Last week's UK vote to leave the EU may have come as a shock to many, but
the sentiment that led British voters to reject rule from Brussels is nothing
unique. In fact it is growing sentiment worldwide. Frustration with politics
as usual, with political parties that really do not differ in philosophy,
with an economy that serves the one percent at the expense of the rest of
society is a growing phenomenon throughout Europe and in the United States as
well. The Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump phenomena are but one example of a
frustrated public sensing something is very wrong with society and looking
for a way out.
What is happening in the UK, in Europe, and in the US, is nothing less
than a breakdown of the entire system. The EU was meant to be a customs union
where post-World War II Western Europe could rebuild itself through free
trade and a reduction in bureaucracy. Through corruption and political ambition
it became an unelected bully government in Brussels, where the well-connected
were well compensated and insulated from the votes of mere citizens.
Whatever happens in the near future - and it is certainly not assured that
the vote to "Brexit" will actually end in the UK's departure from
the EU - a line has been crossed that supporters of more personal liberty
should celebrate. Rule from London is preferable to liberty-minded Britons
than rule from Brussels. Just as Texans should prefer rule from Austin to
rule from Washington. That doesn't make either option perfect, just more
likely to produce more freedom.
Is Brexit the first victory in a larger freedom movement? Can we get out
of a system that creates money out of thin air to benefit the ruling class while
impoverishing the middle class? Can we get out of a central bank that
finances the wars that make us less safe? Can we exit Executive Orders? Can
we exit the surveillance state? The PATRIOT Act? Can we exit NDAA and
indefinite detention? Can we exit the US worldwide drone program, that kills
innocents overseas and makes us ever-more hated?
Getting out of NATO would be a good first move. This Cold War relic
survives only by stirring up conflict and then selling itself as the only
option to confront the conflict it churned up. Wouldn't it be better to not
go looking for a fight in the first place? Do we really need still another
NATO military exercise on the Russian border? It should be no surprise that
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was fear-mongering on the eve of the
Brexit vote, warning UK citizens that if they vote to leave they could face
increased terrorism.
Likewise, the US would do well to exit the various phony "free
trade" agreements that provide advantage to the well-connected elites while
harming the rest of us.
The act of exit is liberating. We should make a longer list of those
things we would like to get out of. I am only getting started.
