Messages are received, and lessons are learned

LARRY ANDERSON
Larry Anderson

I think we can all agree that life is a learning experience.

Let’s agree on another obvious point: We can learn from the directional behaviors of those whom we have elected, and that is important because their decisions impact all of us economically, socially, even morally.

No period in American history has been more definitive on where the Left wants to take the country than the last six and a half years.

Six years ago and since, I warned in this column that Obama would use two major components to leverage more and more personal freedom from Americans.

These two mechanisms are health care and the environment.

Indeed, we have powerful bureaucracies regulating both at the behest of the chief executive.

One of the most valuable and inexpensive commodities that we have at our disposal is water, the access to which has been traditionally left to municipalities or various rural tools such as wells.

Our water is plentiful, clean, inexpensive, and absolutely essential.

I know of no one who wants poor water quality or water shortage, but this need has been politicized.

Here’s how:

In a socialist state, Big Government controls all. The Obama government wants to control water, and not just the navigable waters that contribute to interstate commerce.

Here’s a quote from Congressman Sam Graves, one of the good guys remaining in an increasingly corrupt system, taken from his “Straight Talk With Sam” column published in this paper recently:

“Private property rights continue to be attacked by President Obama. In just the past year, we have seen introduction of the Waters of the United States rule, which gives Washington control over standing water on private farms and residences.”

Got it?

Government control over private property.

Standing water means lakes and ponds as well as marshes and flood plains.

It is all in the interpretation, you see.

You can expect such existing water sources to be progressively regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ditto any effort to construct a new lake or pond.

Anticipate remuneration to the feds to force compliance and feed the coffers.

The implication is farmers, or those who choose a rural way of life, are not good stewards of the land.

Only government cares enough to come on your property and run your affairs.

Now, shift to the socialist tenet that property must be communal, not private.

Is government control of water a means of accessing control of land?

You bet it is.

Have socialist governments ever nationalized farms; that is put all land under government control and distribution?

Yup.

Most recently in Venezuela.

Is that the long-term goal of the Left in this country?

Could be.

If so, the plan is a progressive one.

A step within that progression is increasing government control of things fundamental to successful agriculture, such as water.

Understand, if a dominant government can control waters, the logical next step is to bring all land under the control of Big Government.

A government that controls the land can then control the production and distribution of food. Think about how much political talk you hear already about food inequality, “food deserts,“ redistribution, and, of course, the claim that so many kids go hungry in America without any credible evidence beyond a fantastic statistic gleaned from a self-serving government standard.

I think just about any farmer will tell you agriculture has changed in recent years.

The regulatory burden is greater, the size of farms is increasingly larger, the traditional family farm itself is in dire straits.

Just know huge farms expose themselves to more and more government regulation, like any large industry.

Know, too, that as the number of farms declines, so does farmers’ political influence. Those without political sway mean nothing to the Left.

Which is easier to fold into government control, 10 enormous, industrial-grade farms or 100 smaller ones?

Please ponder another point from Congressman Graves’ column:

“Then, it was a push to regulate grills in our backyard.”

There. See how the politically correct sect can put anything they want under the environmental umbrella?

More regulations on grills coming up. Mowers? Farm machinery? Cattle?

The big question now is how much will the American people tolerate from politicians propagandizing under the “public good” mantra while steadily restricting our way of life?

How long before urbanized power and expanding socialism make country life unbearable?

That is unknown, of course, but the progression has definitely picked up speed the last six-plus years, as planned.

Larry W. Anderson’s novel, I, Eugenius, is available at Maryville Daily Forum.