Essays in Idleness

As an indigenous Canadian — my father, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers were all born here — I am naturally ashamed of how this country is grossly misgoverned. This goes beyond questions of political party, for all parties, though especially the Liberals, have contributed to our dive into a seemingly bottomless “shithole” (a technical term in economics). But this will only change by a fraction of a percent if, say, Mr Poilievre, or some other ratty politician, becomes prime minister. Canada, one might say, needs a Trump. That is, a transformative ruler, brave, quick, and intelligent too, who would be worth assassinating from the leftwing point-of-view; a profound hater of worthless garbage, income taxes, and every species of “progressive.” Well, maybe Trump is too moderate.

Politics, in a democracy like Canada’s, is the art by which our various factions are bought off, and the nation as a whole is prostituted. It is not more complicated than that.

At least nine in ten of our municipal, provincial, and Dominion government departments should be retired, “with extreme prejudice” whenever possible. Everything but the military, cops, courts, prisons, and the Geological Survey, must go (and then eliminate extravagance and corruption in each of the survivors). The fact that this would lead to incredibly rapid “capitalist” advance is not the purpose of this. An embarras de richesses might offer some obscure problems, but it is one of the risks of freedom. The destruction of every one of our state bureaucracies — with violence only if necessary, of course — should be an end in itself. It would also drive our Leftists up the tree, where they will discover that the apes do not understand their interest in sharing the bananas.

Governments should exist only to prevent demonstrated evils, and not to be their chief cause. The Church, too, should be voluntarily supported; then she, too, should be left alone.

For as Saint Paul wrote to able-bodied Christians (in II Thessalonians iii), “those unwilling to work shall not eat.” Christianity was, from the beginning, radically opposed to welfare statecraft. This world must work. We should aspire to make our portion of America, even the glaciers, Godly again; and not quit until they are melted.