There is a real and visible disconnection between the American people and its leaders.  It’s as if they live in separate universes, the latter snug in luxury accommodations paid for with the labor of the former.  While thousands of hurricane victims suffer with no electricity, the President plays golf.  While many elderly struggle to live within the simple means provided by an endangered Social Security system, government employees and federal elected officials enjoy the guaranteed income and benefits of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).  It appears that America has functionally become medieval Europe.

Medieval America takes its sociopolitical heritage from ruling classes of days gone by.  From the Senators of the Greek Republic to the royals dethroned by the French Revolution, those who held power usually maintained it, for a period of time, by mastering the art of controlling the masses.  Using strategies like agrarian reform, progressive tax systems, and government sponsored charities, ruling classes have given the masses just enough social and financial medicine to sedate them into allowing their governance to continue.

Then, in the late 1700’s, Marie-Antoinette, Queen consort of France’s Louis XVI, is said to have responded with “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” (“let them eat cake”) when told there was no more flour to make bread for the poor.  Although historians say there is no evidence that she ever actually said this,* today’s political class should take a lesson from it.  Making promises to the masses and then not delivering on them seldom ends well for those in government.  One way or another, the masses will affect a change in leadership.

Marie-Antoinette met the guillotine in October 1793.

In Medieval America today, the President seeks to solve every financial problem – from feeding the poor to eliminating the nation’s massive, unsustainable debt – by raising taxes on the rich.  This is a trick being played on the American people and the results of the recent election may indicate that it worked.  The President and his advisors know that if they confiscated the total wealth of America’s hated 1% it would barely make a dent in the national debt.  It would, instead, cause further economic recession as the rich are forced to liquidate or reduce investments to pay additional taxes, thus taking capital out of the market that is normally used to create and grow companies of all sizes that provide jobs.

The “Tax The Rich” mantra gained another term for the President, but the shine on the apple won’t last.  Medieval America will discover within a year or two that 1) taxing the rich is not a real solution to America’s short or long term financial problems, it is a fraud, and 2) the President is out of flour.

And so America will soon be on the brink of another revolution.  Its leaders have lied to stay in power, creating unrealistic expectations for the masses, especially swing voters who vote with their wallets.  The fraud will be discovered and America will be thrown into further economic distress.  “Tax the rich” will fall on disbelieving ears as the results of this failing strategy are brought to light.  The seeds of revolution have been planted by the very government that will fall to it.

The coming revolution will not be peaceful.  To unseat the current administration, Americans must work together without regard for political party affiliation to understand the fraud and find common ground to move the country forward.  It will not be easy.  The President and his political machine have mastered voter fraud, fear mongering, and dirty tactics.  Those who would follow this President will embrace his methods.  They will hide the results of their fraud as long as they can, and when it comes to light they will deflect blame to the most convenient target available, friend or foe.  But it won’t work for long.

The President will soon run out of flour and the masses will feel the pains of hunger and regret.  Truth will spread throughout the land and the revolution will grow.  In 2014 and 2016, revolutionary soldiers of all backgrounds and beliefs will join together and engage the one weapon that America uses better than any other nation to secure its rights and freedoms – one man, one vote (women, too).

Mai les Etats-Unis d’Amérique vivent longtemps et prospèrent.

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*French historians say more evidence exists that “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” was actually uttered by Marie-Therese, wife of Louis XIV, about 100 years earlier.  But the circumstances and political lesson remain similar.