The lesson we learn from the re-election of Barack Obama yesterday is that people who want money from the government outnumber those paying the tab and will vote for whichever guy offers them a raise, no matter how much the guy’s past performance damaged the nation as a whole.  It’s a gloomy thought and it’s difficult to imagine the republic surviving this watershed moment.

Here’s some quick dirty arithmetic:

The population of the United States is 312 million with 15 million of them either federal government employees or full-time contractors of the federal government, 20 million of them state or municipal employees, 47 million of them on food stamps, 4.5 million of them on welfare, 2 million of them in prison, 5.5 million of them receiving unemployment compensation, 14 million of them receiving federal disability payments, 40 million of them retired and receiving Social Security, 1.4 million of them in the military, 75 million of them children, and 14.6 million of them full time college students.

Bottom line: we have 164 million adult human beings dependent upon 73 million workers to support them... a ratio of more than two to one.

Every productive American worker carries two people on his back, works three days for one day’s pay, and then walks into the voting booth on Election Day knowing his vote is outnumbered two-to-one by votes of the people he supports—who want more and more, and feel more and more entitled to what they’re getting.

It’s a hopeless situation.  Sooner or later the productive people will shrug off the load and quit.

Those dirty Occupy people you saw camped out downtown in cities across the country?  They run the place now and they want shit—free shit.  Medical care, cellphones, food, and housing.  It’s all free now and if you aren’t getting your fair share of the free shit the government will provide a free lawyer to sue for it.  And if you have any doubts about which political party is offering the free shit, here’s a YouTube video of people handing out free government-paid cellphones in return for your vote for Obama.  They call them “Obama phones.”

There’s no sense wallowing in bitterness.  It is what it is and it’s not even a big surprise that it is what it is.  The great minds of western civilization have been warning us for more than two thousand years:

“Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty.” —Plato

“Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.” —Aristotle

“Remember, democracy never lasts long.  It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.  There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams

“Sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.” —Benjamin Franklin

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government.  It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury.  From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.” —Alexis de Tocqueville

“Democracy is the road to socialism.” —Karl Marx

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” —Winston Churchill

“Is it ever proper to help another man?  No, if he demands it as his right or as a duty that you owe him.  Yes, if it's your own free choice based on your judgment of the value of that person and his struggle.  This country wasn't built by men who sought handouts.  In its brilliant youth, this country showed the rest of the world what greatness was possible to Man and what happiness is possible on Earth.  Then it began apologizing for its greatness and began giving away its wealth, feeling guilty for having produced more than its neighbors.  Twelve years ago, I saw what was wrong with the world and where the battle for Life had to be fought.  I saw that the enemy was an inverted morality and that my acceptance of that morality was its only power.  I was the first of the men who refused to give up the pursuit of his own happiness in order to serve others.  To those of you who retain some remnant of dignity and the will to live your lives for yourselves, you have the chance to make the same choice.  Examine your values and understand that you must choose one side or the other.  Any compromise between good and evil only hurts the good and helps the evil.  If you've understood what I've said, stop supporting your destroyers.  Don't accept their philosophy.  Your destroyers hold you by means of your endurance, your generosity, your innocence, and your love.  Don't exhaust yourself to help build the kind of world that you see around you now.  In the name of the best within you, don't sacrifice the world to those who will take away your happiness for it.  The world will change when you are ready to pronounce this oath:

‘I swear by my Life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for the sake of mine.’”

—John Galt

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA        Tweet

November 11, 2012 - Romney probably lost the election because he is Mormon most of mine family despite being life long Democrats were planning to vote republican until Romney won. But there is one silver lining to Obama winning, it opens up 2016 for a Christie/Rubio or a Jindal/Cain ticket. – Devin, North Dakota

November 8, 2012 - Uncle Sam might be weeping, but if Romney had been elected, the citizens of the US would all be weeping! – Britani, Washington

November 8, 2012 - I don't quite understand your math. Prisoners don't vote. Poor people vote less (proportionally) than rich people. Old white people on social security voted for Mitt way out of proportion even though they were part of the 47 percent. Those people on food stamps (I know them) would rather be working but Mitt ships those jobs to China at 99 cents an hour. I'd agree with you if there were a shred of logic or real math in your numbers but there isn't. By the way, Obama phones were planned for seniors who had no way of reaching anyone for emergencies. They were backed by Republicans and the cell phone industry. Check it out. – Jeff F., Chicago

J.P. replies: The point isn't who votes or for whom they vote (although you might like to know that some inner city wards in Philadelphia reported 99% for Obama with turnouts above 90%... nothing suspicious about that, right?), but the fact that we're overloading the producers with dependents who have an incentive to vote for the benefit of their own personal wallet.  We can't keep piling dependents on the working stiffs of the private sector.  The trend is unsustainable, and more importantly unfair.

November 8, 2012 - All of the lies, funny math and racism did not work. As my father would say....There's not a right way to do wrong!!!! You were supporting the worst presidential candidate. You still don't know what his 5 point plan is. Now that its over you have one more choice...either continue with the divisive attacks or support The President of the United States of America to make things better. – Daryle M., Ohio

November 8, 2012 - To the GOP... You started with a field of, what, ten candidates vying for the office of the President. And you sent Mitt Romney? 'MITT?' Please! You got rid of all the decent candidates while you were fighting amongst yourselves, i.e., Herman Cain. Did you learn nothing from the Sarah Palin fiasco? Contrary to what you all believe, the American people are not stupid. So, don't blame Mr. Obama, the President of the United States. Suck it up and start preparing yourselves for the next election. You have four years to find a decent candidate!!!! – Ecstatic in the ATL, Traverse City

J.P. replies: You have no idea how much I appreciate your comment.  I'm still heartbroken that Herman Cain dropped out because of spurious Axelrod-generated allegations from Gloria Alred bimbos.  I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers how Mr. Cain dominated the stage during early multi-candidate debates.  Did you read my column about his drop-out?  I'm still angry about it.

November 8, 2012 - Well I guess Obama told Harry Reid and John Bainer to fix the budget so now he can go back to being on The View, Letterman, and Jay Leno. Btw nice article! – Pam T., Virginia

November 7, 2012 - Nonsense JB. Until your GOP realizes that old, angry, white men like yourself no longer control this country, they are dedicated to the dustbin Of politics. This is the only demographic won by the GOP. Get over it old man. Four more years!!! – Harvey L., Reno

J.P. replies: Why do liberals always make it about race?  Is it a reflex?  A last resort?  A feint?  Or simply a lack of intellectual meat?  The president is an anti-American racist communist.  Given all that, his race is irrelevant.

November 7, 2012 - Sad article, but also very realistic. I felt a great sadness and sense of loss today. No words... just prayers to God that we will humble ourselves before Him as a nation once again before He leaves us to our foolishness. – Samantha, Michigan

November 7, 2012 - One of the things that I find most interesting about the article is that it makes no mention of the actual participation. The references that more than half of the country are beneficiaries, but we only received about one third participation. Based on the mentioned beneficiaries at least five percent are not eligible to vote. So one must ponder the question, if there are 73 million that disagree with the result where the heck were they? Those numbers would have easily changed the outcome. So either they do agree with the writer or they don't care, or maybe they reasonably understand that we all depend upon one another. Less than one percent of Americans can afford private secutity, fire departments, or build our own highways. Many of our fellow American government workers provide and perform these services for all Americans. That is all! – MCA, Houston

November 7, 2012 - Well said. It's very hard to accept that my vote matters less than those I am supporting. Something is extremely wrong with this country. I'm sad for those who rely on others to support them. They will likely never know some of the greatest gifts. The gift of accomplishment. The gift of fulfillment. The gift of work. The reaping of the fruits of your own labor. Sadder for them than for us the producers. – Hard Case, Michigan

November 7, 2012 - Bitter a little? – Gloat, California

J.P. replies: Bitter a lot.