For my long time readers, you are very aware of my frustration during the election late last year.  As a Libertarian, an more importantly, a capitalist and one who loves freedom, I knew that no matter which of the two major candidates won, everyone would lose.  And of course, it wasn't limited to just those running for office last November.  George Bush destroyed much of our freedom, and allowed executive and federal power to run unchecked and control things that government has no business trying to control.

During the Presidential Debates, I saw much to fear in what both candidates were proposing to do.  I signaled warnings of Socialist ideals in many of their ideas.  But there were many who thought I was crazy.  I was distorting their ideas after all... and words have meaning.  I was "dumbing down the definition of socialism" according to our friend Jay.

After all, socialism is when the government controls the means of production and distribution.  And we're not doing that now... are we?  Well, the first thing that the government did was to take over the banking industry.  And I don't just mean propping up insolvent banks.  The Fed is aiming to take control of banks, both solvent and insolvent.  It started with Paul Ryan's boondoggle TARP bill, which allowed the Treasury Secretary to force all banks to take TARP funds, whether they wanted it or not.  This included banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, neither of which wanted, nor needed the money.  The Treasury Department didn't care, and forced them to take the money anyway.  Unfortunately now, legislators are using this as an excuse to force banks to do their bidding.  It has started with controlling executive pay, but don't think that will be the last of it.  Banks that are seeing this are now asking to give back the money, so they won't be forced to abide by these new rules.  The Obama administration is refusing to allow them to do this without "serious political repercussions".

Of course, all of this is not simply limited to the financial industry.  Now the government is now running the auto industry.  Since Congress refused to stop President Bush from giving the auto industry a bailout, Obama has not taken advantage and is using this money as a means to control the Detroit companies.  It started when President Obama forced the CEO of GM to step down.  A more blatant, and naked use of power... more akin to that of someone who considers himself a King rather than a President, I have not seen.  After that happened, well... anything further seems paltry.

Now, the U.S. taxpayer is on the hook for all of GM's warranty obligations.  Mind you, this was done as an executive decision... with no law passed, or even debated, by Congress.  Of course, the entire auto bailout itself was done as an executive order without consent of Congress as well.  The fact that Congress refused to step in and stop President Bush from performing that illegal maneuver surely spurred President Obama from going even further.

And so it goes as I knew it would months ago.  Every step that the new President and the new Congress take move us further and further down the road to outright socialism.  Congress' refusal to do anything meaningful to prevent President Bush from using executive power in unprecedented and unconstitutional ways has only given President Obama more opportunities to do the same.  I have no doubt in my mind that things will continue along this track.  Expect to see Nationalized Health Care to be enacted with just as little democratic debate... maybe without even passing a real law.  After all, if all that they've done thus far hasn't required it, why should anything else now?