I was looking at the history of the Third Reich and was struck by the extent of the German welfare program. Their organization, the "National Socialist People's Welfare" was deemed by them the "greatest social institution in the world." In some respects, they were very advanced for their time. There were massive wealth redistribution programs to support the poor. In 1939, there were 17 million people receiving assistance. There were plentiful jobs programs for the unemployed. Many Nazi officials were environmentalists and legislation to protect the forests came about. Not only that, they were pioneers in animal rights and protection. They stressed education, health through exercise, medical research, had the strongest anti-tobacco program ever, and tried to bolster family life.
In other words, the Nazis enacted programs that were not unlike those proposed by modern American liberals. They were, after all, the National Socialist German Workers Party, dedicated to equality among all Germans and the advancement of German prosperity. What they have in common with modern liberals is the belief that it's the job of the state to perfect society and that the common good, as defined by the state, supersedes the desires of the individual.
In the course of events, then, the Nazis created an elite party bureaucracy that efficiently made decisions to benefit, they thought, all true Germans. They assumed the authority to do so and that required ending the nuisance of democratic dissent, hence the establishment of dictatorship. It required an end to a variety of freedoms because the party under the direction of the dictator Hitler, not the individual, would know what was necessary to do, and freedom for the individual to act differently only made that more difficult.
And having abrogated power to themselves, the Nazis were then unrestrained in whatever other programs they could enact to help perfect society. They could euthanize the sick, disabled and eventually, those who could not contribute to society by working. They could fund their welfare programs by confiscating the wealth of those they deemed a detriment to society, such as Jews, foreigners, and dissidents. All they had to do was declare a given class or race as exploitative of the German people and then it would be just to take what they regarded as having been stolen in the first place. They imagined a society where everyone was on the same page, joined in solidarity to bring about the Nazis' vision of a perfect land. It was a vision of everyone working together for the same purpose because the individual not only couldn't do it on his own, the individual might have different ideas, that is, be anti-social. And that led to the elimination of such people in the camps as were deemed disruptive, unnecessary, exploitative, or useless, all in the name of perfecting society without the burden of bothersome dissent.
The liberals, who are typically Democrats in this country, have a schizophrenic program. Like the Nazis, they believe it is the responsibility of the state to perfect society, and they are eager to create programs and bureaucracies to dictate rules and regulations that would impose equality on all citizens and benefit the common good. Like the Nazis, they declare some classes of citizens as exploiters and thereby feel justified in confiscating their wealth under the rationale that they didn't really earn it. Like the Nazis, they regard dissent as interfering with the noble programs they are trying to enact, and try, within the limits of the Bill of Rights, to silence opposition. Indeed, they lament the restrictions imposed by the Constitution and try, whenever possible, to circumvent them.
And despite all that, they claim they're for civil rights and the freedoms America guaranteed to its people. So, the liberals will protect actions or words that tear down the very fabric of America, claiming it's a free country, but try to silence anyone who disagrees with them or is politically incorrect. It's a selective use of freedom, that is, only for their ends.
Imagine, if you will, that the Democratic Party was granted their well publicized wish to have only their party exist in America, having driven the Republicans out of business. Imagine, if you will, that the nascent fascists that exist on the left could render elections irrelevant using voter fraud. Imagine, if you will, that the Democrats could drive conservative talk radio out of business or shut down Fox News, as they've tried so hard to do. Imagine, if you will, that they could appoint Supreme Court justices who disregard the Constitution and enable the state to do what it wants. And then imagine what they would do to perfect society, according to their vision, unhindered by any restraints. The very model of how they would govern us can be witnessed on college campus's where totalitarianism in the name of tolerance and compassion have become too prevalent.
The irony is that liberals could not imagine becoming Nazis. They're impressed with the goodness of their ideas and the cause of bettering mankind, and truly believe they are the agents of a better world. They say they want "democracy" but it's not power to the people, it's power over the people as dictated by the state. And if you believe their claim that they believe in civil rights and the rule of law, consider that any time one of their own is found to abuse power, violate the law, or be corrupt, they won't even mention it in the liberal media, much less do anything about it. It isn't about what's good for the people. It's about the naked quest for power.
But power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as Lord Acton said. Already, we hear that newborn babies should be subjected to infanticide and we see mobs attacking conservatives and businesses they don't like. The Nazis blamed their troubles on Jews and Masons. Today, the Democrats blame the "1%", the Tea Party (which they, ironically enough, deem fascists), big business (who largely fund the Democrats), if not the alleged New World Order or some other shadowy organization. And, ironically enough, anti-semitism is rampant.
Many Democrats, a.k.a., liberals, are socialists (the Democratic Socialists of America, a branch of the Socialists International, have at least 70 members in Congress, including the leadership) and like Marxists, think it's the right that's fascist. Those on the right who want limited government, liberty, an end to crony capitalism, low taxes, less regulation and the rule of law are, in fact, the very opposite of fascists. But these socialists, who in Marxist theology (the state takes the place of God in their religion) favor the public ownership of the means of production, cannot, as yet, nationalize everything. So they micromanage the economy via regulations from the myriad of regulatory bureaucracies that they've created in Washington. In other words, they've gone one step towards pure Marxism by adopting fascism.
It's not a large step from freedom to fascism and then Marxism when you're convinced by arrogance and self-righteousness that only you know what's best. The German Nazis considered themselves the superior race. Today's liberals full of hubris, deem themselves superior in intelligence, morals and education. And as with Nazis looking down on "ubermenschen", the liberals look down on the alleged selfish rubes and uneducated hicks of the right whom they call racists and xenophobes. But if freedom can be discarded or trampled under the foot of self-appointed do-gooders, then the Fourth Reich can't be far behind.