From Democracy to Dependence: How Progressive Policies Threaten Freedom and Prosperity

The once attainable American dream may devolve into a nightmare driven by an unfeasible progressive agenda masked as a compassionate effort to meet everyone’s needs, including illegal immigrants.

Rahm Emanuel once said, “You never want a crisis to go to waste.” Today, we face several crises: an unsustainable border situation, mounting national debt, and ongoing military engagements abroad. Chaos reigns both at home and overseas, with America’s adversaries on the move. America’s leadership is perceived as weak, and weakness invites our enemies to act.

The Democratic Ticket

The presumptive Democratic nominee, a progressive from San Francisco, has selected fellow progressive Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard and spent a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing a predominantly rural district in southern Minnesota before becoming governor in 2018.

Following the announcement, conservatives criticized the Democratic ticket as the most radical in history. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis labeled it the “most left-wing ticket in American history.” They accused Walz of failing to control violence during the 2020 protests in Minnesota following the killing of George Floyd. “Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn,” DeSantis stated.

At the time, Walz faced a backlash from the Left as well; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey claimed the governor was slow to deploy the National Guard to quell the extensive riots, which resulted in $500 million in property damage. Critics also highlight that Walz’s first official action as governor was to launch a statewide diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commission, which he renewed after re-election in 2022.

Additionally, he has been criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included misallocating over $5 million in state funds for a refrigerated warehouse that was intended to serve as a morgue but remained vacant, as well as permitting a $250 million scheme that defrauded the federal government of COVID stimulus funds, exploiting vulnerable children in the process.

The Cloward-Piven Strategy

Given the expansive government policies advocated by progressives, one might wonder if former Presidents Obama and Biden-Harris implicitly follow the Cloward-Piven strategy—developed by two Columbia University professors—to socialize America by overwhelming the system through government spending and entitlement demands.

I suspect that Obama, and especially Harris and Walz, are not that smart. Still, there are progressive organizations and leaders, many of whom are socialists, who understand and perhaps even agree with the Cloward-Piven strategy. Progressives have been calling the policy shots for these figurehead leaders, so we can only assume they know the concept. Regardless, what is happening to our country regarding illegal immigration and national debt reflects the strategy, wittingly or not.

The Cloward-Piven strategy was explained in a May 1966 article in The Nation titled “The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty.” The authors aimed to compel the Democratic Party, which controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress in 1966, to “redistribute income” to assist people experiencing poverty. They argued that fully enrolling those eligible for welfare would disrupt bureaucratic and fiscal systems at the local and state levels, leading to divisions within the Democratic coalition.

They wrote, “The ultimate objective of this strategy—to wipe out poverty by establishing a guaranteed annual income—will be questioned by some. Because the ideal of individual social and economic mobility has deep roots, even activists seem reluctant to call for national programs to eliminate poverty by outright income redistribution.”

Michael Reisch and Janice Andrews noted that Cloward and Piven aimed to create a crisis within the welfare system by exploiting the gap between welfare law and practice. They believed this would lead to the system’s collapse and the establishment of a guaranteed annual income. Their plan included informing people experiencing poverty of their rights and encouraging applications for benefits to overload an already strained bureaucracy.

They posited that this strategy could create conflicts within the Democratic Party, leading to significant political strife as welfare rolls increased and local budgets strained. The implications of these policies are alarming. There may be a deliberate plan to transition the United States into a socialist or Marxist state, with a permanent ruling party supported by a majority reliant on government transfer payments. This majority would consistently vote for a bigger government without bearing the responsibility to fund it.

The Tytler Cycle

Historian Alexander Tytler is often credited with saying, “A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.” He asserted that democracy would endure only until voters discovered they could vote themselves generous benefits from the public treasury. From that moment, the majority would consistently favor candidates promising the most benefits, ultimately leading to the collapse of democracy due to reckless fiscal policies, typically followed by dictatorship. He further noted that the final stages of decline are marked by complacency, apathy, and bondage.

External forces may overtake a country, but the rot and decline often begin from within. It is human nature for the majority to succumb to promises of government largesse that could alleviate their cost-of-living challenges. While voices who advocate for greater personal responsibility exist, they rarely gain the majority’s attention. Instead, the majority favors politicians who promise to redistribute wealth from one group to another. This redistribution is not voluntary; it is forced upon the productive by the coercive power of the government, and it is, stated differently, through wealth confiscation.

Tytler is frequently associated with predicting America’s decline, suggesting the nation would last only 200 years. This concept is often referred to as the Tytler Cycle. Although it is unclear whether Tytler penned these words, he is usually credited with their sentiment. He held a negative view of democracy, summarized by the notion that “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury.”

He also stated, “The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith, From spiritual faith to great courage, From courage to liberty, From liberty to abundance, From abundance to selfishness, From selfishness to apathy, From apathy to dependence, From dependence back into bondage.”

The left-wing progressive coalition dominates Democratic party leadership, so they chose the extreme liberals Harris and Walz. They know they can buy votes with government handouts and policies that disincentivize work. This is the real power of the party, and they exercise it with authority and exceptional efficiency.

Non-U.S. Citizens and Voting

Non-U.S. citizens are targeted with forms to vote for the Democratic Party. Standard methods for distributing voting forms to undocumented immigrants include community outreach programs, digital platforms, mail campaigns, partnerships with local businesses and institutions, events and public spaces, religious organizations, and workplace initiatives.

Nonprofits and advocacy groups often conduct community outreach programs, set up booths at events before entering the U.S., and go door-to-door to provide voter registration forms. Digital platforms, such as online portals and email campaigns, allow individuals to register to vote or download forms.

Mail campaigns involve sending forms directly to homes, targeting specific demographics such as non-citizens and illegal immigrants. Partnerships with libraries, community centers, schools, and universities help distribute forms to the public. Forms are also handed out at public events, transportation hubs, and through religious organizations during services or community events. Additionally, some employers organize voter registration drives within workplaces, providing forms and assistance to employees.

As of the latest data estimated by Pew Research, in 2022, the 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. will no doubt support (and vote for) the political party that promotes sanctuary cities and provides generous welfare benefits.

These numbers do not include the ‘getaways’ and at least 500,000 new immigrants who were paroled into the country through two federal programs—the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) program and the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program. Groups like these have traditionally been considered part of the unauthorized immigrant population, but almost none of them appear in the 2022 estimates. The actual number of undocumented immigrants is likely closer to 16 million or more.

In 49 states, welfare offices and other agencies are providing voter registration forms to migrants without requiring proof of citizenship. This has led Republicans to call for federal action to stop the practice. At least 19 states and Washington, DC, allow non-citizens to obtain driver’s licenses, potentially increasing their access to voter registration forms.

Key Points:

• State Practices: Only Arizona has passed a law barring this practice on state forms, though it still occurs on federal forms.

• Federal Forms: Federal voting forms do not require proof of citizenship, although it is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections.

• Migrants’ Access: Millions of migrants with humanitarian parole, refugee, or asylum status are eligible for benefits that bring them to offices where voter registration occurs.

• National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993: Mandates voter registration at DMVs and public benefit agencies, requiring these offices to provide registration forms.

It is illegal for non-citizens to participate in elections, but it is also illegal to enter the country uninvited. Unlawful immigrants do not even need to cast votes themselves. Various loopholes add names and addresses to the system that ballot harvesters can use with mail-in voting schemes. Unverified checkboxes go hand in hand with unverified ballot drop boxes.

Our elections are not safe from widespread interference as long as states do not require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.

The ‘Unite and Rise’ Movement Leads to Socialism

The progressive movement’s rallying cry is always, “We must rise and fight for our rights!” “We must rise up and unite against racism!” “The rich must pay their fair share!” and “Greedy businessmen are exploiting labor!” Those who pursue profits and wealth in a capitalist market are evil and must be punished—hence the moral outrage and justification for confiscating and redistributing wealth and power back to the “people” that they profess to represent. This, of course, can be achieved only by force (i.e., state control), so the “rise” movement requires propaganda and anger because it is the only way to gain political power, which is the prerequisite for all of the “free” stuff the charlatans like Harris-Walz promise.

Suppose the progressive movement of the Left achieves its goals. In that case, our country becomes a bloated welfare state, resulting in a more powerful authoritarian administrative state that enforces excessive regulations and mandates. Government spending as a percentage of GDP will continue to increase, and eventually, the result will be escalating poverty and a lower standard of living for a shrinking middle class.

The only hope to regain the American Dream is that more citizens begin to understand the perils of socialist policies promoted by the progressive Left and its promotion of an ever-expanding government and intervention, which, by definition, requires less freedom. Only by embracing free markets, minimizing state intervention, and reducing excessive regulation can sustained economic growth be achieved. This is the only way to improve the lives of citizens and the next generations.

Final Thoughts

The United States has basked in nearly 250 years of independence since the American Revolution secured sovereignty from Great Britain in 1776. Yet, as the pages of history turn, the nation finds itself on a slippery slope toward socialism, a journey that began with President Obama’s tenure in January 2009.

Should Harris and Walz ascend to the White House and their party grasp the reins of Congress, the risk of reaching a point of no return looms large. The specter of big government socialism threatens to overshadow the free enterprise capitalism that has made America one of the most prosperous nations in history. With the potential support of millions of undocumented immigrants, the Democratic Party may cement its grip on power for the foreseeable future.

Unsustainable public debt and deficit spending levels teeter on the brink, likely to worsen under a Harris-Walz administration. Their policies will prioritize wealth redistribution to those less productive via significant tax hikes and growth-killing regulations.

Harris and her Party understand that the majority favors candidates who promise the most benefits, especially among communities of color, representing one of their largest constituencies. Undocumented immigrants, drawn by open border policies and social services, are allies in this political landscape.

The Democratic Party may continue its wealth redistribution agenda through higher taxes and increased borrowing, even as the treasury, which would be bankrupt if it were a private company, approaches a fiscal crisis and must issue more bonds at ever-higher interest rates. As Tytler suggested, every democracy inevitably collapses due to reckless budgetary policy, often followed by dictatorship.

Attempts to redistribute wealth through confiscatory policies have historically resulted in diminished productivity and increased poverty. When governments seize wealth, it discourages future wealth creation, leading to lower economic growth. Why invest time and resources when gains are destined to be taken away?

If Democrats gain control of all levers of power, reckless deficit spending will persist, a necessity to maintain their grasp. The nation will eventually face a financial crisis, a moment ripe for power consolidation. In such times, the executive might decree an emergency, enabling more borrowing and spending for ‘those in need.’ At that juncture, America’s republic and democracy could fade, fulfilling Tytler’s warning and the Cloward-Piven agenda.

Unlike conservatives, who champion equality of opportunity in a capitalist economy, liberals seek equality of outcomes, necessitating a socialist authoritarian state where technocrats decide fates. This focus on outcomes blinds us to opportunities, as free markets reward innovation, regardless of race, gender, or religion.

Under a Harris-Walz administration, the once attainable American dream may devolve into a nightmare driven by an unfeasible progressive agenda masked as a compassionate effort to meet everyone’s needs, including those of undocumented immigrants.