Previously
In the previous article (here), we looked at the magnitude of the state’s erosion of your life’s work and how that affects your ability to secure your future.
Let’s take a break from the numbers and look instead at where government is stepping into your lives (rarely doing it with your explicit permission and often completely without your knowledge).
(The title of this article comes from this clip.)
A Complex Of Complexes
Before doing that, let’s set the table by taking a look at the term “industrial complex“. This phrase first rose to popular use by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address to the country on Jan. 17th, 1961. [2]
Wikipedia provides a good working definition of “industrial complex”:
“The industrial complex is a socioeconomic concept wherein businesses become entwined in social or political systems or institutions, creating or bolstering a profit economy from these systems. Such a complex is said to pursue its own interests regardless of, and often at the expense of, the best interests of society and individuals. Businesses within an industrial complex may have been created to advance a social or political goal, but mostly profit when the goal is not reached. The industrial complex may profit financially, or ideologically, from maintaining socially detrimental or inefficient systems.” [3] [emphasis added by me]
For the sake of this article, I use the term “industrial complex” anytime there is a cozy and self-serving relationship between government and private industry. By the way, that is a key characteristic of fascism (which we will get to below).
President Eisenhower used “military industrial complex” and was completely justified in his warning to the nation. The Cold War was in full swing and the U.S. was on high alert. As a result, our government had preempted much of our industrial capacity and engaged in a great deal of interference in the daily lives of all Americans which we are still paying the price for six decades later.
But, why stop there with the military? If we go with the general idea of industrial complex, then we can actually apply this to a multitude of sectors, not just our military (the Department Of Defense). So, let’s do just that.
Below, I have identified what I consider to be thirty two different industrial complexes in the U.S.:
This list probably covers more than 95% of total political, civic, economic, social, and cultural activities in the U.S.
Note: By the way, if you think of any others, then please feel free to reach out to me to let me know. It’s important to be comprehensive.
A Timeless Tumor
I think it is incumbent for all of us to ask how our federal government has gone from a mere four (rather large) pages of The Constitution of the United States of America [4] to legislating, regulating, and codifying well over 95% of our lives with hundreds of thousands of pages of laws, regulations, rules, codes, and ordinances.
Much like a metastasizing tumor, our government has become both intrusive and obstructive, invading and blocking.
Let us consider for a moment if any industrial complex could ever manifest and endure without the active participation and command by the state. No industrial complex could exist, much less persist, without the state. In fact, the above thirty two industrial complexes are merely extensions of the will of the state. Benito Mussolini would be proud.
Funding Fascism
Speaking of Benito Mussolini, let’s dive into that. How does the above relate to fascism? Let’s take a closer look at fascism and its historical context in regards to civics.
Mussolini had a famous quote, his epigram, “Everything within the state, nothing against the state, nothing outside the state,” [5] which summarized quite well the prevailing thought at the time of the proper role of government in a fascist state. His ideology rejected liberal democracy, communism, and socialism, and emphasized the supremacy of the state and the nation over individual rights and freedoms.
Ultimately, the fascist state is conceived as a directing force, guiding the development of society, with the individual’s freedom and autonomy limited
Note: I recommend looking into the history and implementation of fascism which I have summarized in the end notes below. [6]
I realize it might seem a little extreme to jump to “the F- word” but, am I wrong in making this reference? Have not the various industrial complexes cited above become the manifestation of the state as the many-headed hydra which exists to consume all aspects of the lives of the citizenry?
Given this perspective, we can ask more detailed and critical questions:
- Have we not entered a multi-generational paradigm whereby government continues to infiltrate more and more of our lives at the expense of the people?
- As a consequence of government having preempted our ability to control our own lives, have our critical thinking skills, moral compasses, and sense of self-responsibility atrophied, causing us to become rudderless as we attempt to “[navigate] by the stars under cloudy skies“? [7]
- Is it possible that the path towards tyranny doesn’t need a leader but is, instead, an emergent outcome, the result of decades of the state acting as a black hole wherein all resources naturally accrete and tyranny arises over time?
“How Did I Get Here??” [8]
Much like David Byrne, from the progressive rock group, “The Talking Heads“, singing “Once In A Lifetime“[8], we can paraphrase his key question, “How did we get here??“
Much like a previous article (here), where we examined first principle questions regarding how our federal government has managed to grow without constraint and accountability to the people, let’s ask a few more first principle questions to inquire how we got here:
- What is the mechanism that has allowed our governments (federal, state, county, and local) to deploy and maintain such vast legions of legislative, regulatory, administrative, bureaucratic, auditing, and enforcement personnel which use and consume facilities, equipment, and supplies on a scale previously unknown?
- How are these legions able to grow like cancers year after year, without fail or interruption?
- How are our governments able to fund these massive authorities in so many sectors of our lives?
- What is the one thing that, if it were stripped away from the control by the federal government, would completely remove the state’s ability to operate on a grand scale?
I think such fundamental thinking is critical to getting to the root of our problems here in the U.S. [9]
Evaporating The State
Pivoting from the previous section, I think any reasonable person who values freedom and individual liberty would ask these questions:
- What is the natural check on this virtual leviathan of command and control?
- How do we break out of this multi-generational cycle of tending towards tyranny?
- Is there a single root cause which has been corrupted and which enables government to grow unchecked which we can remedy?
As before in my previous article (here), by the end of this opening series, I hope that we all arrive at the same conclusion.
A common refrain that I hear is the defeatist’s stance, “It’s too late; the state already has too much power. There is no way to fight back. We’ve already lost.“
Before adopting such a submissive posture, I’d like to propose an alternative way of looking at things.
What if the government couldn’t…?
- … pay their vast army of employees?
- … fund abusive law enforcement?
- … pay for the bloated bureaucrats?
- … buy the surveillance state’s ubiquitously deployed equipment?
- … pay for the electricity to run that surveillance equipment?
- … hire the legions of vendors, contractors, and suppliers?
- … go into perpetual debt, ad hoc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum?
- … abuse the money printers anymore??
If the government doesn’t have the means to pay to legislate, regulate, control, and micromanage the above thirty two sectors then the state as we know it simply…
…evaporates.
Next Steps
In our next article, here, we quantify how badly the U.S. federal government has mismanaged its finances and what it means for all of us.
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End Notes, References, & Citations
[1] “Joker Harvey Dent Two Face Hospital Scene The Dark Knight“
[2] “Dwight D. Eisenhower – Farewell Speech – Address to the Nation – Military Industrial Complex Warning“
[4] U.S. Constitution
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/downloads
https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/constitution.pdf
https://uscode.house.gov/static/constitution.pdf
[5] Mussolini’s Epigrame “Everything Within The State“:
Mussolini had a quote, “Everything Within the State, Nothing Against the State, Nothing Outside the State,” which summarized quite well the prevailing thought at the time of the role of government in a fascist state.
Ultimately, the point of a fascistic state was total control of everything within a nation, totalitarianism. The purpose of this totalitarian state was to engage in social engineering on a mass scale. A more detailed explanation can be found here.
The Brave search engine does a fine job of summarizing Mussolini’s intentions. (Brave search engine: “Mussolini everything in the state“)
Mussolini’s State Ideology
Mussolini’s Totalitarian Vision: “Everything within the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State”
Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator, famously declared that “Everything within the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State” (“Tutto dentro lo Stato, nulla fuori lo Stato, nulla contro lo Stato.“). This phrase encapsulates his totalitarian ideology, which aimed to subsume all aspects of Italian life under the authority of the state.
Imperfect Totalitarianism
Fascist Italy, under Mussolini’s leadership, was an imperfect totalitarian society. While it sought to eliminate competition for power and control, it was unable to fully eliminate the influence of the Catholic Church, as evident in the 1929 Lateran Pacts. Additionally, Mussolini’s own deposition by King Vittorio Emmanuele III in 1943 demonstrates that even the dictator himself was not above the state.
Nazi Germany: The Archetypal Totalitarian State
In contrast, Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler is often regarded as the archetypal totalitarian state. Its powerful propaganda and political police (Gestapo) effectively controlled all aspects of thought and behavior within the regime.
Mussolini’s Epigram
Mussolini’s epigram, “Everything within the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State,” summarized his vision for a society where the state dominated every aspect of life. This ideology aimed to politicize human existence, rendering individuals subservient to the state.
Everyday Life in Fascist Italy
Historians have explored the ways in which everyday life in Fascist Italy was shaped by the regime’s totalitarian project. From social encounters and relationships to gestures, clothing, and comportment, Italians negotiated, resisted, and exploited the dictates of Mussolini’s regime. The state’s engagement with Italians involved coercion and persuasion, leisure and recreational practices, food consumption, and intimate networks.
Limits of Totalitarianism
Despite Mussolini’s ambitions, his regime’s totalitarian project had limits. Opportunities for agency and resistance existed, particularly in the ways Italians adapted to and subverted the regime’s rules. The complexity of everyday life in Fascist Italy highlights the difficulties of achieving a truly totalitarian society.
In Conclusion
Mussolini’s phrase, “Everything within the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State,” represents a totalitarian ideology that aimed to dominate every aspect of Italian life. While Fascist Italy was an imperfect totalitarian society, it serves as a significant example of the regime’s attempts to shape and control the daily lives of its citizens.
Fascism definitions:
- “A populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition.” (Ref. here)
- “Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power” ― Benito Mussolini (Ref. here)
[6] Fascism (Brave search engine “fascism mussolini definition“)
Mussolini’s Definition of Fascism
Based on the provided search results, here is a comprehensive definition of fascism and its relation to Benito Mussolini:
Fascism: A political ideology and mass movement that emphasizes:
- Autocratic government: A centralized, authoritarian state with a dictator or leader holding absolute power.
- Militarism: A strong emphasis on military power, nationalism, and the glorification of war.
- Supremacy of the nation: The belief that the nation is superior to the individual, with the state prioritizing national interests over individual rights and freedoms.
- Contempt for democracy: A rejection of liberal democracy, parliamentary systems, and representative government.
- Hatred of communism and socialism: A strong opposition to Marxist ideologies and labor movements.
- Natural social hierarchy: A belief in a natural order of society, with elites and authority figures dominating the masses.
Mussolini’s Fascism: Mussolini’s fascist ideology, as outlined in his 1932 entry for the Italian Encyclopedia, emphasizes:
- The State as an absolute: The fascist state is conceived as a directing force, guiding the development of society, with the individual’s freedom and autonomy limited.
- National unity: The goal of fascism is to create a unified, disciplined nation, with citizens subordinating their individual interests to the state’s authority.
- Economic corporatism: The merger of state and corporate power, with the state controlling the economy through corporative organizations and regulating industries.
- Authoritarianism: Mussolini’s regime was characterized by heavy-handed repression, censorship, and surveillance, with opposition parties and individuals silenced or persecuted.
Key quotes:
- “The Fascist accepts life and loves it, knowing nothing of and despising suicide: he rather conceives of life as duty and struggle and conquest, but above all for others—those who are at hand and those who are far distant, contemporaries, and those who will come after.” (Mussolini, 1932)
- “Fascism denies that the majority, by the simple fact that it is a majority, can direct human society; it denies that numbers alone can govern by means of a periodical consultation, and it affirms the immutable, beneficial, and fruitful inequality of mankind, which can never be permanently leveled through the mere operation of a mechanical process such as universal suffrage.” (Mussolini, 1932)
In summary, Mussolini’s fascism was a unique blend of authoritarianism, militarism, and corporatism, aimed at creating a unified, disciplined nation under his absolute leadership. His ideology rejected liberal democracy, communism, and socialism, and emphasized the supremacy of the state and the nation over individual rights and freedoms.
[7] “We Are Navigating by the Stars Under Cloudy Skies Jerome Powell“
Brave search: “We Are Navigating by the Stars Under Cloudy Skies Jerome Powell“
- https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/we-are-navigating-by-the-stars-under-cloudy-skies-jerome-powell-1370512
- https://www.tker.co/p/fed-chair-jerome-powell-jackson-hole-2023
[8] “Once In A Lifetime” song and video by The Talking Heads
[9] Root Cause Analysis (Brave search engine “what is root cause analysis”)
Root Cause Analysis
“Root Cause Analysis is a structured method used to analyze serious adverse events, particularly in healthcare, but also in other fields such as manufacturing, IT operations, and engineering. It aims to identify the underlying causes of problems rather than just addressing their symptoms. RCA uses a systems approach to uncover both active errors (errors occurring at the interface between humans and a complex system) and latent errors (hidden problems within systems that contribute to adverse events). Common tools used in RCA include the Fishbone diagram, the 5 Whys, and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). The goal of RCA is to prevent problems from recurring by addressing their root causes through process improvements.“