The Fascist Threat

I just found this excellent article at the Mises Institute website, “The Fascist Threat,” by Lew Rockwell.  It’s a good read and spot-on about a topic on which I’ve been doing some personal research for a year or two now.  Rockwell makes a good case that America demonstrates a shocking number of traits that are commonplace in fascist governments.  This is not the first time that I’ve read an argument like this, and I think it has merit and deserves some careful consideration.

Honestly, it’s tough for most people to even agree on exactly what fascism is.  Most people instantly think of Hitler and/or Mussolini.  For all practical purposes, fascism is a system wherein the government becomes the center of everything: the government chooses which produces to subsidize, which individuals or groups of individuals to legally plunder or subsidize, and uses a police state to enforce its rule.  The will of the people is of no consideration whatsoever.  What some people forget or fail to recognize is that, prior to WWII, fascism had its fair share of cheerleaders in the US.  Although I don’t think anyone in Washington would admit to liking fascist policies, they do practically, whether or not they do theoretically.

In any case, I think Rockwell’s article sums up the situation rather succinctly.  I always enjoy reading his articles, and I hope this one is illuminating for others, as well.