The Idolatry of Statism

Sometimes I feel like a lonely voice crying in the wilderness when I denounce statism, especially socialism, as idolatry.

But then I come across Timothy Fountain stating that statism is idolatry for both right and left, and I do not feel so alone.  Do go read his thoughtful piece.

And statism is an idolatrous tendency that transcends the usual categories of left and right.  A big reason our nation is in a bad way is not only the Democrat Party, but also the Republican establishment is wedded to statist big government.  Yeah, maybe they want to grow it more slowly than Democrats, but mainly they just want to run it instead of Democrats.

And that statist tendency of the Establishment Republicans who now control Congress has greatly undermined the Consent of the Governed.  How many elections have we had in my lifetime that have said “NO!” to big government?  I would say 1966, 1978, 1980, 1984, perhaps 1988, 1994, 2004, 2010, and 2014.  Yet the federal government has gotten bigger and bigger, and more and more intrusive.  The disregard both parties have shown for the 2010 and 2014 elections has been particularly marked.

How long can a government get more powerful in defiance of the consent of the governed, with even the supposed opposition party ignoring the votes of the people, without ugly consequences?

I pray that the 2016 election is such a repudiation of big government statism that the winners finally get it and bow to the Consent of the Governed by putting the federal government in its place.  For the alternatives I see would not bode well for either freedom or civil peace.

But I know too well that politicians rarely reduce their own power.  It usually has to be taken from them.  Therefore, I fear the near future of the United States and of both its major parties will not be a pleasant one.