Why America Is Not The Land Of The Free And Home Of The Brave Anymore

As the primaries for the 2020 presidential elections warm up, one has to wonder about the direction our country is taking.

Each and every election, it seems like we are fighting more and more to retain the country our forefathers handed down to us.

Politically speaking, I think just about everyone would agree that our country is a mess, regardless of what side of the aisle they identify with. Although agreeing on how and why it is a mess is another thing altogether. To those who identify with the left, it is a mess because it has never and will never live up to their ever-changing definition of utopia. While to those on the right, the mess is caused by the changes that those on the left are constantly forcing on us.

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Regardless of where you stand, you’ll be watching and probably even participating in next year’s general elections and all the folderol leading up to it. We tend to hang upon our nation’s elections as if they are going to define whether we live or die; whether we become slave or free and whether or not the nation survives or not.

I have my own opinions on that, just like everyone else; but overriding those opinions are the observation that little changes in Washington, DC, regardless of who is in office. Our federal government’s bureaucracy operates like a giant shock absorber, ultimately forcing politics of whatever brand to resonate to its own, inefficient harmony.

Ultimately, that harmony ends up increasing the size of the federal government, taking more of our money and intruding into more and more of our lives, regardless of which political party is in power. Ultimately, you and I, the taxpayers, end up paying for what is often nothing more than a federal government jobs program for bureaucrats.

The Biggest Political Party

We talk about our country having a two-party system; the Republicans and the Democrats. But I’ve found it to consist of four political parties. The two I just mentioned are the two which run for office, while you and I don’t have any right to vote for the members of the other two.

These additional two political parties are the more powerful ones. They consist of the party of the mainstream media and the party of the bureaucrats. While those two parties tend to align themselves with the Democrats on most things, they have their own ideas about how things should be done and often are the ones which are driving the Democrats farther and farther to the left.

Even so, it is the party of the bureaucrats, not the party of the mainstream media, which is the biggest political party in our country. Bureaucrats, by their very nature, tend to push the government towards inefficiency, as they work to increase their individual fiefdoms, so that they can get promotions, pay and prestige.

You might think that those bureaucrats work for the politicians, and that’s an easy mistake to make. But in reality, they only work for the politicians in the sense that many tie themselves to the mast of one politician or another’s boat, as they go up in rank, hoping to guarantee themselves a cushy supergrade job before they retire.

Throughout their years in office, the bureaucrats spend time moving paper from one side of their desk to the other, generating reports, red tape and jobs for more bureaucrats. But few of them do anything that adds to the country’s efficiency or gross national product.

Yet these bureaucrats work tirelessly to gain more control of our lives. It is they, not the politicians we vote into office, who come up with the myriad of regulations which stifle small business and force their fellow citizens to penalties for not doing something they didn’t even know they had to do.

Regardless of who we vote in, we can count on the party of the bureaucrats to maintain control. Civil Service regulations make it nearly impossible to get rid of them, once they are hired. All any of us can do is wait for them to expire or at least retire. Then and only then, do they stop being a threat to the average American taxpayer.

But politics and the effects of the resulting bureaucracy isn’t what I want to talk to you about today. Rather, I want to talk to you about our reaction to that as preppers and what that means to our long-term survival.

Survival is Non-Partisan

Most preppers and survivalists are political conservatives; but not all are. There are some liberal members amongst us. But what ends up being partisan is our attitude, specifically the fear factor that goes on in our community, depending on which political party is in office.

When former president Obama was in office, there was a lot of concern amongst conservatives that he would do something which would lead to some sort of societal collapse. There were countless articles talking about how the government would be swooping in to pick up conservatives, Christians and gun owners. But none of that happened. The day that Donald Trump was voted in as president, all that stopped and was replaced by leftist cries of how everything that the President did was going to cause a “Trumpocalypse.”

Of course, there hasn’t been any Trumpocalypse. Yet that doesn’t stop the mainstream news media from declaring every potential problem is going to lead to it. Apparently the news media is the conspiracy theorists of the left, just like there are some for the right.

The reality is that most of the things we prepare for are far beyond any semblance of control by our government; even though we act as if they are. I’ve never asked, but I have yet to see a Democrat Hurricane or a Republican Earthquake. Whether North Korea or Iran, both rogue governments, attacks us with an EMP isn’t controlled by who is living in the White House either. They’re just as willing to destroy either brand of government. Nor does the power to stop an asteroid from hitting the Earth reside in the chambers of Congress.

How well FEMA reacts to any of these situation doesn’t have anything to do with who is sitting in the Oval Office or who controls the two houses of Congress. They operate under the same guidelines, bringing the same red tape to the disaster scene, no matter who their political masters are.

Yet this inability of our government doesn’t seem to be taken into account as we approach our prepping. We continue to allow the current political winds dictate our concerns, even though that is unrealistic. Today the supporters of one political party are the ones who are concerned and next year the supporters of the other political party might be.

Are there disasters that one political party or the other can affect? Yes; those which are of a political nature or are closely connected to politics. From what I’ve seen, this means the potential of a financial collapse, more than anything else. Other than that, about the only thing that politics could affect, that would have anything to do with our survival, would be acts of war by foreign nations.

So, let me ask you; of all the disasters that could strike, which ones are most likely? Which ones can the government have an impact on? Is there any connection between the two?

I don’t think so.

The Political Season is Upon Us

So here we are, in another political season. Primary season is in full swing, with various politicians trying to gain the nomination of their party. Campaign promises are being spewed all over the stage, soon to be forgotten, as those politicians try and outdo each other and sway their voter base. These proceedings are looked on with humor by those who support the opposing party, strengthening their resolve to make sure their candidate wins the election.

What this political theatre really means is a lot of distraction for the general public. I’m sure it will distract those of us in the prepping community as well. Rather, than spend our time on preparing for the disasters which are likely to strike us, we’ll be spending a lot of time involved in useless political debate, mostly with people whose minds we aren’t going to be able to change anyway.

Sadly, our politics have reached the point where it is causing the closest of friends to break up, with people spitting vitriol at those who don’t agree with their point of view. All that energy could be spent on better things, such as getting together to figure out how to survive the next disaster.

Billions of dollars is going to be spent by the candidates, their political action groups (PACs) and their political parties. That’s money which could go towards much more important things, such as repairing our crumbling infrastructure, so that when the next disaster strikes, people won’t suffer as much. Yet, not one politician will complain about the cost of their campaign, begging rather, for more money to fill their war chest.

This shows where the priorities of our country have gotten too. Companies, unions and other organizations are preparing to offer tens of millions of dollars to support the candidate which the believe is going to be able to do them the most good. All that money will be a boon to television stations, printers and others who provide the many goods and services needed for a successful campaign. But not one dime of it will really help the people.

You and I can decide whether or not we will allow politics to define us. While I firmly believe in exercising my right and responsibility to vote, I don’t allow politics to control my life. I’ve long since given up getting into political arguments on social media and will rarely bother to even respond to political comments made in my presence.

I have other priorities in my life.

Prep Like Your Life Depends on It

Through all this, the disasters which concern us every day will still be there. Natural disasters will continue to strike. The financial markets will fluctuate up and down with the political tides, making money for some, while others lose their shirt. People will get sick, lose their jobs, need to sell their homes and suffer other setbacks in life.

Those are the things we need to be focusing on, not the political theatre which is going on around us. Yes, we should know where the candidates stand on the issues and yes we should vote; but we don’t need to spend all our time on it. After all, when all is said and done, it won’t stop one hurricane or tornado.

Here’s the thing; many of us have been allowing politics to dictate our prepping, rather than any realistic analysis of potential disasters we might face. Because of that, we’re missing out on some great opportunities and putting out families in danger. We need to be serious about our prepping, regardless of who is in office. Win, lose or draw, next November’s General Elections shouldn’t affect what we are doing or how we are doing it.

I would hate to see any of our brothers or sisters in the survival community fall prey to not being prepared for the next disaster, because they have focused too much on things they can’t change. Worse, for letting their preps slide, because they have confidence in whoever is President. As we’ve already discussed, he or she can’t stop disasters from happening, so it doesn’t make sense to allow them to affect how we prepare for those disasters.

Written by

Bill White is the author of Conquering the Coming Collapse, and a former Army officer, manufacturing engineer and business manager. More recently, he left the business world to work as a cross-cultural missionary on the Mexico border. Bill has been a survivalist since the 1970s, when the nation was in the latter days of the Cold War. He had determined to head into the Colorado Rockies, should Washington ever decide to push the button. While those days have passed, the knowledge Bill gained during that time hasn’t. He now works to educate others on the risks that exist in our society and how to prepare to meet them. You can send Bill a message at editor [at] survivopedia.com.

Latest comments
  • Your comments about the bureaucracy are spot-on. Our founders bequeathed us small government, but all that changed when we ratified the 16th amendment. With unlimited tax money, our government can enjoy unlimited growth.

  • Your comments about the bureaucracy are spot-on. Our founders bequeathed us a small government. Unfortunately, all that changed when we ratified the 16th amendment. With unlimited tax money, the government can enjoy unlimited growth.

  • No, we do NOT live in a free country. We live in a borderline police state, where Big Brother has taken away our basic human rights and then sells them back to us as revokeable “privileges” that any government-appointed “official” can either revoke on a whim, heavily restrict, or outright deny. And, if you don’t pay Big Brother for exercising your “privileges”, its goon squads will either extort money from you, or lock you in a cage – and too often, they do both.
    My parents chose to bring my two sisters and me from East Germany to America with the idea of escaping the very sort of government America now has. Between Big Brother snooping in the most private parts of your life, to some brainwashed two-legged sheep itching for the chance to squeal on you for something trivial, or even thinking “evil” thoughts, to doling out basic rights as “privileges”, or robbing you with every paycheck to support able-bodied freeloaders, we slip closer to tyranny with each passing day.
    P.S.: Has anyone else noticed how the Republicans NEVER seem to repeal those freedom-robbing laws the Democrats love to foist upon us? I believe they all serve the exact same masters. No, I’m convinced of it.

    • You’re dead on right brother. Repubs/Dems doesn’t matter as they are opposite sides of the same coin. I like your post and I feel truly ashamed for my country being so MORONIC. So much so that someone who’s parents left their socialist country to start a new life in what seemed to be a free country only to find out that that dream of freedom is just another LIE.
      I served this country for 8 years in the Army and spent 2 years in Germany and I’m disgusted with the path that our so-called “betters” have led us. It’s shameful that so many educated people here in the U.S can’t see through the smoke of BULLSHIT and LIES we are fed everyday in the MSM. The treason and tyranny will continue and get much worse for all of us in the near future. The threat of socialism has been knocking on our doors for over 100 years and the majority still can’t hear it banging away. The New World Order is upon us and gaining strength by the day. I had hoped to not be around to see the day when my country fell but it fell long before I was born in 1964. Imperialist Amerika is where I reside and is where I’ll die but unfortunately it wont be as a free man.
      ***How sad for us all and the rest of the world whom are looking for that freedom that doesn’t exist I say; Welcome to the Grand Illusion!!! 🙁

  • As a liberal prepper I agree that prepping should be non political. Unfortunately I see many so called “prepper” sites stirring that pot. The thing is most people are Republicans or Democrats because a pet cause or belief. If you are anti-abortion, you are most likely Republican. There are outliers, but for the most part that is true. If you are anti-gun, you most likely are Democrat. Again there are outliers. I heard someone say once that Republicans see America as they view their parents. To revere and honor their parents and their way. Democrats view America as they view their children. They want to change the world to a better place than maybe they grew up in. I have friends who are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and those who are not political at all. During my 20 years in the military, I was a Republican. It was probably because Republicans tend to give us pay raises and Democrats didn’t. But in 2002, the House Speaker (Republican) threatened to hold funding for a VA healthcare bill if the Democrats didn’t stop filibustering a judgeship. I felt like I had been stabbed in the back. I became a Democrat because they supported veterans bills. As a disabled veteran, I viewed how they treated my fellow veterans as a good thing. I am still a pro-gun, but am a Democrat as well. The main difference I see between the two is that Republicans like the status quo and Democrats tend to want change. Sometimes it’s about perceived denial of basic human rights and sometimes it’s about opportunities that others don’t seem to have. The left isn’t trying to force their beliefs upon you as much as how they see certain groups not receiving the same opportunities that other groups have. It reminds of a meme I saw one time, “If you don’t like gay marriage, don’t marry a gay. If you don’t like guns, don’t buy one.” There were more things like that, but the bottom line was let everyone do what they want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my wants.

  • It sure as hell isn’t the country my father fought for in World War II. It isn’t like we were not warned. A man name Reagan said this in 1961 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDouNtnR_IA

  • I agree with some of your points. However, I disagree with at least one. When 1 party is focused like a laser to destroy our Republic and shred our Constitution; when some are honest enough to tell us up front “we will seize all your guns” or they want to spend 30 Trillion/year; we cannot afford to let up. They never quit. They view all defeats as ‘they just have not succeeded yet’. These fanatics can taste victory. 40% of Millennials now want socialism. It will not be long when they will have a majority.
    That will be a disaster of proportions that we have never seen before. It will effect the entire country, not just a region like a hurricane. We can’t send aid if we are ourselves struggling. It will be far more devastating than a bunch of natural disasters all at once.
    BUT, That is a disaster that can be avoided. Things have gotten this bad for so long because we are not as active as they are. We generally want to just live our lives and want them to leave us alone. But we cannot continue to think that way. We have to stand up for our rights or we will lose them. Once gone, our grand kids will not be getting them back.
    Let me give you an analogy. If you live in wildfire country and could do things to prevent a fire from destroying your home, would you? These fires out west are man-made disasters because of decades of bad management and bad laws.. Small fires will prevent large ones. cleaning up dead falls and dead wood will remove fuel. Firebreaks will stop a fire spreading. Back burning can also stop an advancing fire. Select cutting will keep a forest healthy.
    To argue that we have to choose politics or prepping is a false dichotomy. We can, and must, do both.
    I just finished watching Glenn Beck’s 2 hour special on Ukraine from October 3. He put it in front of the pay page so that as many people can see what is happening for free. The DNC set up a machine to rig elections into the future. They are corrupting our republic and Ukraine’s republic. Billions of our taxpayer money is gone, disappeared. the media is actively lying to American and taken sides. Don’t take my word for it. Check it out yourself.

    • Spot on, and thanks for beating me to it.

  • As an old Libertarian I was a fiscal conservative and socially liberal. I also consider myself a Christian. I don’t care if someone chooses to get an abortion (I wish they didn’t have to make the decision), smoke pot, marry someone gay or whatever. Then some super conservatives decided to take over the Libertarians so now I am a true Independent. My career choice has been a history teacher but recently retired. I enjoy prepping to help my family, especially my grandchildren be better prepared for whatever comes in the future. I don’t have much faith in our federal government anymore whether they are Democratic or Republican. I love my country and believe it is the best in the world but also realize there have been problems since our founding. Our forefathers were not the glorious men that many believe they were. I appreciate the last poster who said “don’t take my word for it, Check it out yourself”. That comment is so true. But few people make the effort to check things out. Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh are no different either. They are not great patriots. They make their living fueling chaos, not reporting truth. The liberal pundits are no different. I don’t trust Hillary Clinton but neither do I trust Donald Trump. What I do trust are the family members I love that work together to help us all be prepared for whatever comes our way. I have worked hard to teach them real history, character, and having a work hard attitude. Jokingly they call these my life lessons as many of my former students came to call my sometimes unwanted advice. Our republic was patterned after the Roman Republic. The average guy had little say in how the government worked. States chose their senators and the president (electoral college), not the people. Read about what our founder fathers thought of the common man and you would be shocked. Remember only white, land owning or wealthy men could vote. I am happy that we slowly have granted more people the right to vote but too few pay attention to who they are voting for. Before I was a teacher I was a marketing manager for a manufacturing company that often had to do business in New York with what I called New York con artist (lol, business men). Our current president reminds me of one. No character at all just in it for what he can get out of it. Same with most of the Democrats. We have has a few honest presidents, Dwight Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter in modern times but each faced difficulties with the political parties they headed. Thanks for all those who offer solid practical advice. I value those people who help others no matter what political party and try to respect everyone. A trait I have tried to pass to my offspring.

  • It is a very sad situation. Only those who can be invisible can survive what is to come. I don’t mean a hurricane, earthquake or a tornado, but our government in general. The media belongs to the political machine. They no longer report accurate news but instead tell you what to think or openly argue with those who know and who have the ability to correct them. . People who vote “Party” regardless of what they are doing or what they plan to do are called POLITICAL FANATICS. They no longer think for themselves but accept what the media tells them and discount those who have the facts as liars If you have to stand up, get red in the face and yell to get your point across it is probably because you are not sure of your facts and it is a ploy that has always worked on those who don’t think for themselves.

    Preppers should keep prepping in order to survive the disasters the politicians will bring to our lives, those who constantly attempt to run each and every one of our lives just so they can say they did. It hasn’t worked for the citizens of other countries and it won’t work for us.

  • One thing I have seldom seen is any reference to homeschooling after SHTF. I am a late boomer who grew up in a 1930s time warp. Mom’s dad was a school principal and farmer, and we had textbooks going back generations. What was horrifyingly obvious was how each edition was dumbed down and made more morally ambiguous. I would strongly recommend that parents stock the home library with at least some of the classics of literature and as much of 19th and early 20th century math, chemistry, mechanics, and how-to books as possible. Dumbed down? An eighth grade education in my parents’ time required more actual knowledge and reasoning ability than a current BA!

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