George W. Bush - Last President of the United States of America

It was a good run – 216 years, 43 Presidents, 111 Congresses. The United States of America rose from a far-flung colony of Imperial Britain to the last superpower left. We won wars, hot and cold, with Spain, Barberry, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, Mexico, numerous Indian tribes and other, lesser powers over the years. No country ever bore more faithful allegiance to freedom and liberty as did the USA. Although its tenure did not match the run of other long running nations, like the Roman Empire, the Chinese dynasties or Ancient Egypt, no country ever freed more people, or brought more peace or greater prosperity than did the brain child of the Founding Fathers.

But, now, sadly, it may be gone.

Historians will argue for years, centuries, perhaps, about what caused the demise, but they will mark the event with the cover of Newsweek magazine for February 16, 2009. The cover showed a handshake symbol, one hand red, one hand blue, with the headline shouting, “WE ARE ALL SOCIALISTS NOW.” The article celebrates the event, and even declares that the USA is now “French.”

I wonder if this means we will now ban the use of words other than English in commerce as does France with French. Maybe we can also look forward to riots, universal unions, anti-business laws, government mandated 35 hour work weeks, month long vacations, curbs on freedom of speech, and unfettered immigration. Oh, I guess we have that last part already.

Unfortunately, the November elections heavily favored those who want to end the system of capitalism spawned by the Founders. It is doubtful that they will change the name of our country, but everything they founded, even the national symbols are at risk. There has been a desire for changes in the National Anthem (too militant), the National Bird (too violent) and even the name (States have no rights).

There are those of you who read this that will say I am being rhetorical and overly alarmist, let me explain. The Founding Fathers understood that to achieve the benefits of a free market economy, basic freedoms had to be guaranteed. (These freedoms were not granted, but recognized as coming directly from the Creator.) First to be elicited were life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (Not a guarantee of happiness, just the right to pursue it as you wish.) Next, came the enumerated rights in the first ten Amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

Without unfettered access to these basic freedoms, the promise of America can not be fulfilled. Now, to achieve socialism, some, or all of these freedoms have to be severely curtailed, or outright eliminated. The unwashed masses are persuaded to give up these God-given, Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms for a social safety net, "justice" and promises of a better life. Whether these promises are realized or not, is up for grabs, because once the freedoms are ceded, they cannot be peaceably restored. The history of socialism is a series of failures, with not a single success story.

We are at a tipping point. If the American public falls for the empty promise of socialism, the Great American Experiment will be over, and the country known as the United States of America will cease to exist.

Then, George W. Bush will have been the last President of the USA.