The essential West.

The folding of Moscow’s [East] German affiliate is a consequence of socialist collectivism that, instinctively, sees its mission in the separation of performance from rewards. This fundamental component of the GDR system has survived the Soviet Block. The tradition continues to thrive in numerous other societies that do not even realize what bacteria is ailing them.

The stink of envy and greed wafts over even Washington, DC. Envy of others who have worked for what they have. Greed for the time, money, expertise, and assets of productive citizens. It all fits neatly under the heading of "social justice" but, notwithstanding the verbal fig leaf, there's no denying the stink. Juan Williams was on Hannity's radio program last week and was in full "tax the rich" mode. Tax the rich and we're a beacon to the world. Yes, that's what it takes.

The West is like a man caught fast in the coils of a python. The snake represents socialism and every year or every decade or so the snake manages to tighten down or slip yet another coil around the man's chest. The man is too big for the snake to kill outright but every fractional tightening of its coils diminishes the man's breath yet further. And the coils never slack.

How can they ever be made to slacken? The radical left has a megaphone for its lies in the legacy media and the feckless RINOs just went through a budget "battle" wherein the congressional Republican leadership made no case to the voters because it can't bring itself to mouth the word "socialism" any more than it can bring itself to say "Islamic enemy" or "vote fraud" in the same breath.

The West -- the West of decency, rationality, generosity, and vast opportunity -- doesn't even know it's in a fight for its life.

It's sad to see the liberal West march resolutely to the point of suicide, but that is exactly what it is doing. Was this inevitable, something that was bound to percolate up from the structure of law, science, education, emancipation of women, abolition of slavery, and limited government?

I think not. Rather, it is immensely hard for Westerners to apprehend that something unimaginably vile like Marxism would take root in their midst and spawn ludicrous economics, totalitarian political systems to sustain them, and tens of millions of citizens whose fundamental stance toward their own societies is one of loathing.

Who could have foreseen that tens of millions of Westerners would enthusiastically foul their own nest?

"We Are, With Our Consent, Badly Governed." By George Handlery, Brussels Journal, 4/15/11 (emphasis added).