ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Dr. Anthony Fauci is fielding a lot of bad press right now, particularly from Republicans who have found, among his many FOID’d emails, plenty of cause to call out his seeming lies, deceptions, spins and flip-flopping testimonies on the coronavirus. #FireFauci, in other words, is a hashtag that’s much-deserved.
But really, shame on the politicians — on the media — on the American people — for putting so much trust in Fauci in the first place.
He’s a bureaucrat.
As such, he’s part of that elitist class of which President Ronald Reagan warned when he said the nine most terrifying words in the English language were, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
That Fauci ever got to the point of wielding so much power over the lives of hardworking Americans in the first place speaks volumes on how far we’ve come from the days of Reagan and those worldly words of wisdom.
Conservatives used to fight to conserve individual rights. Big Government, nanny government, socialist and Marxist government disguised as progressive government — these were all characteristics of the Democratic Party, the members of which worked hard to counter individual rights with collectivism. For the left, it was always groupthink driven by emotion. For conservatives, it was principled stands for the Constitution, driven by critical thinking.
These lines have muddied.
The division between Republican and Democrat has grown watery.
Over the years, the main difference between the two political parties has become not so much of individual freedom versus government-imposed collectivism, but rather the speed at which they both are pursuing the same end: globalism, collectivism, socialism. Democrats speed-walked; Republicans slow-walked. But they were both walking the same socialist road.
Today’s Republicans In Name Only now like to point fingers at former President Donald Trump as the primary cause of the demise of the party; as the spark that ignited the breakdown of conservativism. But that’s untrue. Trump, in fact, outed the many cloaked-and-daggered, anti-America types who pretended love of country in public but worked busily behind closed doors to actually undercut America. They were deep staters, and they hated Trump. Still do.
Trump angered the Chinese by insisting on fair trade for America.
Trump angered the pro-China World Health Organization by pulling funding.
Trump angered the United Nations by demanding respect for America and America’s exceptionalism.
Trump angered the media, the social media CEOs, by skirting their controls and challenging their dominance.
In so doing, in so doing these things, Trump angered all of the Democrats who hate America, all the Republicans who’ve sold out America and all the lifetime bureaucrats in public service who have forgotten their first and foremost on-the-job duty: service to the American people who pay their salaries.
Fauci was just one in a long line of the last group who truly believed in the power of government over the individual — who obviously and absolutely saw the role of government as shepherd and the good people of America, helpless frightened sheep.
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help” became Fauci’s go-to attitude for the better part of 2020.
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help” is Fauci’s attitude to this very day, as he exclaims, woefully inadequately, that his emails are being taken out of context by players with personal grudges.
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help” — was Reagan’s warning.in August of 1986.
We’ve forgotten that fear.
We’ve misplaced that terror.
Fear of the coronavirus overcame fear of the government, and as such, the likes of Fauci was able to seize policy reins and run roughshod over God-given individual rights.
The solution?
A return to critical thinking. Insistence on limited government. Teaching of the Constitution to our nation’s youth. And a return to our pro-coronavirus days to a time when bureaucrats were kept in proper public servant place out of fear — real, historically accurate fear — that they could and would seize power from the people.
The government may be here to help; the government may say it’s here to help. But after a year-and-a-half of largely needless coronavirus shutdowns, after a year-and-a-half of Fauci and his flip-flops, once again, Reagan’s words ring true. The government, more so than the virus, is to be feared.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Socialists Don’t Sleep: Christians Must Rise Or America Will Fall,” is available by clicking HERE.
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