America: Head or tail?

Our friends across the border, north and south, are not impressed. We were the best hope for the world back in the day, but no more. Now we are being lectured to, and our chic socialistic experiment being held at arm’s length.

In an interview with Time, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto shows understanding of the dark side of socialism. He is asked about his proposal to allow private investment in Mexico’s inefficient state-owned oil industry. Nieto replies: “This is a big energy reform that will require a constitutional amendment. It’s a sensitive national issue for Mexicans, but … if we’re going to realize our energy potential, we have to … let the private sector in.”

Over our northern border, Conservative MP Pierre Piolievre urged fellow lawmakers to avoid the train wreck of the United States’ flirtation with socialism: “It is stormy waters in the world today, Mr. Speaker … cradles of civilization are replaced with cradle-to-grave socialism. Across Europe and the United States, millions … face a lifetime of crippling taxation to pay for the entitlements of their countrymen. … Canada, by contrast, is strong. To stay that way, we must never repeat the mistakes of Europe and the United States. …”

The deep roots of socialism are, in simplest terms, a faith in government as the supreme provider replacing a faith in God as the Supreme provider. God forewarned of all this present misery and ignominy centuries ago when Israel first embarked on nationhood. God held out two choices, two roads. He recited a litany of blessings and a litany of curses, for righteousness and unrighteousness respectively. Here is one blessing on fear of the Lord:

“… The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down …” (Deuteronomy 28:13).

Here is a curse on a nation that abandons fear of the Lord:

“… He [the foreigner] shall be the head, and you shall be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:44).

The curses continue:

“… You shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually. … A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors. … The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower” (Deuteronomy 28:29, 33, 43).

America was once a head. Is it becoming the tail?