For decades, the trend in government around the globe had been towards more centralization and control.
We publicly engaged in a liberal versus conservative policy dialectic on the surface. But the results, regardless of which side prevailed, all tended towards more power residing in the hands of the government.
But that trend towards the center really picked up steam at the turn of this century.
Examples of this in the U.S. include:
- USA PATRIOT Act (2001) gave the federal government new powers to combat terrorism, including the ability to conduct surveillance, monitor financial transactions, and detain suspected terrorists without trial.
- No Child Left Behind Act (2001) expanded the role of the federal government in education by requiring states to establish standards for student performance and by linking federal funding to student achievement.
- The Affordable Care Act (2010) expanded the federal government’s role in healthcare by mandating that individuals purchase health insurance, expanding Medicaid coverage, and establishing new regulations for insurance companies.
- Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) gave the federal government new powers to regulate the financial industry, including the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the establishment of new regulations for banks and other financial institutions.
Don’t forget all the COVID b.s.
Plus, to top it all off, it is now clear that the U.S. government deliberately violates free speech through its deeply entrenched relationship with social media companies.
Oh…and we’ll see where this banking crisis takes us next.
Every single one of these acts and actions by the U.S. federal government – along with many, many others – sacrificed free market principles such as individual rights, property rights and objective law.
To encourage this centralization, the American political class resorted to deficit spending, currency debasement, and force.
All of which was possible by the extremely advantaged position the U.S. dollar has held for 70 years.
That position paid for The American Lifestyle.
And, tomorrow, I’ll show you 3 Pillars of Exorbitant Privilege that made that lifestyle possible.
Think Free. Be Free.
