Heady questions of Liberty and Fascism aside, I'm simply amazed at the number of people who've been previously screwed by the federal government in one way or another, yet keep coming back for more.
My social circle includes folks ranging in age from early-30s to mid-40s. Some are mentally or physically broken from time in Iraq and Afghanistan. Others have incredible amounts of student debt. Many have huge mortgages.
Granted no one put a gun to these people's heads and forced them to join the military, or take out student loans, or to buy houses. But in each case, the federal government was at-the-wheel in one way or another, and the end result was the individual getting screwed. Whether it was prolonging our military misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, or federal backing of student loans and mortgages.
Now, Uncle Sam comes along and mandates that everyone needs to get vaxxed (and boosted). And so many people line up to blindly comply. I'm just standing back, amazed and appalled watching it all unfold.
Not saying that the federal government is some cartoon-level evil monolith, or that everyone should declare themselves a Sovereign Citizen and go join their local anti-government militia. However, you gotta ask: How many times are people going to take it in their shorts before they stop and say, "Wait a minute, maybe there is a possibility my elected leadership don't have my best interests at heart? Maybe I should look at their motivations with a level of skepticism and a critical eye?"
The old shop-worn adage comes to mind: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."