections and crosswalks.

Bessent: US, India Near Agreement to Lower Tariffs

The United States and India are โ€œvery closeโ€ to a trade agreement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday.
spot_img

Related Articles