As IF Times

link:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/media/article-15036239/morning-joe-chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-crime-police.html

Anyone paying even the slightest attention to the news is aware of the rampant crime that’s evident in so many large major cities. Though we observe wanton criminal activity in Europe, the most brazen criminal activity occurs in the large cities of the United States.

For the majority of normal people, this is not a good thing. Despite the political bleats of such as Chicago’s mayor Brandon Johnson, most would prefer a safe city where the average number of shootings on a weekend is not close to an average school classroom.  How can this be allowed to happen on a regular basis?

On a frequent enough level to be newsworthy, a ‘mass’ shooting of some kind takes place in the US and the usual tired narratives of gun restrictions surfaces once again. Conveniently ignored is the fact that a large percentage of these shootings are carried out by mentally disturbed people who are coincidently gender confused. It’s as if they blamed shootings on the guns rather than the obvious fact that all the shooters happened to wear a bear costume.  Like blaming the fork instead of the fat guy.

It’s logical that the ‘population’ will demand that the government in charge do something to keep people safe.  In the UK, there have been rumors of food stores soon requiring digital ID to shop in order to protect from criminals who would enter there to rob or create havoc.  You read that right; people will require digital identification to buy food at the stores.  This is their government’s idea of helping the people.  What could go wrong there?

For some reason, this modus operandi reminds me of a very successful business model that has been in place for centuries.  The model is the Mafia. As in, “nice restaurant you have there.  It would be a shame if something were to happen to it.  Why don’t you pay us a regular fee to keep you safe?”

If we step back and reflect upon the authorities’ attempt to restrict people during the last Covid pandemic charade, the steps taken were all about controlling the movements and activities of people. Where you could go, whom you hung out with and what you could do were all dictated by the state because, you know, to keep everyone safe.

You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to connect the possible dots on the long range plan for the big cities.  Violence and crime are rampant: citizens will demand action: politicians will decree control measures on everyone, even on your currency. In the nation formerly known as Canada, some of the measures taken to protect the public are straight out of Monty Python.  Some may recall the advice of police regarding car thefts from people’s homes.  Just leave the keys at the front door to make it easier for the thieves.  Recently, a man was charged with aggravated assault for daring to use a knife to fight off intruders in his own home!

People can cluck about the ineffectiveness of politicians; that they don’t know what they’re doing.  But there’s the other possibility….that they know exactly what they’re doing.

link It’s About Government, Not Health Care – Mark Steyn – National Review Online.

Steyn has always been one of my favourite writers because he is able to incisively  dissect an issue favored by the left and expose the truth with a skewering wit.  This is a very thoughtful piece on what the real issue is behind almost any program offered by governments.  They are always launched under the disguise of the common good, but wind up being an apparatus for statists who then use the mechanisms for ratcheting up spending and taxation. 

As we have seen in many of our modern institutions, dismantling them once erected becomes almost impossible as entrenched participants carve out their turf like so many fiefdoms.  Think even of the institution of government itself, of the never decreasing bureacracies and  regulations to navigate in order to do anything.  Unlike private sector businesses which have to constantly justify and rationalize their existence, government institutions have no incentive to improve or become efficient.  Their source of funds are captive and guaranteed. 

The great fear in the U.S. is the very noticeable and alarming trend of the government taking over control of some of their biggest industries, from banking, to autos, to now health care and insurance.  Extrapolating this trend points to an economy entirely dependant on bureaucrats making decisions that were once made by a dynamic and free industrial culture.  It’s possible that the entire economy will be controlled by unelected assignees.  We all know how that works.  Think Post Office.  As Steyn distressingly points out, the people in power make very little difference once the machinery is built.  Right now, it appears the most massive machinery in history is being assembled down there.  Only a few seem to get it.