It is often said that “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Back in 1776, a group of rebels declared their independence from England. As part of that declaration, they said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

What we tend to forget is that when our founders said all men are created equal, they didn’t mean everyone. They meant white, male, landowners. We have come a long way since 1776, but are we about to see a repeat of history? Former President Joe Biden in his final speech to the American people warned about an oligarchy, saying “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that really threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom.”

What is an oligarchy? It is a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution. Why is this a problem? It is a problem because it can result in a government of the wealthy for the wealthy. Think about those white, male, landowners.

We are watching billionaires being put in a position to recommend what government programs should be cut. Obviously, they don’t use many of those programs, so probably don’t care a lot about the rest of us. Also, remember the consent of the governed phrase. These guys weren’t elected to anything. Is there waste in government? Yes. But who should be deciding what that is? The purse strings belong to Congress. They were elected and we don’t have to re-elect them if we don’t like what they do. But in the end, it is their job.

The rich guys who criticized President Trump in the past are all now falling into line. And if you look at old news, you will find they all did engage in that criticism. In my opinion, they are doing so now because they don’t want him interfering with their businesses, not because they are looking out for the rest of us. It is all about them and preserving their wealth.

Our job as American citizens is to be vigilant if we want to preserve the “freedoms” that have been hard won over the last 200+ years. Or we might wake up some morning to a country we didn’t ask for and don’t recognize.