The Demise of American Character Identity, Research Paper Example

Most Americans are aware of the fact that the country has recently faced a series of very difficult challenges. Many of these challenges are connected to radical changes to the culture, laws, and politics of the country. The best way to describe the current combination of crisis and radical change is as a shift in American character identity. Although some observers may argue that evolution is a natural process that impacts everything from organic life to the structure of entire societies, there is ample evidence to suggest that the present course of catastrophic change in America is the product not of natural evolution, but of conscious sabotage. Furthermore, evidence can be cited which demonstrates that the sabotage is being carried out under the approving leadership of President Barack Obama and his leftist supporters. Their agenda, according to this evidence, is to incite crisis in American society that will pave the way for policies and programs that, ultimately, will re-create America as a Socialist state.

Of course, these assertions are quite serious and require substantiation. The following discussion will draw on contemporary pundits and journalists to clearly show that President Obama and his most dedicated supporters are pursuing a conscious strategy to destroy and remake the American character identity. The plan of President Obama is to carry out a tactical and strategic array of policies that were conceived as early as his college days at Columbia University. The policies and strategies are meant to steer Americans into a greater and greater reliance on Federal aid and programs until the public at large is ready to reject capitalism and civil liberties in favor of a socialist society and economy.

The methods that are being used to incite radical changes to the American character identity are varied and, perhaps even impossible to fully realize or number. This is something that is very important to keep in mind during the following examination because it underscores the fact that the overall plan is both complex and deeply embedded in the core elements of American life. That said, even a brief appraisal of the most visible methods should be sufficient to demonstrate the truth of the Obama agenda, even to a skeptic. The most visible methods include the following: immigration policy, expansion of social programs, reduction of defense systems, economic reforms, and the imposition of an array of Federal regulations. These will form the basis of the following investigation of the evidence and references pertaining to the issue. As the evidence is presented it is is also critical to keep in mind the current state of American society in all sectors, particularly the financial hardships that are presently sweeping over the nation and the overall distrust and dissatisfaction with the government as a whole. These factors are deeply rooted in the Obama agenda to radically alter the American character identity.

In regard to the first issue, immigration, it is clear to anyone who has been following the debate that Obama wants immigration reform and is willing to fight for it. The less understood fact of the issue is that Obama and other leftists want to grant basic amnesty to illegal aliens in order to simultaneously stifle their political opposition and weaken the cultural identity of the nation. In a recent web-particle, “If Obama’s Amnesty Goes Through, Within Five Years, America is Finished” (2013), Devvy writes that Obama is determined to pursue a plan of amnesty for illegal aliens because he believes it will benefit the far left, politically. He notes that “ 24+ million Americans [are] out of work while 11.5 million jobs are held by illegals who have no right to even be on U.S. soil.” 1 The irony is that so many of the illegal aliens also comprise a potential criminal element. This criminal element not only brings chaos to American society, but damages the reputation of those who legally emigrate to the United States.

However, what is even more jarring is Devvy’s assertion that one of the primary reasons for the Obama administration’s push for immigration reform is political. Specifically, that the influx of immigrants stands to benefit the Democratic Party while also undermining the electoral prospects for Republicans. Devvy insists that “If any amnesty goes through, there will never be a Republican in the White House again. You can take money to the bank those double digit millions of illegals will register to vote … with the Democratic/Communist Party.” 2 Devvy’s association of the Democratic Party with communism is more than angry hyperbole. It is meant to remind his readers that the agenda of the Left is that which promotes reliance on social programs and government aid while also expanding the size and power of the Federal government.

Another aspect of Obama’s approach to immigration reform is the fact that he has pursued policies outside of the scope of congressional approval. This signals that he is prepared to move ahead with or without the support of the elected representatives of the American people. It should be noted that this fact, alone, and apart from its association with the issue of immigration or with association to any specific issue. is a subversion of the basic democratic process. As such, the issuing of Presidential “edicts” is part of the plan to radically alter the character of American identity. David Hodges notes in is article, “Obama Invokes the Chesterton Prophecies to Destroy America” (2013) that the approach used by the Obama administration consciously plays into a pattern of cultural decline and destruction that is acknowledged by academic historians.

Hodges associates Obama’s use of Presidential authority outside the scope of congressional influence as a national security risk. He also asserts that Obama’s decrees on the issue of illegal immigration are based on the central premise of amnesty. Hodges writes that, in regard to immigration reform, “Congress has not passed important legislation, but that has not stopped the President from continually issuing a series of dictatorial edicts which are increasingly granting amnesty to a rapidly growing number of illegal immigrants.”3 The obvious question is: why would Obama push so hard for amnesty? What does the Obama administration believe it will gain by the influx of tens of millions of immigrants? The answer, as noted above, is made of two parts: one, the cultural erosion that this influx of immigrants guarantees, and two, the gaining of millions of new Democratic voters who will help propel the far Left’s agenda for years to come.

When faced with the preceding facts, a number of observers reply that such a position is racist or “anti-immigrant.” They point out angrily that America is supposed to be a land that gives opportunity to all people. Of course, this last observation is true, but it does not apply to illegal immigrants. It applies to those who follow lawful means to become naturalized citizens of the United States. In fact, this process to citizenship is so integral to American society that is certainly should be regarded as forming a part of what defines American character identity. Traditionally, American identity viewed lawful immigration to America as being the expression of America as the and of freedom and opportunity. Therefore any attempt to change this basic definition of legal immigration is an attempt to alter American identity.

The horrifying reality is that Obama’s amnesty-based policies are meant to open a floodgate of immigrants who have never pursued the traditional means of naturalization. Furthermore, amnesty for illegals is a political rather than racial issue. As Hodges mentions, the immigrants are, themselves, practically free of blame for the problem of porous borders and economic hardship. He writes that “The immigrants, themselves, are largely not to blame for the present situation for they are no better or no worse than any other immigrant group that has come to America looking for a better way of life.” 4 This means, obviously, that even those who find Obama’s pursuit of immigration reform to be deeply disturbing are able to distinguish between political disagreement and racial discrimination. The danger with the amnesty approach is that it allows a tremendous amount of new citizens to be acknowledged to some degree under U.S. law without providing for the fact that each of these new citizens possess even a rudimentary understanding of American laws, language, and customs.

This approach to domestic and foreign policy shows that the Obama administration is more interested in inflicting their agenda on the nation than they are in representing the interest of the people who elected the President. Wayne Allen Root’s article, “Obama’s Plan to Destroy America Hatched at Columbia University Says Classmate,” (2013) points out that Obama and many of his closest associates and advisers have a basically negative view of traditional American values. Root writes that “leftists always believe they are morally superior. While they publicly state that their mission is to save the world from prejudice, patriotism, racism, greed, and inequality, they are, in fact, hostile and resentful towards … American values.”5 Again, like Devvy, Root’s language may appear as hyperbole, but it is actually a rational approach to understanding the Obama administration’s manifested agenda.

Root goes on to probe the potential causes for Obama’s personal adherence to far-left ideals. He insists that Obama, along with thousands of other students at Columbia University were indoctrinated into a pro-socialist viewpoint by two specific professors who espoused a belief that capitalism and the democratic system needed to be destroyed. He writes that “political science students at Columbia were taught a detailed plan designed by two former Columbia professors named Cloward and Piven to bring down “the system,” destroy capitalism, and turn America into a socialist state.”6 This places Obama’s immigration reform policies squarely on-target with his larger ideals of first watering down and then ultimately destroying American democracy and instilling a form of American socialism. It must be understood that the plan to overthrow the American economic and political systems is based on a conscious understanding that such a transformation is only possible is a corresponding destruction of the American character identity is carried out. This paradigm could easily be reversed, meaning that you could just as easily argue that Obama and the far Left are intent on destroying the American character identity in order to subvert and destroy capitalism and democracy.

The use of mass amnesty for illegal immigrants will, as previously mentioned, result in a larger amount of votes for Democratic candidates which will, in turn, allow for a further expansion of social programs which breed yet another generation of entitlement-seeking liberal voters. The hidden “catch” in all of this is that the unchecked expansion of social programs automatically results in an increase of government debt. What follows from that is a weakening or even collapse of the economy, the rise of unemployment, and the increase of government dependency. The basic identity that has been traditionally associated with American democracy and American capitalism is one of self-reliance and a strong free-market. Therefore any attempt that is made to weaken the free-market and diffuse individual self-reliance is an attempt to undermine American character identity.

For this reason, it is important to understand that the far Left intends to undermine the American economy by design. The reason for this self-destructive agenda is because the far Left fundamentally disagrees with the principles of the free-market and the policies that have traditionally been associated with democratic freedoms. Root details the precise ways in which the policies to weaken the economy and breed government dependency are being pursued. He asserts that “Only by overwhelming the system with debt, welfare, and entitlements could capitalism and the America economy be destroyed. So the plan was to make a majority of Americans dependent on welfare, food stamps, disability, unemployment, and entitlements of all kinds.”7 If this is a professed strategy that originated in ideologies that were espoused at Columbia, then all that there remains to do is to connect Obama’s performance as President to these expressed goals.

This can actually be accomplished with relative ease simply by referring to a few statistics. Foremost among the important numbers are those which relate to the number of people currently enrolled in government social programs or who are currently receiving direct benefits from the expansion of the Federal government. If this number is large and growing it would seem to support the idea that Obama’s agenda is sympathetic to that which is described by Root as being part of the culture of liberalism at Columbia. Root refers to just these sorts of numbers when he observes the growth not only in welfare and other social programs, but the President’s “signature” issue of health care reform. Root writes “Almost 50 million Americans are on food stamps …Millions more are on welfare, unemployment, housing allowances … or 100 other free government programs. Now, add in free health-care plus 22 million government employees.” 8 The picture painted by Root is of a fledgling Socialist state.

If the plan to subvert American character identity is related to immigration policy and the expansion of social programs and the power of the Federal government, it is also at work in regard to the Obama administration’s current approach to national defense. It is not enough to simply weaken a country’s culture and economy through the influx of tens of millions of immigrants while also weakening the labor-force and overall free-market through the massive running up of government debt. To truly destroy American character identity, the American military must also be fragmented and destroyed. At the very least, it must be changed so radically from its traditional status and condition that it is no longer the military that Americans have come to expect to massively dominate over the world and thereby deter global destabilization. The close observer of the Obama administration will eventually note that the administration is pursuing policies to water-down U.S. military readiness and firepower.

What is truly frightening is that Obama’s second-term ambitions seem to be focused on greatly increasing the speed of the destruction of traditional American policies and values. Giacomo, in the article, “Obama’s Second Term Regulations That Will Destroy America” (2013) expresses the opinion that Obama is pursuing autocratic means by which to weaken the American military from within. The method that is being used, according to Giacomo is a combination of fund-slashing and regulation. Obama’s use of regulations to weaken the traditional elements of free-market democracy is not limited to military preparedness, but it is certainly present in this area. Giacomo writes that “Obama seems to be weakening US strength. In his first budget he destroyed the F – 22, our only fifth generation fighter. Obama also destroyed our lift capacity by killing the C – 17 along with our future combat system.”9 He goes on to note that a plan was on the table for shielding the nation from a potential missile-strike from Iran and Obama was able to kill this initiative as well.

Obviously, by using his Presidential authority to get around congressional approval is also a tactic employed by Obama in the area of budget-cuts and regulation. Whether or not popular support could be expected to be gained for the President’s new regulations never even came up as an a real issue due to the fact that Obama simply enacted the regulations through executive order. Giacomo notes that, “Many of these regulations were measures that Congress would not pass, so Obama is planning on bypassing Congress and implementing them by making them new regulations.”10

This shows quite clearly that not only is Obama interested in placing severe impediments on American military readiness, he is more than willing to subvert the democratic process by enacting regulations that he knows do not have congressional support. This kind of autocratic governing is itself a blow that the far Left is striking against the traditions of free-market democracy. For example, any American who believes that the primary focus of the Federal government and the Commander in Chief should be to protect America and American citizens must now re-evaluate this perspective in light of the fact that the Obama administration seems content to prioritize the expansion of social programs and the increasing of Federal authority above the needs of the military.

Similarly, any American who grew up believing that regulations for business and commerce were decided by elected representatives through a democratic process must now re-envision their society to include governance by decree, where regulations represent the authority of the President to go against the expressed will of the people’s elected representatives. On just these two very basic issues it is very easy to see the way that the policies and ideologies associated with the Obama administration are designed to undermine traditional notions of the American character identity. The big mistake to make in regard to all of these facts would be to assume that the policies being pursued by the Obama administration are individual solutions to individual issues.

On the contrary, the policies being pursued by the Obama administration reveal a sustained and coordinated effort to take down all of the core-pillars of American free-market democracy. This is being done, as shown by the preceding examples, in order to change the way Americans view themselves, their government, and the nature of self-worth and self-reliance. The policies being pursued by the Obama administration are more than mere political policies, they are aspects of conscious social-engineering. The only motive that can reasonably be assumed to lie behind the policies is the motive to fundamentally alter the American character identity. This is a much more profound agenda than an agenda that is based solely on aspects of public policy. The distinction is important. In the case of an agenda that is connected to public policy, the ultimate goal of the political actors is to bring about a shift in law or public policy that takes place within the framework of the extant governmental and cultural systems and traditions. In the case of an agenda like the one being pursued by the Obama administration, aspects of public policy and law are used as mechanisms and pretexts by which deeper and more radical changes can be made to the cultural fabric and self-identity of the nation.

In fact, the perception that the policies and ideas that are being pushed by Obama and the far Left are based mostly or even entirely in political motivation is a kind of “red herring.” Obviously, the enactments of Obama and the far Left are being undertaken through political means and they are being enacted through the political machinery of the country. however, at the same time, the agenda being pursued by Obama which can be associated with the Socialist idealism of Columbia, is meant not only to be enacted through the political system of the United States, but to undermine and eventually destroy the system itself. This means that the agenda, in the long run, is something that sets its sights on a target beyond pure politics. It is a target of creating an entirely new kind of culture. This new culture will be representative of ideals and policies that are much closer to socialism than free-market capitalism and democracy.

Once the cultural and political restructuring has been accomplished the end-result is that the average individual in America will possess a radically different image of both themselves and their country than what has been associated with America since its inception. Where once America stood as a land of plenty and opportunity, the “new” America will be a land of poverty and reliance on government. The “old” America was one where national security and the American military were considered to be the highest priority of the Federal government. In the “new” America, national security and defense will be slashed to make way for more social entitlements and bloated Federal spending. The traditional image that most Americans have had of themselves is of self-reliance and ambition. In the future, the average American will be on “public” everything: whether it is drawing a paycheck directly from the Federal government, participating in a federally run health care program, receiving some form of government disability or compensation, or living on government welfare.

It is not only obvious that the preceding description shows that a change in American character identity is part of the near-term evolution of the country; it shows that such a change is inevitable. The policies themselves are creating the shift in character identity. This is important for two obvious reasons. First, it shows that the reshaping of the American character identity is the goal of the far Left. Second, it shows that the plan of the far Left is to transform America so radically that no political form of resistance or opposition could stand against the movement or reverse the changes once they have been enacted. When you have succeeded in changing the self-identity and cultural identity of the actual citizens, you have created a change that goes beyond the power of law. There it is beyond the power of law to resist or undo those changes.

It should also be remembered that disregard for the law itself is one of the hallmarks of the Obama administration’s method of governing. As previously shown in regard to both immigration and regulation, Obama and his allies have frequently gone “around” the will of Congress to issue Presidential edicts to impact laws. While such activity is technically lawful, it flies in the face of a representative democracy. Therefore, there is already evidence that the contempt that the far Left and the Obama administration evidences for traditional democracy also results in an erosion of the democratic system itself. By abusing Presidential authority, Obama has circumvented will of Congress on so many occasions that it threatens to fundamentally, undermine the system of checks and balances that was designed into the United States Constitution.

If it were only an issue of the theoretical definition of the separation of powers, that would be one thing. In this case, the actual impact of the overuse of Presidential authority is not only a way of weakening America’s constitutional democracy, but a way of enacting laws and policies that will weaken the state of American society overall. One of the main lines of attack is financial. In addition to the expansion of the Federal government at a rate that exceeds all historical precedent, the Obama administration has presided over an astounding expansion of American debt. To many uninformed citizens the expansion of debt is a distant, abstract concept that pales in importance when compared to the perceived need for social services and entitlements. In reality, the sky-rocketing debt represents a form of attack on traditional democratic policies and cultural perceptions about self-identity.

If the mounting debt is looked at analogously as fuel, the question is what is all the fuel being consumed to accomplish? The answer is: the fuel is being expended to propel the car of cultural transformation and the destination is: socialism. The Obama administration is committed to making the political and cultural changes that are necessary to undermine traditional American values so that new values, based around the idea of the government as a provider, are instilled in citizens at all levels of society. This is why the issue of debt escalation is so profoundly important. It is a “trail” that leads to a crime-scene where the expansion of government is the murder of tradition capitalism and democracy.

In her article, “Ten Ways Barack Obama Is Destroying America” (2009), Gina Cobb showed remarkable foresight in her interpretation of the Obama agenda. She specifically addressed the issue of mounting debt as a primary concern. Cobb goes on to demonstrate how the rising debt is a “bomb” that radiates out through innumerable aspects of American politics and society. Cobb writes that Obama is “running up crushing federal debt at a level unprecedented in American history. We are talking trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt. This ensures the the future will bring ruinous taxes, runaway inflation, or eventual financial collapse.”11 This means one thing when seen as the result of desperate but necessary policies meant to address the current financial crisis. It means another thing entirely when these policies are being enacted with the specific intention of wrecking the American economy by design.

The collapse of the traditional free-market economy is meant to pave the way for a government takeover of virtually every aspect of the individual’s life. Consider now that government already intrudes into almost every aspect of your life, from the regulation of your toothpaste, to the definition of marriage, the authority over your children’s education, and even into the most intimate areas of your life such as sex and religion. Now consider taking that all a step further and eliminating the idea of self-reliance and ultimately personal property and personal wealth and you can clearly envision the kind of socialist state that the far Left wants to establish. Cobb describes it with great clarity by referring to George Orwell’s concept of “Big Brother.” In Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), Big Brother was the name commonly given to the leader of a totalitarian state that exerted total control over all of the state’s citizens.

Cobb suggests that the policies now being pursued by the far Left are meant to create the same kind of intrusive state that was describes in Orwell’s novel. This means that the end-result of the changing of the American character identity is the creation of an intrusive, all-pervasive state that micro-manages every aspect of the individual’s life. According to Cobb, ‘”Soon, no major expense in a normal human life will be paid for by the individual. Every major expense, from housing to advanced education to medical care, will be paid for by Big Brother.” 12 When Cobb writes “paid for” he also means “overseen by” and “regulated by.” The expansion of government power is meant to overthrow traditional conceptions of individually. This strikes directly at the core of American self-identity. Therefore it is possible for even an engaged observer to see one side of the slide to socialism, but miss others. For example, one person might see that the debt increase is a plan to weaken the American economy, while another might see government expansion as an immediate threat to personal liberty. Putting the two things together plus countless other aspects of the current policies directed at destroying American identity is a tougher challenge.

Financial devastation, the weakening of America’s military, and the granting of amnesty to tens of millions of illegal aliens are important parts of the overall strategy being used by the far Left to transform America. These are, however, not the only means being used. Other aspects of traditional American life are also being threatened. One important area of traditional American identity that is also being targeted is religious identity. Of course, the American Constitution provides for the separation of church and state. However, in terms of cultural identity and self-identity, this separation fails to apply. It is perfectly permissable and in fact unavoidable that cultural identity stands apart from political policy. Cobb examines the way that Christianity has been addressed under the Obama administration and concludes that Christianity has been marginalized by the administration.

The loss, according to Cobb, extends far beyond the harsh imposition of a separation between church and state. Cobb remarks that “By constantly treating Christianity as the moral equivalent of atheism and Islam in his public prounouncements — and by proclaiming that America is no longer a Christian nation … Obama is turning his back on America’s great strength.”13 Because of the aforementioned constitutional separation between church and state some people may persistently fail to understand that the undermining of Christianity is by extension an undermining of the American identity. This is not the equivalent of saying “America is a Christian nation” or ‘all Americans are Christian” it is simply a way of acknowledging the enormous impact that the Christian religion has traditionally exerted over American culture.

It is usually a losing battle to explain the preceding viewpoint to a secularist because the fact remains that cultural traditions that are tied to religious ideals are often mocked and seen as obstacles to freedom. This does not alter the reality that undermining the Christian tradition in American society is a part of the overall pattern of rejecting traditional American character identity and involves a concerted effort to estrange American culture from its traditional roots. As mentioned earlier in this examination, the attacks against traditional elements in American society are part of a consciously designed strategy to supplant democratic capitalism with socialism. This is reflected in the suppression of Christianity just as it is expressed in economic policy.

Right alongside the erosion of religious tradition, the far Left is attempting to erode the American middle-class. This is an essential step on the march to socialism. The article “Obama Systematically Destroying Middle Class In The United States: 84 Alarming Statistics!” (2013) provides a comprehensive and exacting account of many of the other ways in which the traditional identity of America is being transformed on route to a new identity founded on socialist principles. The following segment of the present examination will quote extensively from this article in an effort to flesh out the true degree to which the plan of the far Left is structured to destroy the traditional American way of life and with it traditional character identity.

In regard to the destruction of the middle-class, the tragic results of the destruction of the American character can be seen in all of its painful shame. The fact is that the American middle class was traditionally not only the strongest and most vibrant aspect of the American economy, but it stood as a beacon for the world, in setting the example of a living-standard that was the object of both envy and ambition for many other nations. To call America itself a shining example of the power of capitalism and freedom is not quite accurate. The best way to phrase it would be that the American middle class is a shining example of the power of capitalism and democracy. Because of this, in order to fully subvert American democracy, the middle class must also be undermined. The middle class is in fact under attack: ““The middle class in America is being systematically destroyed … Millions of our jobs have been shipped out of the country and competition for the remaining jobs is keeping wages at depressed levels.” 14 It takes little reflection to understand that the erosion of the middle class is the erosion of American identity.

Those who are unfamiliar with America’s history may fail to understand that the traditional aspects of American heritage have been rooted in self-improvement and individual liberty. This means that America has a proud heritage of providing a land where hard work and innovation are rewarded by financial gain. Over time, not just Americans, but citizens all around the world came to view America as a unique nation in the world, one where individual ambition and dreams were rewarded. American has historically been the “land of opportunity.” However, as the economy remains stagnant, “the middle class is rapidly declining and none of our politicians seem to have any solutions. With each passing day, the American Dream is slipping through the fingers of millions of hard working American families.” 15 This also constitutes an aspect of the overall onslaught against the traditional identity of the American character.

The destruction of the middle class is substantiated not just by the opinions of pundits and analysts, but by cold, hard figures. The statistical information that is available regarding middle class earnings and net-worth show that the erosion of the American middle class is not merely a theoretical idea, but a blatant reality. For example, the median family income in America has not only stagnated, but actually fallen over the past ten to fifteen years. The actual statistics show that “After you adjust for inflation, median family income in the United States has fallen by about 6 percent since the year 2000.” 16 In a country that depends on its middle class to define its state of health, these numbers are more than alarming — they are catastrophic. The near-term seems to spell doom for the middle class and the far-term seems to spell destruction to the entire capitalist system. These radical changes to the financial identity and structure of the United States also means irrevocable changes in the way that Americans perceive their country and themselves.

One dimension of the way that economic changes impact self-identity has to do with the sense of self-reliance and self-improvement that have always been a part of the American heritage. However, over the fast twenty-five to thirty years, a significant economic drought has all but decimated the sense of self-identity that American males had enjoyed in connection with their ability to earn a living. For example, “Back in 1950, more than 80 percent of all men in the United States had jobs.

Today,less than 65 percent of all men in the United States have jobs.” 17 The massive loss of jobs all but eliminates the traditional American family structure with men as the primary economic providers for their families. The loss of jobs also results in a massive increase in the number of people seeking government assistance for various aspects of their lives, from the mere ability to buy food, to the payment of utilities and property upkeep.

What all of this really amounts to is a massive escalation of poverty in America. The huge tide of poverty works to drag the common person away from ideas of ambition and self-reliance. Instead of dreaming of a better life for themselves that can be attained through dedication and hard work, the average person only hopes for day to day survival. They are not particular about whether or not their pipeline to survival comes through the government or through the private sector. The increase of poverty is an enabling factor for the expansion of government control and power. To keep this in perspective, some numbers must be cited.

For example, “In 2010, 2.6 million more Americans descended into poverty. That was the largest increase that we have seen since the U.S. government began keeping statistics on this back in 1959.”18 In the four years since 2010 millions upon millions of more Americans have fallen into poverty. Once the middle class has ceased to exist the intrusion of government into the everyday financial survival of each individual citizen can be enacted through a proliferation of government aid programs and social welfare programs.

Those who doubt that this may be the case fail to recognize the facts that are statistically supported which point to the contrary. In addition to the exponentially increasing numbers of Americans who are entering the rolls of the impoverished, millions and millions of Americans are entering the rolls of those who receive direct government assistance. This means more than a simple expenditure and increase of the Federal debt, it means that entire generations of people will ultimately be indoctrinated into a society and culture that expects the government to provide them with subsidies. In fact, these generations will actually be indoctrinated into a state of absolute dependency on the government.

This creates a very dangerous climate both politically and culturally. On the political side, it creates a prime opportunity for the growth and spread of autocracy. On the cultural side, the loss of a robust middle class and capitalist economy results in the loss of incentive and motivation for cultural growth and innovation. Therefore culture actually stagnates and comes to a standstill. The average person born into poverty will look not to their own talents and ambitions to raise them up, but to the state and to government programs to simply enable their existence.

One simple statistic that supports this claim is that ““It is projected that half of all American children will be on food stamps at least once before they turn 18 years of age.”19

This means that a full 50% of the population of the United States will have grown up under the direct support of a federal welfare program. If there is someone who would reasonably object to the idea that this constitutes a radical shift in American character identity, it would be interesting to see what line of reasoning they employed and what evidence they were able to assemble. Any rational appraisal of the facts shows that American sense of self-reliance and the status of America as the land of opportunity have both significantly;y diminished and continue to diminish over the past decades.

With so many people entering a state of dependence on government welfare programs the natural question to ask is: when will the spiral end? In other words, is there a breaking point to the growth of poverty and the elimination of the middle class? The answer to this question, sadly enough, may be: no. This is because it is entirely possible that the complete agenda that is presently being pursued by Obama and the far Left is one that aims to abolish capitalism altogether. This goal, as is substantiated in the early section of this essay, was openly espoused at Columbia and has been quite nearly openly endorsed at times by President Obama himself. However, even if President Obama called a press conference today and openly admitted his plans to abolish American character identity, his words would be no more convincing of the reality of this plan than the actual results of his policies as they are being pursued right now, in real time.

Those who expected Obama to be a crusader for positive change in the United States have been dealt a devastating blow of disappointment and even confusion. Liberals, as well as conservatives find themselves alienated and unhappy with President Obama’s performance. In record numbers, Americans are expressing dissatisfaction with nearly all aspects of their economic and political lives. There is rampant distrust of Congress and of government in general. There is a widespread distrust for the financial institutions and financial sector professionals. The population as a whole could be accurately described as disenfranchised and teetering toward irrevocable poverty.

In the face of such realities, the only answer that the Obama administration has offered is to increase the amount of people who depend on the government for the continuation of every aspect of their lives. The Obama plan has been to swell government, swell the debt, gut private industry with regulations and taxes, and weaken the defense capacity of the American military while creating as many dependant citizens as possible to assure the perpetual re-election of politicians who will serve the agenda.

As frightening as the foregoing description of the strategy and ideals of the far Left and Obama may be, the real-world consequences of their actions are even ore terrifying. One telling statistic is associated with how many Americans, as a whole, are entered in some kind of federal welfare program. It is no exaggeration to say that the number is both staggering and appalling. The unhappy reality is that “more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one welfare program run by the federal government at this point.”20 With that number set to keep on increasing for the foreseeable future and with poverty steadily rising, the only rational conclusion than can be drawn is that America is changing from a capitalist state to a socialist state. In fact, not in theory.

It may not be called socialism, but the overall impact is the same: America is changing from a nation whose self-identity was based on self-reliance and the land of opportunity to a nation that is little more than a socialist state where everyone depends on the government to survive. The results are nothing less than catastrophic to the traditional definition of the American character. By extension, the results are nothing less than catastrophic to the American way of life because the two are one and the same. Similarly, the destruction of the American identity could not have been accomplished without and accompanying destruction of the principles of America’s Constitution and its democratic ideals. Therefore, the destruction of American identity must be regarded as essentially being the destruction of America itself. All that will remain of its traditional identity will be trappings and memories.

This is tragic because it relates not only to the death of a once-great nation but because it consigns untold millions of people to a dismal fate. This fate involves living in a country where an over-sized and too-powerful federal government controls every aspect of every individual life, from birth to death. It is a fate that calls for living in a society where it is impossible to rise through your individual talent and ambition to a position of means and social power. In this kind of society, the dreams of the individual are of less significance than the marginal sustenance of the masses. There is no point in excelling or in personal achievement because the state treats all people with equal disregard. This, by anyone’s judgment, constitutes a radical departure from America’s heritage and culture and is, as such, an undeniable attempt to destroy the American character identity through the imposition of socialist policies and the explosive growth of the Federal government and its power.

Notes

1. Devvy. 6-20-13 “If Obama’s Amnesty Goes Through, Within Five Years, America is Finished” Paragraph. 3.
2. Ibid. Paragraph. 26.
3. Hodges, David. 9-27-13 “Obama Invokes the Chesterton Prophecies to Destroy America” The Common Sense Show.com; accessed 10-12-13; http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/09/27/obama-invokes-the-chesterton-prophecies-to-destroy-america/
4. Ibid. paragraph 20.
5. Root, Wayne Allen. 4-19-2013. “Obama’s Plan to Destroy America Hatched at Columbia University Says Classmate.” www.theblaze.com. access 10-12-13; http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/obamas-plan-to-destroy-america-hatched-at-columbia-says-classmate/ paragraph 3.
6. Ibid. paragraph 11.
7. Ibid. paragraph 12
8. Ibid. paragraph 18.
9. Giacomo. 10-8-12. “Obama’s Second Term Regulations That Will Destroy America.” Godfatherpolitics.com. accessed 10-9-13.http://godfatherpolitics.com/7967/obamas-second-term-regulations-that-will-destroy-america/#o3zC10FmlLggv5AJ.paragraph 3.
10. Ibid. paragraph 4.
11. Cobb, Gina. 4-26-09. “Ten Ways Barack Obama Is Destroying America.” www.rightwingnews.com. accessed 10-10-13. http://www.rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/ten-ways-barack-obama-is-destroying-america/. paragraph 2.
12. Ibid. paragraph 4.
13. Ibid. paragraph 8
14. Anonymous. “Obama Systematically Destroying Middle Class In The United States: 84Alarming Statistics!” www.politicalvelcraft.org; accessed 10-20-13. http://politicalvelcraft.org/2012/09/22/obama-systematically-destroying-middle-class-in-the-united-states-84-alarming-statistics/. paragraph 1.
15. Ibid. paragraph 3.
16. Ibid. paragraph 10.
17. Ibid. paragraph 50.
18. Ibid. paragraph 62.
19. Ibid. paragraph 78.
20. Ibid. paragraph 86.

References

Anonymous. “Obama Systematically Destroying Middle Class In The United States: 84 Alarming Statistics!” www.politicalvelcraft.org; accessed 10-20-13. http://politicalvelcraft. org/2012/09/22/obama-systematically-destroying-middle-class-in-the-united-states-84-alarming-statistics/

Cobb, Gina. 4-26-09. “Ten Ways Barack Obama Is Destroying America.” www.rightwingnews. com.accessed 10-10-13. http://www.rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/ten-ways-barack-obama-is-destroying-america/

Devvy. 6-20-13. “If Obama’s Amnesty Goes Through, Within Five Years, America is Finished” NewsWithViews.com; accessed 10-10-13. http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd593.htm

Giacomo. 10-8-12. “Obama’s Second Term Regulations That Will Destroy America.” Godfatherpolitics.com. accessed 10-9-13.http://godfatherpolitics.com/7967/obamas-second-term-regulations-that-will-destroy-america/#o3zC10FmlLggv5AJ.99

Hodges, David. 9-27-13. Obama Invokes the Chesterton Prophecies to Destroy America” The Common Sense Show.com; accessed 10-12-13; http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/09/27/obama-invokes-the-chesterton-prophecies-to-destroy-america/

Root, Wayne Allen. 4-19-2013. “Obama’s Plan to Destroy America Hatched at Columbia University Says Classmate.” www.theblaze.com. access 10-12-13; http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/obamas-plan-to-destroy-america-hatched-at-columbia-says-classmate/