Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now?

[livingston]

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to be comfortably invisible and just live out the creed of pursuing ‘life, liberty and happiness’? What is behind all this?

We were not sleeping, we were wide awake. Perhaps distracted, yes; but we were wide awake when something shifted. A Fourth Branch of Government was quietly created, and technology allowed the tentacles of the system to touch us. That’s the root of it, and if we take the time to understand how the Fourth Branch originated, questions about this perpetual angst start to make sense.

Preview to Answering The Big Question, How Do We Fix This Mess? - The Last Refuge

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to...

theconservativetreehouse.com

 

[GOPerfect]

Because we as Americans want to be under this kind of control.

<Maybe not all of us, but enough to allow this to happen.

 

[Deplorable Me]

I don't think it's just an American thing. It's world wide. Technology has consumed and enslaved us, but we have surrendered to it in part by being lazy.

 

[livingston]

Because we as Americans want to be until this kind of control.

<Maybe not all of us, but enough to allow this to happen.

Just sit back and digest the article perhaps more than once. The majority of folks have not a clue of what has gone on. .. And what will come. Many will not care .. Until it is too late.

 

[GOPerfect]

Just sit back and digest the article perhaps more than once. The majority of folks have not a clue of what has gone on. .. And what will come. Many will not care .. Until it is too late.

I reread the article a second time and I stand by what I said.

Americans want to be led. Americans want to be under this kind of control.


I will expand....

Take this forum, a little forum of a few like minded people. We do not always agree, we fight, we bicker and we call each other names. We agree to disagree on many issues. We all know that, for example, Face is nothing but evil, yet, so many still have it. So many still put their entire lives on this Facebook. Knowing the evils, they continue to post their entire lives. They post pictures of their families and tell all kinds of secrets. They know this cannot be good, but they continue.

Elections....

We all know that all elections have consequences, but we seem to reelect the same people over and over and over.

We watched during the Trump years, the overreaching power of certain entities in Government. We did nothing. Some barely even bitched about it. The people did not bitch because the MSM told America that Trump was evil, he was bad and he was the devil. We sat glued to our TV's and we soaked it all in.

Whenever another American tried to set the record straight and tried to tell America some of the truths, they were called names and they were banished from Social Media and the News talk shows. They were investigated and they were shut down.

During the Obummer years, we were convinced, again by the MSM and Socail Media that if we spoke ill of Obummer, we were racists. People lost their jobs. The problem grew, it grew right before our eyes and we allowed it to grow.

We knew all of this was wrong and we continued to allow it. We did not stand up for what was right.

Deep down, I think people stooped caring because they just wanted to be led. Led like sheep and cattle.

I just finished watching Red River, my favorite John Wayne flick. The movie was about a cattle drive. One hundred day + drive over one thousand miles. They began with over 9000 head of beef. They lost anywhere between 600-1000 head along the way. It did not matter that they lost some, they still made money.

Americans do not care if they are led as long as they get even just a sliver of cake.

Pathetic.

 

[spat]

Because we as Americans want to be under this kind of control.

<Maybe not all of us, but enough to allow this to happen.

I firmly believe that there are 2 kinds of people.

People who want to be free, and people who don't.

Now everybody will *say* they want to be free, but that doesn't mean they do.

I see it at work. We have people who will go out of their way to work out a problem, and others who just want to follow a procedure and not have to make any judgement calls.

If you claim to want freedom, but don't want the associated responsibility, then you don't really want freedom. They are 2 sides of the same coin.

The root of our problem is that we have allowed people who want to avoid responsibility to make decisions. They have inevitably moved the system in a direction where they have less responsibility but more power.


Whether you're a mid level bureaucrat or the POTUS, you need to take responsibility for every decision you make (and that includes just "following a procedure" if that procedure ought not to be followed in that circumstance.


But since the majority of people don't *want* that responsibility, maybe we should just divide the country up, into voters, and people who aren't responsible and don't have authority.

 

[Shadow rider]

Incremental steps...
Have you read the" Overton Window"?
Fiction... but a good take on the slow and steady progression and how it is changing the goal posts to fit an agenda.

 

[SonOfSun]

What could you do 15 years ago that you can't do today? Only thing I can thing of is some firearms stuff, and that's a NY thing not a USA thing. Not saying that's good, just saying it's all I can think of offhand.

 

[dwa12479]

What could you do 15 years ago that you can't do today? Only thing I can thing of is some firearms stuff, and that's a NY thing not a USA thing. Not saying that's good, just saying it's all I can think of offhand.

Freedom is not necessarily just about what you are and are not allowed to do. Data mining and surveillance don't restrict what you're "allowed" to do onna daily basis, but certainly are not the hallmark of a "free" society.

 

[BerettaGuy]

The Google-Facebook - Twitter types do what they do because they can. It is not necessarily nefarious but because they write some code and it works. They have a mandate to prove to the CCP that they can censor and control thought so they can gain access to the China market. They are all, woke neophyte trans-something or others and see no evil in the CCP because they are neophytes.

The evil comes in when a certain political class gets power and behold a continuing criminal enterprise is born. They become like mafia families. The CIA types that come up with ideas of manipulating an election with a "pandemic" come up with these ideas because they can. Just like the programmers at big tech. So they come up with a plan to manufacture the Bird Flu pandemic for example. Hillary couldn't stop talking about it. The Clinton Crime Family knows that all they have to do is pull the trigger and the genie is out of the bottle. But they believed their own hype and polls and had no idea that the people of America would clean their plow on election night. They immediately went to work on Russian Collusion and Russian Bots on Social media. The media worked with them. In December of 2019, the trigger was pulled. As soon as the pandemic was announced, Ballots were readied for mail out. The rest, as they say, is history. These progressive Marxist sympathizers have turned the USA into a third-world Banana Republic. It began decades ago with Jimmy Carter and the creation of the Dept of Education.

 

[SonOfSun]

Freedom is not necessarily just about what you are and are not allowed to do. Data mining and surveillance don't restrict what you're "allowed" to do onna daily basis, but certainly are not the hallmark of a "free" society.

Oh, I agree with you there. Technology has certainly been a double edged sword. I'd even say it's been sharper on the back than the front. That being said the outcome was predictable. Everyone's heard of Moore's law regarding computing. However I'm a subscriber to what I consider a more important "law", Rambam's law: "Anything that can be used will be misused."

 

[GOPerfect]

What could you do 15 years ago that you can't do today? Only thing I can thing of is some firearms stuff, and that's a NY thing not a USA thing. Not saying that's good, just saying it's all I can think of offhand.

Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint, and the absence of a despotic government. ... Freedom of expression includes freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition.

15 years ago, children were not forced to wear masks.

15 years ago, people were not forced to get a not fully tested vaccine to keep their jobs.

15 years ago, people were not being fired from their jobs because of the politicians they support.

15 years ago, we have much, much more privacy. That is lost forever.

I can go on and on....

 

[spat]

What could you do 15 years ago that you can't do today? Only thing I can thing of is some firearms stuff, and that's a NY thing not a USA thing. Not saying that's good, just saying it's all I can think of offhand.

Call a man in a dress a man in a dress ?

Walk to your table in a restaurant without a mask on ?

I won't even get into all the little "death by a thousand cuts" freedoms that we have lost.

Now, if you go back 25 years, that list gets a lot lot longer. 9/11 caused a massive shift in power. If you only go back 15 years you miss a lot of that.

 

[SonOfSun]

Call a man in a dress a man in a dress ?

Walk to your table in a restaurant without a mask on ?

I won't even get into all the little "death by a thousand cuts" freedoms that we have lost.

Now, if you go back 25 years, that list gets a lot lot longer. 9/11 caused a massive shift in power. If you only go back 15 years you miss a lot of that.

I call a man in a dress a man in a dress. Too fucking bad if he doesn't like it. I'm not going to participate in their mind control gestapo crap.

I walk into restaurants without a mask on.

The "patriot" act was anything but patriotic. Agree 100%.

 

[spat]

I call a man in a dress a man in a dress. Too fucking bad if he doesn't like it. I'm not going to participate in their mind control gestapo crap.

I walk into restaurants without a mask on.

The "patriot" act was anything but patriotic. Agree 100%.

A lot of people don't have the luxury of ignoring those rules like you do.

Just because you can ignore them doesn't mean they don't exist.

And just because the agents enforcing them don't carry a government ID doesn't mean you haven't lost some freedom either.

 

[meketrefe]

In my Amish community our grandmas are our social media influencers .

 

[RDN]

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to be comfortably invisible and just live out the creed of pursuing ‘life, liberty and happiness’? What is behind all this?

We were not sleeping, we were wide awake. Perhaps distracted, yes; but we were wide awake when something shifted. A Fourth Branch of Government was quietly created, and technology allowed the tentacles of the system to touch us. That’s the root of it, and if we take the time to understand how the Fourth Branch originated, questions about this perpetual angst start to make sense.

Preview to Answering The Big Question, How Do We Fix This Mess? - The Last Refuge

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to...

theconservativetreehouse.com

"Assault Weapon ban, Homeland Security, Patriot Act, NAS, NY SAFE act.......
Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now???
Because Americans VOTED FOR IT!!!

 

[rustic105]

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to be comfortably invisible and just live out the creed of pursuing ‘life, liberty and happiness’? What is behind all this?

We were not sleeping, we were wide awake. Perhaps distracted, yes; but we were wide awake when something shifted. A Fourth Branch of Government was quietly created, and technology allowed the tentacles of the system to touch us. That’s the root of it, and if we take the time to understand how the Fourth Branch originated, questions about this perpetual angst start to make sense.

Preview to Answering The Big Question, How Do We Fix This Mess? - The Last Refuge

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to...

theconservativetreehouse.com

Lynn Forester de Rothschild, George Soros

 

[meketrefe]

"Because Americans VOTED FOR IT!!!

Most people do not have a clue how far disconnected they are to influence policy and most policy is made to simply control more and more every day.
At least in a republic some states have certain protections vs lets say European democratic regimes.

 

[dsdmmat]

Want to know why? Freedom is hard. You have to be responsible and accountable for your own lives and actions. It is much easier to let the .gov take care of it.

 

[spat]

Want to know why? Freedom is hard. You have to be responsible and accountable for your own lives and actions. It is much easier to let the .gov take care of it.

Most people these days are more concerned that it be someone elses fault when things fail than they are that they succeed.

 

[Cavalry]

Americans want to be led. Americans want to be under this kind of control.

Yes. And I will add, Americans in general are lazy and want to be spoon fed everything. Every generation believes the junior generation is lazy but there is something factual to this. I would take a stab that the bulk of this forum is Gen X'ers followed up with Boomers. We are the ones that are frustrated with how this shitshow is panning out. We have worked our asses off, put in the effort and are watching it all burn.
Senior generations thought Gen Y was lazy, self entitled and worthless....then came gen Z and we realized the millennials really weren't that terrible.

I work with varied generations all day every day. The younger generations dont want to better themselves. If you can get them to show up for work they balk at the idea of actually completing the job or doing anything above and beyond. If you offer them a leadership position they dont want it, its easier to be told what to do. I walk though the lunchroom at work and people dont talk to each other anymore, they are self absorbed trying to impress a fantasy world on FB, IG or Ticktock.

In the new world, everyone is special, everyone deserves everything they desire, self improvement is replaced with self idealization and instant gratification no matter where it comes from is the new high.

 

[Robin]

Ignorance is bliss. An age old adage displayed here with regularity.
Robin

 

[libertysnake]

It's because people are scared. We're not OK with danger in our lives, so we're willing to trade freedom to whomever can promise security.

The problem is the police cannot be everywhere. The police are a mop-up force. They come in after the bad stuff has happened. Police don't provide security, they provide a deterrent. The government doesn't provide security either.

We will never get perfect security, no matter how hard we try. It's better we have the freedom and the deterrent of being armed.

 

[ProgSpear]

A seldom observed truth is this is largely a rural/urban divide. I think those of us who grew up on farms, or who had parents that did, were instilled with a degree of independence, work ethic, problem solving skills, and sense of responsibility well in excess of our urban counterparts. The “city kids” always thought they were smarter and better than us “hicks”, and were always looking for the angle, even though a lot of them didn’t have a practical skill to lean on. The problem simply grew with boomer suburbia, as their attitudes were essentially urban with a little more greenspace. TV and Xbox are no substitute for learning how to fix a baler, run a tractor, and weld up busted stuff.

 

[Steal2B]

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to be comfortably invisible and just live out the creed of pursuing ‘life, liberty and happiness’? What is behind all this?

We were not sleeping, we were wide awake. Perhaps distracted, yes; but we were wide awake when something shifted. A Fourth Branch of Government was quietly created, and technology allowed the tentacles of the system to touch us. That’s the root of it, and if we take the time to understand how the Fourth Branch originated, questions about this perpetual angst start to make sense.

Preview to Answering The Big Question, How Do We Fix This Mess? - The Last Refuge

Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to...

theconservativetreehouse.com

 

[Steal2B]

Incremental steps...
Have you read the" Overton Window"?
Fiction... but a good take on the slow and steady progression and how it is changing the goal posts to fit an agenda.

 

[libertysnake]

Want to know why? Freedom is hard. You have to be responsible and accountable for your own lives and actions. It is much easier to let the .gov take care of it.

It goes even beyond that. Freedom is required for any notion of justice to even take place.

Wokeness depends on the idea that we're fatalistic slaves to our environment; that no one is responsible for their actions because the institutions set them up to fail.

That's dangerous, because when you absolve someone of responsibility of their actions due to the environment, you dissolve the idea of justice. If someone cannot be blamed, they cannot be brought to justice. This is why intent is such an important thing to prove in court. Law goes out the window along with freedom -- which is why individual freedom is integral to this country.

 

[meketrefe]

Idiots! All they have to do in Kabul is to put a gun free zone sign wherever is needed.

 

[SonOfSun]

I work with varied generations all day every day. The younger generations dont want to better themselves. If you can get them to show up for work they balk at the idea of actually completing the job or doing anything above and beyond. If you offer them a leadership position they dont want it, its easier to be told what to do. .

Not necessarily the case. A few companies back I was offered a leadership position. It was salaried vs my current at the time hourly rate. Except exempt (ie. Salaried) employees were expected to work 50-55 hours a week. You ended up making less money hourly than just being a no-responsibility rank and file. Why the F would I want more responsibility and work more hours for less money. Yeah, thanks but no thanks.

I walk though the lunchroom at work and people dont talk to each other anymore, they are self absorbed trying to impress a fantasy world on FB, IG or Ticktock.

I don't want to talk to people at work and it has nothing to do with being sucked in by an electronic fantasy of Facebook and ticktock. I don't have accounts on any of that crap. I just don't want to be friends... I'm interested in doing my work, doing that work well, and then getting the F out so I can do the things I enjoy. I don't want to be your buddy, I want to contribute to the company's success so I can continue to collect a paycheck (and bonuses) so I can use that money to do what I enjoy. My employment is a business deal, no more, no less. I don't cause problems, I do my work well and on time, the only thing I expect in return is you honor your side of the employment agreement. Where are you going to find a better deal than that?