A War for Power

Recently, I hiked the Shiloh National Military Park as part of a Boy Scout outing.  I had been there before and had learned about Bloody Pond and the Hornet’s Nest, that there were over 23,000 casualties and that the battle was a turning point of the War between the States in the West.  One statistic mentioned by the park ranger surprised me.  He stated that 90% of combatants at Shiloh did not own slaves. One of my Scouts wanted to know why they were fighting if they didn’t own slaves?  I wondered that same thing.

I did some research and found that the park ranger’s data, while true, skewed the picture just a little bit.  War is a young man’s game so most of the combatants had not yet amassed enough wealth to buy slaves.  However, only about 25% to 30% of combatants came from slave-owning households, but some of these soldiers served in the Union Army.  So what was the point of the war?

Northerners, especially those of the Republican Party, wanted to prevent the spread of slavery into the western territories, not abolish it.  Southerner slaveholders did not want any restrictions on the spread of slavery.  Slavery was the source of their wealth and power; 60% of the wealthy Americans were slaveholders in the South.  Any restrictions would limit their power and wealth.  But, while the rich and powerful benefited from slavery, many in the South were harmed by a slave economy.  The small farmer couldn’t compete with the large plantations due to higher labor and production costs.  Some economists believe that the slavery actually stifled economic growth in the South. So why did people hurt by a slave economy fight to continue it?

Today we have a group of rich and powerful who want to continue a way of life that benefits them but not the public at large.  When there is an increase in government social programs, politicians benefit because they can provide “free” services and programs that “benefit” large numbers of voters.  Because of their largesse, they help ensure their re-election because the recipients are likely to vote for them again.  The more they are re-elected, the greater their seniority and the greater their power.  They will continue to approve increased government spending and pork-barrel legislation that that will help their re-election, regardless of the benefit or harm to the American people.

However, the benefits are not free and the pork-barrel legislation costs real money; all are paid with the taxes and fees collected from wage earners and business owners.  When higher taxes, increased regulations, or greater entitlement program spending stifle the economic growth, they blame the greedy rich or the big business for not paying enough taxes. They pass legislation in the name of helping the poor, but as many economists will tell you, these social programs, such as Obamacare and higher minimum wage laws, actually stifle the economy and limit the job opportunities for poor.  So why do those hurt by these policies and actions continue to vote for these politicians?

Could it be that, much like 150 years ago, we have been lead to believe by those in power that the way of life we’ve known for so long is the “best” for them?  Are we misled by the media, like we were 150 years ago, that the status quo is good and any change would be catastrophic instead of an improvement?  Or, are we simply too uninformed about the actions of our elected officials and consequences of those actions to make responsible decisions in the voting booth?

Increased government spending and increased reliance on government largesse has grave consequences.  The greater our dependence on the government, the easier it is for the government to take away our rights and freedoms.  History is replete with examples of this, but we must stop history from repeating itself.

To stop this, we must limit the power of the politicians.  We put these politicians in office with our votes and we can remove them from office in the same manner.  We must be well-informed voters and vote for candidates that will back legislation that benefits the whole country, increases economic opportunities for everyone, and decreases reliance on government subsidies and benefits.  Government policies shouldn’t benefit only select groups.

The war ravaged the South and it took nearly 100 years to recover economically.  Let’s avoid the consequences by fixing the problems now.  Be an active, well-informed voter and vote for what is best for the country.