The Cancerous Disease Of Statism

"Statism is the disease that prescribes itself as the cure."

Barry Loberfeld

Pretty simply put!

What other thing is arrogant enough to wreck something and then claim to be the only entity that can fix it!  Our gubment does that all the time!

But, to understand the comment, STATISM must be defined.

Statism is essentially when the gubment becomes the most important thing in society - omniscient, omnipotent, and omnigood!

The philosopher Georg Hegel said that the state is "God walking on earth."  His thinking influenced the political thinking of another philosopher, one Karl Marx. 

While a Constitution places limits on gubment influence and activity, statism would do the opposite, removing such restrictions through lawmaking until the final stage of fascism or totalitarianism is reached.  THE GOAL OF STATISM IS 100% STATE!

It takes two forms, societal and economic.

Societal statism - there would be no "of, by and for the people" as sovereignty would rest in the state.  Individuals exist to contribute to the power and influence of the state.  "The people" would look to the state to provide what they typically and formerly would have provided for themselves.  Morality is found in service to the state.  This statist influence would extend into all aspects of the individual's life - education, health, finance, religion, housing, etc.  Statism, therefore, would refer to any state-sponsored political movement that advocates reliance upon the state to build the socialist society.

Economic statism - the state directs the economy, either through direct intervention with state-directed businesses (GM perhaps?), and state-sponsored organizations (Fannie Mae anyone?), or indirectly through economic planning (monetary and fiscal policy).  This intervention should be referred to as state socialism.  It only grows as the bureaucracy grows.  It's primary economic influence is THE BUREAUCRACY.  As it plans and implements its programs, even when the citizens resist (health "care"), at the same time it plans many new bureaucracies and hides many taxes that feed it.  Bureaucracy screws up and creates more bureaucracy to "fix" the screw ups!  The gubment spends to the point of extreme deficit and claims the necessity of additional "revenue enhancements" as the only cure, along with "cuts" in "future" rates of growth!  The vicious cycle only feeds the state. 

It slowly removes and incorporates more and more of the body that sustains it!

Support for the growth of the state, or statism, is more commonly found among liberals than among conservatives.  It was, after all, Ronald Reagan, who said the ten most frightening words in the English language are, "Hi, I'm from the gubment, and I'm here to help."

Surely unchecked growth is a cancerous disease that can only prescribe unchecked growth as the cure. Eventually all cancers reach the point of critical mass and the body can no longer survive its parasite.  And the body dies.  When in economic history has that not been the outcome?

It is impossible to cure any entrenched disease that is eating the body from the inside out.  Before it gets too large, or entrenched, the disease needs to be removed and the remaining cavity filled with newly-generated, healthy material.

THAT represents real change!