The three ring circus of the 2016 election cycle was certainly full of dark and depressing performances. In the middle of all this, however, another phenomenon occurred. What should have been the biggest story of the 21^st century went largely unnoticed.

There was a time in America when socialism was recognized as the evil it is, even by the most common man. It did not take a college degree for someone to instantly have a negative reaction to this oppressive, country-killing form of government. Nevertheless, in 2016, for the first time in American history, we had an unapologetic socialist–Bernie Sanders–run in a major party’s primary in an attempt to become the president of the United States.

Where was the media coverage, other than what would normally be given to any primary candidate? Where was the shock? Where were the news stories about a socialist daring to attempt to become U.S. president? Yes, socialists have held office in different states at different levels and even Congress has been stained with this disease, but no presidential primary candidate has ever proudly run under this banner. The reaction should have been dramatic and heated. The reaction should have been utter outrage. Instead, there was hardly any reaction at all.

The Camel’s Head is Firmly in the Tent

Certainly the balance of power would have come into play and stifled most of what Sanders would have likely tried to do if nominated and elected, but that is not the point. The point is the hideous apathy of the American public, who by and large were unmoved about the fact that socialism clearly has a hold in this country. Many were willing to support a socialist without feeling a twinge. What this means, folks, is that the camel has his head in the tent. You’ve all heard that one. Once his head is in, the rest of him is coming.

Unrecognized Threat

A mere 20 years ago, no primary candidate would have dared to run as a socialist, even if that was technically his or her agenda. We must wonder what has happened to this country that so few understand the threat of this horribly oppressive form of government and even find it perfectly acceptable.

Many are now willing to trade the best system in the world–no, not a perfect system–for a government system that has failed 100% of the time throughout history. They are willing to trade what we have now for the poverty and misery that is the eventual fate of all socialist countries.

Have people become so indoctrinated through the liberal education system that they are raised to hate capitalism and believe everything must be “fair,” and therefore socialism must be good? We can only shake our heads in disbelief.

Dismal Statistics of a Real Life Experiment

It is the opinion of some that citizens go down this dangerous road because America does not know who she is anymore. On a small scale, I have found truth in this theory: after randomly stopping 51 people on the street at a shopping center, I found only two who could name the three branches of government.  Ten of the 51 could name only one U.S. Senator or Representative in their district. The other 40 were unable to name any, and some even seemed surprised to know they “had one.”  No one in the group could name even one representative or senator at the state level.

None were able to name a single duty of the federal government, although the guesses were mind-blowing. The Fifth Amendment was the only amendment that a substantial number of people recognized–likely from so many characters on television “pleading the fifth.” However, they had no idea what was contained in the 10^th Amendment, and only a tiny handful could state even one of the five Rights found in the First Amendment. When asked to describe the difference between a capitalist system and socialism, 51 out of 51 failed.

When asked about healthcare, 50 out of 51 said “the government should pay for it,” or something similar. When asked if the government is supposed to tell us what to do, I got every answer except the one I was looking for: the government is not supposed to tell us what to do, we are supposed to tell THEM what to do. Concerning the latter, one person even asked me “well, how would we do that?” On certain days, it is difficult for a politically savvy person to know whether to laugh or cry.

It is a shock and a disgrace to find so many individuals utterly unaware of what has made America great, and what will almost certainly destroy her if no one cares enough to save her life. If we do not know who America is, we cannot properly evaluate if she has taken a turn for the worse.

The Forgotten Warning Sign

The biggest story of the 21^st century should have been that a socialist was welcomed with opened arms to run in a major party’s presidential primary. Yet the media merely glanced at it and passed by, proving once again that we are not defending our country from the things that could lead to its demise.

There are plenty of socialist countries in the world. If that is the type of government a person enjoys, he or she is free to relocate at any time. Might I suggest Venezuela?

People today are offended at inconsequential nonsense, yet no one seems offended at the attempt by some to change our system of government and implement socialist tenets into American law, even though such action defies our Constitution.

This is a shining example of the apathy, incompetence, and inability to think and reason that will lead to disaster unless we challenge the threats that are all around us each day. No one can save us if we do not save ourselves. America’s biggest enemies and most dangerous threats are found within, but this we consistently fail to recognize.