An Immodest Proposal (with apologies to Jonathan Swift and Pol Pot)

Ya know, all this Taxes/Entitlements/Fiscal Cliff talk has got me to thinkin'...

If we really want to solve these complicated issues, then we gotta get a clearly defined picture of exactly what, or who, is the Enemy. What, or who, stands in the way of our struggle to address all the Monumental Issues currently facin' this Great Country of Ours.

First, let's go over a few of the things that seem to be gettin' a lot of the attention lately:

The National Debt. Easy. This can best be described as more Money goin' out than comin' in. I think we can all agree on that one. Cut and dried. Movin' on...

Next, how about the Disparity Between the Rich and the Poor? That doesn't look good at all. This is supposed to be the Land of Opportunity. A real embarrassment before the entire Global Community, and the Gap has been gettin' wider for decades. The Numbers bear this one out. Kinda tough to dispute. Again, didn't have to flip over no rock to see this one, either.

Then, there's this Entitlement Thing. Just because you worked hard all your life doesn't mean that you automatically deserve to live out your last remainin' years in Relative Comfort. Or Dignity. Not if the Stockholders decide that conditions dictate that your Retirement Fund be raided- wait, no- "requisitioned" for the Benefit of the Company as a Whole. Yeah. "Requisitioned". Likin' that. Okay, things might be gettin' a little muddy now. Givin' ya that...

And, the final point I would like to touch on? Social Programs designed to assist Those in Need. Or, as our grandparents would have called it- Relief. Relief? Yeah. As in Rich or Poor. Right or Wrong. Good or Bad. Black or White. (White or Whiter?) More or Less. Healthy or Stricken. Belch or Fart.

So, now that we've defined these points, let's put a face on 'em. (We gotta be able to see the whites of their eyes, right?)

Now, the Money Thing: Clearly this cannot be the fault of the Rich, or even the Fairly Well-Off. They have plenty of excess cash and ain't afraid to use it. (Not unlike a Junky with a Gun in a Liquor Store.) These are the folks that keep the Skids of Commerce greased. And I ain't talkin' about buyin' a new grocery-getter every few years or school clothes for your kid in August. I'm talkin' Big Ticket Items- Brand Name Shit, like Cadillac and Mercedes, Gucci and Armani. Beach Houses in Malibu and Mansions in Bel-Air. All the stuff and places we've all read about, or have at least seen on TV. Some serious coin bein' dropped here, so they must be part of the Solution, right? Sure...

This means the Problem has gotta lie with the Have-Nots. The Indigent, the Down-Trodden, the Poor Planners, the People with the Really Bad Luck. The Ugly Ones. Those types. These are the Albatross around the Neck of the Well-To-Do. Ya know what? Let's throw in the Elderly. And the Handicapped. And the Sickly. All Users and Takers, incapable or unwillin' to pull their own weight. How can the Affluent be expected to maintain their Elevated Standard of Livin' and their Superior Buyin' Power if they're asked to help with the Less Fortunate? How fair is that? (Remember: We've entrusted this small group of Money-Changers with the Fiscal Well-Being of our Entire Nation.) Just because others are born into our Pseudo-Caste System somewhere near the Bottom does not mean they are automatically entitled to some kind of Help. This is America. The Land of the Free Market and the Home of the Brave Investors. Pull your socks up and take some Responsibility. (Oh, you ain't got socks? Or even shoes? Not my problem...)

And this brings us to the second and third points- Entitlements and the Disparity of Wealth. Again, why should the "Accident of Birth" for Many become the Responsibility of the Few? One percent interest on passbook savings is simply the Market doin' what it does. Not necessarily what it used to do or was designed to do, but what it's doin' right now. Fact of life. Don't blame the Banks, or the Insurance Companies, or the Corporations. After all- they're people, too. (See "Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee", 2010.)

Nor is it the fault of our Congressmen or Representatives that One Percent of Nothin' equals Nothin'. They have no experience with Nothin'. (Remember: They are members of the Haves. The concept of "Naught" is foreign to them. Unless it's in the "Tax Due" column.) This is Math in its purest form. So what if the Upper Echelon happens to have most of the Money and most of the Control? These people work hard every day to hold onto their Money and the Money their Money is makin'. Tax shelters, blind trusts, offshore accounts, write-offs, business losses, capital gains , ponzi, pyramid- this is not an easy task. Hell, it's almost frightenin'. I don't know what any of that shit means! It's a wonder these folks ain't exhausted just from the keepin' up of all that Green! As for the Dissatisfied Masses? Human Nature. People with Less want More. (Of course, it would also appear that People with More want More.) And let's face it: it doesn't matter what you're entitled to if it's no longer there. Where'd it go? A moot point, because even if I tell ya, it won't change the fact that it's still gone. (If a tree falls in the forest...? Hell, I don't know...)

Now- Social Programs. How in the Hell did our Government ever get in the business of helpin' people? (Please disregard the Mother of Exiles. She is figuratively half-buried on a beach somewhere in the Not-Too-Distant Future, where the Great Apes hold Sway and Dominion over Man.) This is where the majority of the Leeches are hidin'- the Smooth, Unblemished Underbelly of Democracy. Barnacles, warts, fungi. Lesions. To say that they deserve attention is just such a hard sell to those devoid of a Social Conscience. Thanks to television, the Top Tier sees more images of the Starvin' and the Destitute from the opposite hemisphere than they do our own. Is it reasonable to expect compassion from a group that has no real contact outside their own Shiny Circle? 'Course not. That would be tantamount to feelin' concern for a cartoon dog. Not part of their Reality. An Emotional and Socio-Economical "Closed Shop". The Brotherhood of the One Percent.

Okay. A fairly concise profile of the Enemy has been established. Now, the really excitin' part all y'all been waitin' for. Let's discuss Plans of Action! (Surely, ya didn't think this was gonna be just some Piss and Moan with no Suggestions...? Not my style.)

Keepin' top of mind an Economy of Effort and Expenditure, (after all, this is ultimately about Money, right?) we must locate the greatest concentrations of the Enemy... Hold it. Let's use a different term. Undesirables? Naw, too Elitist. Non-Contributors! Yep, the Non-Contributors! That'll work. (Did ya catch that one?)... the greatest concentrations of the "Non-Contributors", thus enablin' us to operate efficiently and effectively.

For starters- Public Housing. This is potentially the single largest collection of Economic Drag that can be pinpointed to specific geographic areas. (Due to previously defined Modes of Societal Function, most logistical concerns regardin' this have already been addressed. Time saver.) On and beyond this, things become more complicated, less defined. We begin to encounter the Small Tribes. The Nomadic. The Loners. The Hidden. These will be among the last to be ferreted out. But, they may prove to be the groups that are most easily addressed. They will lack Strength in Numbers, Cohesive Defense. Sympathy. Support. From Public Housing we can then move on to the homeless shelters, soup kitchens, free health clinics. These kinds of places, by their very nature, attract the Non-Contributors. Anywhere they can get somethin' for nothin'.

History has shown us that Sweepin' Change can only be accomplished with Bold Steps, Broad Strokes. Decisive Action. But these will be things that those of Weak Constitution may shy away from. Nonetheless, the Consensus has been reached and the Path is clear. It's Broken Eggs/Omelet Time.

Many options are available to the Resourceful. Again, let's look to the successes of the Past to guide our Future. What will be as to our new Non-Contributors what Whiskey and Smallpox were to the Red Savages our Forefathers first faced when they bravely settled this Great Land? Experience and Superior Knowledge will serve us well here, as we assemble our Modern Arsenal.(And a little Callousness and Brutality couldn't hurt... Am I right? Huh? Huh?) Our Weapons of Today must be designed specifically to take full advantage of the Weaknesses of our Target. Anything that can be used to Amplify Despair, Crush the Spirit. These will be the tools that allow us to move the Agenda forward while keepin' our hands figuratively clean. Narcotics will be our New Whiskey. Poverty will act as our Smallpox of Today. Oppression will serve as the Theater where we shall Flex and Subdue. Modify. Correct.

Sub-Standard and Unaffordable Health Care will slowly eradicate a large number of this group. Privatization of the Health Care Industry will ensure that those that cannot afford it will simply no longer receive it. This will keep For Profit Providers in the black. No longer should it be unethical to turn away the Sick or Injured. The System must be self-sustainin'. This is not to say that, initially, the current status quo cannot serve as part of the means to our end. Free vaccinations could be labeled as safeguards against tuberculosis, tetanus, even flu, but in reality can be an "inoculation" that will assist in the reduction of the Non-Contributors and their negative impact. For those without the means to pay, then "special" vaccinations could be administered to protect the Interests of the Greater Good. Perfect. It's free. They'll line up for it. It's in their nature. It's who they are.

Subsidized liquor prices in particular neighborhoods will ensure that all those overwhelmed by their Lot in Life and the despair it brings with it will have reasonable access to what they need to wreck their physical and emotional health, their relationships, their families. Sure, this will call for an initial investment, but this will be a new kind of Relief. A Relief that can ultimately bring a lastin' solution to the Problem(s). A Relief for the System that has had to bear this undue burden placed upon it and its Champions.

The turnin' of a blind eye by Law Enforcement to the Drug Trade in these same areas will help to supply the Non-Contributors with still more avenues of self-destruction. This should be looked upon as the natural progression of a situation. And this can be achieved by doin' less, not more. Modern Science may be able to assist in expandin' the selection put forth. There may even be opportunities for modest research in some instances. This will depend on how creative we allow ourselves to be. Yep- Better Livin' through Chemistry!

These things, if handled correctly, could be put in place discreetly, leavin', at most, a vague trail or Straw Men on which to heap Blame. But the real challenges, the things that will separate the Men from the Garbage, will be our willingness to step out of the Shadows. To operate openly in the Light of Day in Support of our Righteous Agenda. To promote Our Cause without concern for "others".

Extra care must be used in order to minimize the Collateral Damage. We must not allow our exuberance to cause hastily chosen weapons to endanger the Righteous. ( Let's not forget the research, and sometimes introduction, of what appeared to be perfectly selective weapons, such as the HIV Project (see Gao, F et al. (1999, 4th February) 'Origin of HIV-1 in the chimpanzee Pan troglodytes troglodytes', Nature 397(6718)), Post-Vietnam Heroin (see Higher and Higher: American Drug Use in Vietnam, http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/central/Brush/American-drug-use-vietnam.htm), and many others (http://targetedindividualscanada.wordpress.com/tag/tuskegee-syphilis-study/.). Public Opinion and Propaganda Nightmares, all. We must move Decisively, but not Recklessly. The potential for insufficient control and cross-class pollination is too great with material that works on a strictly biological level, such as the ones cited above. As with so many Recipes for Success, Simplicity shall prove to be the Key.

However, as with any operation of this Scope and Magnitude, some Collateral Damage is inescapable. A fact of any conflict. Guilty of Support, and by Association. Sympathy for the Non-Contributors will place some in Harm's Way. (The likes of these would prove to not have the stomach for what has to be done, anyway. ) Still yet, their sacrifice must be recognized, their demise, in the right hands, a Golden Publicity Opportunity. They will not have died in vain, for these will be our Martyrs. Managed properly, they will become Our Symbols of What We All Would Have Chosen to Be, (had it been even remotely fiscally appropriate.) In their honor, we shall continue our Quest. The Grand Correction. The Cleansing. Steam tables will serve the Last Supper. Punch bowls shall be overflowin' with Terminal Kool-Aid. The "socially-medicinal" aspects of some of our most common poisons of the past will once again find Divine Purpose under the New Agenda.

As the body count rises, there will come a point in time when the Direction of Things will become clear to all that were not in "the Loop". It will then be time for the Great Reconstruction. The clutter of our current multi-class system and it's never-endin', continually-changin' sub-classes will finally be recreated, distilled and simplified, from the ground up, with reportionin' of Power, Wealth, Property, and Responsibility. It will be time for all to be made aware their New Position. With this Sea Change, three distinct, new castes shall arise.

First, the New Upper-Caste-
Those of this group will be the Overseers. They will hold the Wealth, the Property, the Power. All decisions will be made by those within this group. They will control all moneys in every form. All determinations of the distribution of commodities, duties, responsibilities, as well as any form of recognition, will be made at this level. All others will defer to this group when decisions are to be made. Members of this group have proven their Right to this Duty and Privilege. It has been evidenced by their ability to continue to amass Wealth and Power, while the Strengths and Positions of others slipped and faltered, helpless in the wake of a Changin' World. Weak. Impotent, regardless of their numbers.

The New Middle-Caste-
These will be the Implementers. This group will consist of the Skilled Professionals, such as those in the scientific fields, the health service industries, law enforcement, as well as managers, supervisors, business professionals. They will be the new center, vastly smaller than the previous middle class, primarily due to the absence of the Minions of Unskilled. (The Screw-Turners, the Line-Pickers, the Dock-Workers. The Factory Fodder: Those whose numbers had exploded over the past hundred years, siphonin' away far more than that of which they were deservin' or had ever earned. Creatin' an Unsustainable Quality of Life.) This streamlined, better-educated caste will be responsible for any logistics and support functions required by the Overseers, as well as the implementation off all new directives their Superiors may deem necessary.

Those that have displayed their above average, yet still menial, intelligence and proved their survivability (as well as their capacity to Know Fear and Accept Change) shall take their place among the Remainders. They shall be the new Workin' Class, the new Common Man. They will be great in number, but that number will be designated by the Overseers, and controlled by whatever means is necessary, lest we repeat the errors of the past. This will be where tightly-controlled, narrow Living Standards will need to be maintained. After only a few generations, memories of the Waste and Abandon of the Past shall be supplanted by the New Reality, the stark acceptance of knowing exactly who you are and where you belong. Removal of things such as Aspiration, Longing, Ambition, will allow all to accept their lot as a Fact of Life. In time, they will even come to embrace their Contribution. Possibly even develop a basic Sense of Pride.

Conscription will be used to ensure Appropriate Balance across all Stations and Aspects of Life for the Remainders. This shall also allow for a "flattenin'" of Expectations, a "thinnin'" of Hope. It can also be closely manipulated (by those with the skills) to suppress counter-productive emotions- Frustration, Dissatisfaction, Disappointment. Particularly Disappointment. This could conceivably come to include prospects such as Controlled Designated Life Span, (see "Logan's Run", MGM, 1976,) or, with sufficient strides in technology, the recyclin' of valuable human assets, (see "THX 1138", American Zoetrope, 1971 and "Soylent Green", MGM, 1973) or Regulated Conflicts, (see "Zardoz", John Boorman, 1974.)

Thusly, shall our Nation finally find its Deserved Greatness in this Brave New World. A World not based on the Outdated Concepts of Liberty, or Justice, or Compassion, or even Politics or Faith, but a World based on Commerce, Power, and Control.

Only then shall Man be positioned to Manage the Business of Man.

Fish