Serfdom - A Concern For Us Today, In America?

Awhile back, I joined The Heritage Foundation online at www.heritage.org. The Heritage Foundation is America's leading conservative policy organization. They are dedicated to helping the cause to defeat the encroachment of Liberalism/Socialism in our lives today, in America. You know, that push for a more centralized government, by many times, unscrupulous 'planners' who won't be satisfied until they control every aspect of our lives! Through many forms of education The Heritage Foundation advances the understanding and promotion of conservative principles. They quite often, run a free online course to better understand our Constitution.

For a $25.00 membership they were offering a (small) special abridged edition of The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich A. Hayek. The word 'serfdom' quickly caused me concern! Why would they offer a book of this title, at this time - unless they were concerned about it happening to us today? Not being fully attentive in history class, I probably couldn't have written even a descent paragraph clearly explaining what serfdom was, but ImJusSayin' I think everyone who hears this term remembers that it wasn't a good system to live under and wouldn't knowingly agree to living under it today! Serfdom? I think it's safe to say, if a survey was taken, I don't think a majority of Americans would put this on the top of their list of fears for our country. But, there it was...(along with a free periodical, the Heritage Member News,) the Heritage Foundation's book of choice was entitled: The Road to Serfdom.


I was really looking forward to receiving it to see just what Heritage thought would be so important for me to understand about it. The word even sounded scary, to me.  After reading this little 48 page abridged edition of The Road to Serfdom I'm sorry to report - it WAS a very timely choice of books to be sending out! There are more than 600,000 copies in print at present. I thought it might be helpful to those whose curiosity I have peaked, to go ahead and list the chapter titles. Some of you will decide right away, that you DO WANT to read it's contents to further your education and ability to articulate just what is incrementally going on in our country, today...and it is a topic worthy of discussion.

Planners Require Centralized Power
Liberalism to Socialism to Fascism
Planning for, Not Against, Competition
(After reading the above chapter, it probably would have been better entitled:
Planning Against, Not for Competition - because that is what 'Planners' do!)
The Road to Serfdom
Why The Worst Get on Top
Planning and the Rule of Law
(My 'better title' would have been: Planning vs. the Rule of Law)
The "Inevitability" of Planning
Economic Control and Totalitarianism
Security and Freedom
If We Are to Build a Better World
Ten (Mostly) Hayekian Insights for Trying Economic Times

Through the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers we have inherited FREEDOM, and LIBERTY, and THE RIGHT TO THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS through SELF DETERMINATION, rather than servitude under the control of (Socialist) planners...who, by the way, always start by offering up their help in the area of economics and convince everyone that allowing them to make everything FAIR and EVENLY DISTRIBUTED will bring peace and contentment to them and their country and that their lives will be grand! History proves that just the opposite is what happens! They divide up the country, causing hatred and envy among as many different groups as they can. They have been dumming down our educational system, and rewriting history for a good long time now, as part of that very plan. Then through a strategy of incremental changes, they eventually control everything - and I mean everything!! 


One reason why America has become such a 'melting pot' of cultures is because so many who lived in countries with 'planned and controlled' systems of government did everything they could to get out from under them and come here...many times escaping under the fear of losing their lives! Why on earth would we want to go under such a system again? Mainly, it is because the average American just doesn't understand 'the way' that countries come under the power of a dictator. They clearly haven't got a clue. ImJusSayin' as long as the wolf looks and sounds like their sweet, loving grandma (might the name Pelosi come to mind?) they will with full trust, faithfully go in closer and closer, until SERFDOM has them by the throat! How surprised and frightened they will all be then!    

In this little booklet you will find that Hayek uses the topic of economics to discuss and explain both the thoughts and actions of mankind, with the knowledge he gained to unveil the totalitarian nature of socialism and to explain how it inevitably leads to serfdom. Both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher respected and appropriated Friedrich Hayek's freedom-inspired economic policies, as they restored free market economics to its central role in the United States and in Britain. (Much of this paragraph was taken from the FORWARD in the booklet, though not verbatim.)

There's a statement that's worth repeating found on page 25..."Almost all the traditions and institutions which have moulded the national character and the whole moral climate of England and America are those which the progress of collectivism and its centralistic tendencies are progressively destroying!" Just thought I'd wet your whistle a bit. It's all good. It will challenge you. Just speaking for myself, I believe that I am a much better 'informed American' for reading it...the wolf won't be fooling me or those in my circle of influence, that's for sure...unless of course, they insist on staying in the dark. They do have that right.

I highly recommend ALL conservatives...and ALL Americans, for that matter, to avail themselves to the information within this booklet. Heritage members can order additional copies of this very important book for family and friends, or others they wish to educate for liberty. The complete 320 page edition of The Road To Serfdom ($17.00 paperback) is available at probably any bookstore (online or other) or from the University of Chicago Press: http://www.press.uchicago.edu or you can order by calling: 1-800-426-1357.

Would love to know what you thought of it.