Dear Friends,
It seems to me, the reason Biden could do anything with his pen and Trump is stymied at every turn, is because of the logic of collective action. The grifters who receive the grift, keep close track of the grift. Because their incomes come from it. While the victims of the grift don’t. Because individually our harm is small. So when Trump cuts the grift, the grifters fly into a rage. After careful judge shopping they sue. So when Biden added grift, the grifters cheered, while the victims grumbled. Even as when Trump cuts the grift, the grifters fly into a rage, as the victims cheer. The logic of collective action at work. Those with the greater stake will take the greater action to protect their stake. Which presents a huge obstacle to Trump succeeding in cutting the fat from government.
Let’s face it, our government has become an inferno of grift. The USAID scandal is mind blowing. Almost 50 billion a year entirely dedicated to grift. Were that the whole story, it would be bad enough, but it’s only the tip of a budget ripping iceberg. Social Security is filled with fraud. The elite can distract with arguments about COBOL being old so it’s unreliable, their shoes are untied, and the sun was in their eye, but they amount to excuses for failure. It appears the whole world was on the US government’s payroll! No wonder the budget is a raging chemical plant fire, no one wants to get near, let alone extinguish. As that fire burns up the wealth of the nation, our elites warm their hands by its heat. Now we hear that 4.7 trillion dollars of government spending is unaccountable?!
Grift is like cocaine, the more one gets the more one wants. People take the easiest route. It’s because humanity evolved or was created in a system of perfect competition. The ecosystem. In such a system, any advantage no matter how small, can mean the difference between life and death. This is programmed into all of us. Residing in our collective unconscious or some such place. As a result, we act out our programming even when the stakes aren’t life and death. Because of mankind’s history in the state of nature. So when offered the option of hard work or taking grift, most people will take the grift. It’s simply human nature. Plus, the more grift is available, the more the grifter wants. Again human nature, in that there’s no such thing as enough good, but even a bit of bad is too much.
No one addicted to a drug willingly lets it go until forced. Since grift is drug like in its effect we can apply this to government grift. The answer to both then is keeping people from trying them. Instead, our elites all get a taste of grift the moment they get power. It’s like having all teenagers try heroin, meth and crack at the age of sixteen. The one is as stupid as the other. Because a taste is all that’s needed to create addiction. Which means, drugs have to be limited to medical uses and government must be limited to the basics. Any more power in the hands of weak human beings and an opium epidemic of grift will happen. It’s human nature. What we need to do then is limit government to limit grift and all the associated negative results. Hindered by the logic of collective action.
That’s why when Biden sent tens of billions to Ukraine, Iran and Soros, outside congressional authority, no one judge shopped and sued. Billions went to the addicts. Taken from the pockets of working people. Who grumbled but didn’t sue. When Trump cuts grift however, that money comes right out of the pockets of some of the most corrupt and self serving people to have ever lived. They won’t hesitate to judge shop and sue. It’s the definition of Olsen’s Logic of Collective Action. Those with the greater stake will take the greater action. It’s not their fault. Since we all seek an advantage due to our programming from the state of nature. What we should do then is put our shoulders behind Trump, cut the grift and limit government, to eliminate the flow of the elite’s drug of choice… grift.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
