The Final Chapter One American’s Opinion: For Patriots Who Love Their Country

By R. Lynn Wilson

This is the final book in the One American’s Opinion — For Patriots Who Love Their Country Trilogy. The first book was about President Obama’s years in office. The second book covered the first year of the Trump presidency. This final book chronicles the current state of America, the Marxist destruction of American culture, and the power and control over America they desire.

The original colonists came to America to escape religious persecution, escape repression, and find better economic opportunity. If we lose America to the progressives and their Marxist based ideology, we will no longer have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from repression, or economic opportunity.

Our cultural heritage, our philosophy of government, and our free market capitalist-based economy has made America the greatest civilization the world has ever known. We are in a fight for the soul of our democracy. Historically, throughout civilization, it has not been a question of whether a successful society can last forever but how long it can last. There is no society that has outlasted the test of time. The real question is when. America’s future existence is the crucial question for this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781663209788

R. Lynn Wilson

R. Lynn Wilson retired in 2008 as CEO of Bryan Health in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has a bachelors degree in business from Western Kentucky University and a master’s degree in hospital administration from Xavier University. He and his wife, Robyn, live in Naples, Florida. He is the author of Exploring Great Leadership, One American’s Opinion, Epilogue II: One American’s Opinion, and The Final Chapter.

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Copyright © 2020 R. Lynn Wilson.

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CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1     Denmark And Socialism

Chapter 2     The History Of Traditional American Culture

Chapter 3     Progressives Revisited

Chapter 4     Racism

Chapter 5     Women’s Inequality

Chapter 6     Immigration

Chapter 7     Abortion

Chapter 8     The LGBTQ Community

Chapter 9     Climate Change

Chapter 10   Gun Control

Chapter 11   The Evolution Of American Culture

Chapter 12   The Marxist Destruction Of America

Chapter 13   The Presidential Coup I & II

Chapter 14   The Presidential Coup III

Chapter 15   The Final Chapter

PREFACE

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This is the final book in the One American’s Opinion Trilogy. I began the last book by quoting George Orwell when he described writing a book as a horrible, exhausting struggle like a long bout of some painful illness. I had no plans to write a trilogy but here I am after repeatedly telling my wife and friends I would never write another book because of the enormous time commitment. So, why am I doing this? Americans are oblivious to the success the Marxist progressives are having in changing our country from one that has provided us with the most personal freedom, the best standard of living, and the greatest safety on the planet into a country based on Marxist principles that will destroy our world eminence in personal freedom, personal opportunity, standard of living, and safety.

I cannot sit back and do nothing to counter these Marxist progressives who want to destroy America for their own demented, nefarious, and selfish purposes. Just like the original One American’s Opinion and Epilogue II, this book was written from the acquired knowledge in my head and the intrinsic values in my heart to reflect my dyed-in-the-wool conservative soul and my enormous love for my country. It is that soul and love that provides the motivation for me to commit the time and energy to author this third book completing the One American’s Opinion Trilogy. The content of these three books reflect my traditional American ideology based on seventy-five years of living and working in this incredible society we call the United States of America.

This Trilogy, local op-eds, monetary contributions to conservative organizations, ranting with my conservative family and friends, ranting with my classic liberal friends, defending conservative pundits and newscasters who are attacked by progressives, and my well-informed vote in every election are my contributions to preserving our great society.

As with the other two books, one of the biggest problems I experienced was keeping the content current because of the time it took to write it. Many of the events and situations I used to illustrate the relevant points I was making evolved during my writing and it was difficult to avoid outdated material; therefore, I constantly updated information and noted the updates in the text. The book was in perpetual motion as I wrote.

I completely understand that a book of this enormity in content is difficult to hold one’s attention from beginning to end. I felt; however, I needed to cover all the topics contained herein to provide a full understanding of what is truly happening to our country and back my assertions with indisputable evidence. The book is written in such a manner that each chapter covers a specific topic and stands on its own; therefore, one can read only the chapters that are of the most interest to them if one wishes to do so.

I’m a news junky. I read the Wall Street Journal, my local newspaper, and multiple Internet conservative news sites every day to learn what is going on. I am especially a Fox News and conservative Internet news junky when it comes to getting accurate and complete news as it happens and listening to opinions of conservative pundits whom I respect.

In the early stages of writing this book, I purposely watched other news and news commentary shows to obtain a broader view of national news reporting as it pertained to what I was writing. As time went on and the political attacks on President Trump and traditional America escalated, it became so disturbing that I only watched relevant excerpts from those very biased news shows on Fox News to assess the bias. These very biased excerpts supported what I was writing in the book regarding the mainstream news media’s totally irresponsible progressive reporting and I found it disgustingly repugnant. I also reviewed progressive news stories on the Internet and had the same reaction.

I often feel considerable dismay as I observe what happens to Americans who love their country, stand up for what they believe, and are viciously attacked by progressives including our own federal government Deep State and elected progressive politicians in local, state, and federal governments. These attacks have gotten significantly worse after Marxist groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter began rioting, looting, and demonstrating.

I distinguish between Marxist progressives and progressives in the book. I use the term Marxist progressives to include those who support changing traditional American political philosophy to a Marxist based philosophy. I refer to progressives generically to include not only Marxists but also others who want to change traditional American philosophy to ideologies like Muslim based ideology. Marxist and progressive are more and more becoming one and the same. All progressives have one common goal. That goal is to obtain the power to control you and me. I want to point out that classic liberal Democrats are not progressives.

I thought federal, state, and local governments represented all Americans regardless of their political ideology and was compelled by the Constitution to protect free speech? On more than one occasion, as I wrote this Trilogy, I wondered if I might wind up being attacked after the books were published. My concern is even greater after writing this final book considering its damning content and fierce condemnation regarding Marxist organizations, progressives, and the Deep State.

When I searched my conservative American sole, I only needed my love for my country and concern for my family’s and my fellow Americans’ future to find the courage I needed to finish and publish this final book as I also did for the original book and Epilogue II. That resolve continues to get stronger as I observe what the Marxist based progressives are doing to our beloved America. I don’t know why I feel so patriotic but I do and I’m proud of it. I suppose it is because we are so extremely lucky to live in the most successful country in the history of the world in terms of economic opportunity, standard of living, personal freedom, and personal safety.

As before, the vast number and variety of sources used to support and enhance my opinions are not practical for me to include in a standard bibliography and standard reference footnotes. Most sources are identified in the text to give the source credit, to provide validation for my supporting information, and to allow the reader the ability to research the source and learn more if they wish. The primary sources for my reference material are: Fox News; The Wall Street Journal; The Naples Daily News; The Heritage Foundation; The Daily Signal [which is the multimedia news organization of The Heritage Foundation]; Townhall; theBlaze/Glen Beck; Dennis Prager; Judicial Watch; The Epoch Times; conservative Internet websites; Internet websites for national newspapers; and Wikipedia.

The conclusions arrived at in this book have enormous impact on our lives and the lives of our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, future family generations, and the future of our friends and fellow Americans. As you read and ponder the knowledge and conclusions articulated in this book, imagine the 1984ish dystopic world that awaits if the current Marxist movement continues on its current path and is successful.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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As I said in the original book, this Trilogy would not be possible without the following great American heroes: Samuel Huntington, Roger Sherman, William Williams, and Oliver Wolcott from Connecticut; Thomas McKean, George Reed, and Caesar Rodney from Delaware; Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton from Georgia; Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Samuel Chase, William Paca, and Thomas Stone from Maryland; John Adams, Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, JOHN HANCOCK, and Robert Treat Payne from Massachusetts; Josiah Bartlett, Mathew Thornton, and William Whipple from New Hampshire; Abraham Clark, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton, and John Witherspoon from New Jersey; William Floyd, Francis Lewis, Philip Livingston, and Lewis Morris from New York; Joseph Hewes, William Hooper, and John Penn from North Carolina; George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, John Morton, George Ross, Benjamin Rush, James Smith, George Taylor, and James Wilson from Pennsylvania; William Ellery and Stephen Hopkins from Rhode Island; Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge from South Carolina; Carter Braxton, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Jefferson, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Nelson, Jr., and George Wythe from Virginia.

If you do not recognize these people, they are the signers of The Declaration of Independence. In other words, they are the founders of our great country. As I again write their names, I feel a sense of sadness as I wonder how they would feel if they were alive today and observed what is happening to the country for which they fought and risked their lives. How about all the original colonists who gave their lives fighting for our independence?

I also want to recognize and express my unmitigated appreciation to all the men and women who are serving, have served, or are currently serving in our armed forces and our police departments who risk their lives to keep us safe. They so gallantly and proudly preserve our safety and freedom. I also want to honor and extend my condolences to the families and loved ones of those who perished in protecting us.

I want to recognize and applaud the elected officials and government employees who have served and who currently serve in local, state, and federal government and have defended and made decisions in the best interest of the American people and not for their own personal or their political party’s best interest. Unfortunately, this appears to be an increasingly limited group but a group we should hold in very high regard and support to the fullest. Henry Kissinger once said, Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.

I want to recognize my incredible wife, Robyn, who has put up with my months and months of research and writing to get this book finished. Without her, this book would not be possible. Her wonderful encouragement and support kept me writing and her editing made this a better book.

Finally, I want to extend my great appreciation and strong support to all of the conservatives and classic liberals who stand up to the progressives who are taking our America away from us. I especially want to thank those who have paid a significant personal price in doing so.

CHAPTER 1

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DENMARK AND SOCIALISM

The original book was an in-depth look at the Obama presidency and its impact on America. Epilogue II was an in-depth look at Trump’s first year as president and his potential impact on America and its future. This final book in the One American’s Opinion Trilogy is an in-depth look at the new America if the current Marxist based progressive takeover of America is completed.

I have said over and over that we are extraordinarily fortunate to live in the greatest country the world has ever known. We are blessed to have the most personal freedom and opportunity, the best standard of living, and the greatest safety on the planet. There are many in America; however, who do not think so. A prime example is former Democrat presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (D., VT.) who was and is a hero of the Millennials, the Marxist based progressives, and any other American who believes that America is a flawed country and needs significant change. This especially applies to those who want free stuff and low or no personal responsibility.

Sanders was joined by most of the Democrat presidential candidates for 2020 and what appears to be a majority of congressional Democrats, especially those who are progressive. Why would any American, legislator or not, feel that way? Why would any American give up what we have today to pursue a false utopian dream of a better world? That is what this book is all about.

Merriam-Webster defines utopia as, Having impossibly ideal conditions especially of social organization and proposing or advocating impractically ideal social and political schemes. Let’s take a quick look at the country that Sanders and many other Americans tout as a utopian dream country. That country is Denmark. CNN quoted Sanders in February 2016 saying, In Denmark, there is a very different understanding of what ‘freedom’ means.

CNN said Sanders argued the U.S. could learn from the way the Danes have gone a long way to ending the enormous anxieties that come with economic insecurity. Sanders concluded, Instead of promoting a system which allows a few to have enormous wealth, they have developed a system which guarantees a strong minimal standard of living to all — including the children, the elderly and the disabled.

Maybe Sanders is right. The United Nations (UN) 2016 World Happiness Report named Denmark as the happiest country in the world. The United States was ranked 13th. But wait! In 2017, Norway replaced Denmark as the happiest place on Earth. Denmark dropped to 2nd and the United States dropped to 14th. Subjective rankings are just that — subjective. More about the UN World Happiness Report’s 2018 and 2019 rankings later. Sanders, most Democrat politicians, and many other Marxists in America want us to be more like Denmark. Let’s take a look at some facts rather than false political hyperbole that might show us what America would conceivably be like if we became more like Denmark.

First, I need to point out that the population of Denmark in 2020 is estimated to be 5.8 million and almost 90% are of Danish ancestry versus a population of 330.5 million for the U.S., which has a very diverse population. It should also be noted that the U.S. ranks 4th in the world in size at 3.8 million square miles and Denmark ranks 130th at 866.8 thousand square miles. These statistics point out the vast complexities inherent in our U.S. society versus Denmark’s.

These complexities include: racial diversity, ethnic diversity, cultural traditions, complexity of governance, divergence of the national economies, personal and family income differences, cost-of-living differences, life goals and expectations, moral and social ethos, etc. With this considerable diversity between the two countries in mind, let’s do a quick comparison of life in the U.S. and in the country that some call the happiest place on Earth.

Denmark does not support the migration of refugees and has some of the most restrictive anti-immigration policies in Europe. For example, the government can seize an immigrant’s possessions in excess of $1,500 when they seek aid from the government. The government has also increased the number of years immigrants need to wait to bring family members into the country and it is now more difficult for immigrants to obtain permanent residency. Denmark has even published ads in Lebanon newspapers warning immigrants that Denmark will be unwelcoming to them. Denmark has also come under severe criticism in the way they handle immigrant asylum seekers from the Middle East.

Denmark touts it is not a socialist country and claims to have more economic freedom than the U.S. The Prime Minister of Denmark commented, Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy. I read a quote by a Danish economist that said Sanders’ economic ideology is far-left of theirs. In response, Sanders clarified that his democratic socialism is not the same as defined in the traditional sense meaning a purely government-controlled economy. The more I heard Sanders campaigning for president, the more he contradicted that statement and expounded his belief in and support for Marxism as promoted by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Before we move on, let’s define what we are talking about when we use the political concepts of Marxism, socialism, and communism. This understanding is very important in discerning the premise of this book. Marxism is an ideological philosophy that all members of society share equally in economic output and social classes do not exist. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote in their 1848 book titled The Communist Manifesto that poverty and starvation were products of the evil that resulted from a capitalist society. They said that the perfect Marxist society would evolve as it moved from socialism to communism.

Webster’s Dictionary defines socialism as any of the various economic and political theories advocating collective or government ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. Our current majority of Democrat politicians distort that definition in that they use it to denote the government providing free or cheap stuff by taking from the rich and giving it to everyone else. We will expose this Democrat Robin Hood ruse as this book progresses.

For example, we will talk later about how the people of Venezuela were duped by former President Hugo Chávez using this same socialistic concept of free or cheap stuff to get reelected and, after his reelection, resorted to a communist inspired government that resulted in one of the richest free countries in the world becoming one of the poorest and most suppressed.

Webster’s Dictionary defines communism as a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls the state-owned means of production. Webster’s defines totalitarian as of or relating to a political regime based upon a subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation especially by coercive measures. Seem far-fetched for America? You can decide for yourself as you immerse yourself into this book.

I doubt that many Americans truly understand what the concepts of socialism and democratic socialism used by progressive Democrats actually mean. I can assure you that the Democrat far-left ideologues understand fully what they mean by using these terms because they camouflage their diabolical goals. These far-left ideologues regularly use the term socialism or democratic socialism to express their political ideology because their true goal is to change America to a Marxist society under their dystopic control. We will get into more detail in chapter 3. Let’s now get back to Denmark.

I, as well as many U.S. economic pundits, agree to a point with the Danish regarding their lack of market regulation but the following analysis of life in Denmark vastly supports life in Denmark as being strongly influenced by Marxist socialist principles.

We compared the population and geographic size of the U.S. versus Denmark. Economically, the U.S. was estimated in 2019 to have a nominal GDP of $21.4 trillion and ranked 1st in the world in economic output. Denmark ranked 37th and had a nominal GDP of $0.35 trillion. These statistics point out the enormous difference in complexity and pressures regarding the U.S. economy versus Denmark’s economy. Those differences demand significantly more government involvement in the U.S. economy than in Denmark’s small economy. That is why Denmark can be less socialistic in economic governance but that is now changing.

In 2012 the World Bank ranked Denmark as the easiest place to do business in the world for the second straight year; however, it was reported by Reuters in 2017 that the government is taking a stronger look at market regulation due to the fears that an overheated economy will drive up wages and make Denmark less competitive in the world. This was said to be the biggest domestic risk to the Denmark economy. Welcome to the real world, Denmark!

Let’s look further into their so-called lack of socialistic economic governance and look at employee benefits. The state guarantees up to one year of medical leave for illness and one year of maternity leave for the mother and father combined. There is no minimum wage guarantee but the unions have secured high wages for employees. Six out of ten employees are trade union members. If an employee is a member of an unemployment insurance program, they can draw unemployment benefits for up to two years.

Employees get 5 weeks’ vacation but 3 weeks have to be during the summer. Interesting! I assume that relates to their weather patterns and daylight hours. Even though the country has a mild climate overall, it is located in the northern hemisphere which creates some interesting dynamics. September through November is rainy and cloudy. December through March is cold with frost and snow. The most interesting dynamic is the hours of daylight. In the winter, sunrise is at 8 a.m. and sunset is at 3:30 p.m. In the summer, the sunrise is at 3:30 a.m. and sunset is at 10 p.m. I assume that explains why employees are required to take 3 weeks off during the summer. The rest of what I found regarding employee benefits is similar to the U.S. workplace environment.

The Danish government provides other benefits to its citizens that include: access to reduced-cost childcare; free healthcare; free college tuition; a monthly payment of approximately $950 to attend college; and a generous pension system. Sounds socialistic to me.

What is not commonly known is that free healthcare does not cover all medical expenses. Medical services such as pharmaceuticals, eyeglasses, hearing aids, dental work, and physical therapy are only partially paid for and private insurance is needed for total coverage.

A March 2019 newspaper article by USA TODAY said Denmark citizens pay 13.7% of their healthcare costs out of pocket for these uncovered services. This compares to about 15% out of pocket in the Canadian national healthcare system for uncovered services such as vision, dental, long-term care and prescription drugs.

In Denmark, all citizens are assigned a primary care physician by the government. If citizens choose their own physician, there is a copayment required. Wait times for non-emergent medical services such as elective surgery, hip surgery, and cataract surgery are significantly longer than in the U.S. Maternity care is performed by an assigned midwife and the maternity hospital is also assigned. There is an additional cost for patient choice in maternity care. How would these limitations be accepted in the U.S.?

During my editing of the book, I read a September 2019 op-ed by Cal Thomas that highlights the issue of long waits in countries with socialized medicine. The country discussed in his op-ed is Ireland. He quoted the head of the Irish Medical Organization, which is the trade union for doctors in Ireland, as saying older people frequently wait well over two years to see a specialist before being put on another waiting list for surgery.

Thomas said the most recent statistics show 564,829 patients are in the queue to see a specialist and 68,807 patients are waiting to have surgery. He pointed out that the population of Ireland is less than 5 million whereas the population of the U.S. is 329 million. Thomas commented, If Ireland can’t make it work, what makes so many of our politicians think it will work in the U.S.? My research points out that no country with socialized medicine has made it work. The U.S. is far superior to any other country on the planet regarding access to care and quality of care.

Here are a couple of examples. I read a November 2019 article in The Daily Signal that said the single payor British healthcare system had twice the mortality rates for seven emergency surgical procedures than the U.S. The British population is approximately 67 million, which is about five times less than the U.S. It was believed the higher rates were due to higher thresholds to access surgeries in Britain, which prolonged access to needed surgical care and increased mortalities when the surgeries are finally performed. The article also made the point that U.S. cancer survival rates are among the highest in the world, while Britain’s survival rates are among the worst. In 2018, a total of 4.3 million British citizens were awaiting hospitalization and 43% of advertised medical positions went unfilled. There are endless articles that point out the vast superiority of the U.S. healthcare system over government run healthcare in other countries.

There was a June 2019 article by Kevin Pham in The Daily Signal titled Socialist Nordic Countries Are Actually Moving Toward Private Health Care. Pham said Nordic countries are not true socialist countries but are highly taxed market economies with large welfare states. I had never thought of it that way but it is very true. He brought up an interesting fact. In spite of extremely generous healthcare programs, there is a steady growth of private health insurance in many Nordic countries. I am sure it is because of the decreasing quality of care incurred in government provided healthcare with regard to access, wait times, and lack of choice.

Pham said most of the private health insurance in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway is employer based to recruit top talent. A 2009 survey showed most respondents believed the most important factor driving employer-based coverage was that it results in less absence in the work place due to quicker treatment. Medicare for all, as currently proposed in the U.S. by the Democrats, would abolish private health insurance.

Pham concluded, They [Nordic countries] provide nearly everything that a proponent of socialized health care could ask for — and yet each of these countries host a growing private health insurance sector. It behooves us to ask why this is before we outlaw our own private care.

I think Finland provided the answer. In March of 2019, the Finish government collapsed. Prime Minister Juha Sipila and his cabinet resigned after the governing coalition failed to pass reforms in parliament for the country’s new socialist and communist reforms that failed due to out of control healthcare costs. Another contributing factor was the government’s failed experiment in providing basic income to Finnish citizens. Basic income is another Marxist idea being tossed around by Democrats.

Finland is a warning from which our progressive Democrat politicians in America should take heed. Unfortunately, these progressives are never confused with the facts. Their quest for power and control always trumps good judgment and what is best for the country.

Here is an interesting statistic I found regarding the progressives beloved Sweden being touted as an economic model for the U.S. to follow. Bloomberg reported in March 2019 that there are more wealthy U.S. citizens with net worth between $1 million and $5 million, excluding residences, than the entire population of Sweden — approximately 10.2 million people.

We hear the call by the progressive Democrats for free college education. A student’s choice of college and their academic major is restricted in Denmark to prevent professional students. The government also began to restrict the length of time it takes students to obtain their undergraduate degree and limits students to one degree at the same academic level. Admission to a specific degree program depends upon the student’s GPA and the student quota for that degree as determined by the government. The quota is based upon the government’s perceived need for that academic major. How would Americans react to restrictions like these to keep free education viable?

Let’s now take a look at what is ignored when Denmark is touted as such a happy place that the U.S. should emulate. Let’s start with what these free benefits costs Danish citizens. Their taxes are among the highest in the world. The average wage in Denmark according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was $52,580 in 2016 and subject to a 45% marginal tax rate. I also read their top executives are paid 75% less than their European counterparts. In comparison, the OECD reported the average wage in the U.S. for 2016 was $60,154 with a marginal tax rate of 15%. Accounting firm, KMPG, reported that 2018 Denmark incomes over $86,000 would be taxed at a marginal rate of 57%. These high tax rates on income do not include property tax, which runs 1% on the first $500,000 of home value and 3% on any value above $500,000.

The 2018 marginal tax rate in the U.S. for $52,580 [married filing jointly] is 15% and for $86,000 is 25%. The top marginal tax rate in the U.S. is only 35% for $357,700 and above. According to Realtor Magazine, the effective tax rate on homes in the U.S. in 2016 was 1.15% on the total value of the home. In addition to income and property taxes, Denmark has a VAT tax rate of 25% on all goods and services. The average sales tax rate in the U.S. in 2015 was 8.454%. We pay 6.5% in Naples. In 2015, the tax in Denmark on a gallon of gas was $2.95 and, in the U.S., it was $0.53.

I read that in socialist leaning Germany, England, Italy, and Greece the VAT tax averages 21% and the tax on a gallon of gasoline averages $6.45. That is consistent with what I have incurred during my wife’s and my travels to Europe. The income tax rates in these countries are significantly higher than in the U.S. as well.

The cost of living in Denmark is among the highest in the world and the Danish people have a big personal debt problem as a result. Let’s take a look. Bloomberg said in August of 2018 that cars bought in Denmark were about double the cost of the same car in the U.S. but there is a government proposal in process to lower the registration duty on imports from 180% to 100%.

According to a Danish government website, Danish cities became a country of bicycles for all social classes in the early 1900s. In the 1960s, cars became more popular as the standard of living increased and begin to interfere with the country’s bicycle culture. I assume that is the reason for the very high tariff on cars.

My wife and I have visited several European countries and I’m always amazed at how small the cars are and at the number of motor scooters. I might add that all cars are standard shift. There are few, if any, automatic transmissions.

I have never been in Denmark but I have visited Amsterdam in the Netherlands, which according to a 2013 BBC News story is tied with Denmark as the most bike-friendly country in Europe. I found it interesting that the two countries are almost identical in historical development. I can tell you that I have never seen so many bicycles on the streets as I did in Amsterdam and the bikes are ridden like and treated like cars. As pedestrians, we were told to be careful of bicycles, not cars. I was amazed and cautious and for good reason.

NationMaster, an international data collection organization, published a cost-of-living comparison between Denmark and the U.S. The data they used was from Numbeo, the largest database of user-contributed data in the world. It was collected between May 2011 and February 2014. The data is somewhat old but still valid to make my point.

Here are some of NationMaster’s comparisons showing costs in Denmark versus the same costs in the United States: basic utilities were 49% more; groceries were 26% more; restaurant prices were 97% to 200% more depending upon the caliber of the restaurant [even Big Mac meals cost 98% more]; Nike shoes were 77% more; Levi blue jeans were 400% more; men’s leather shoes were 86% more; a movie ticket was 65% more; the rent index was 2% to 19% more depending upon location in or outside the city; and a condo purchase was 300% more in or out of the city.

The only items on the list that cost less than in the U.S. were: real estate loan interest rates at 21% less; internet costs at 39% less; and apples, potatoes, rice, water, oranges, beer, and mid-cost wine at 1% to 20% less. I found it amusing that a Coke in a Danish restaurant was three times more than in the U.S. while an imported beer was 8% less but a half-liter of local draught was 200% more. I also read an article that said houses cost more in Denmark and on average are smaller.

The citizens of Denmark are called Danes. Let’s take a look at their culture and see if we can understand why they have been touted to be the happiest people on Earth — at least in 2016. Here is what I learned by reading multiple articles on the country and its people. The Danes were predominately an agrarian society of peasants until agrarian reforms were implemented during the 18th century. Their society was very egalitarian and survival was based upon collective effort. If a member of their society became wealthy or improved their status, they were ostracized.

This culture is still prevalent today. For example, the richest man in the country before his death in 2012 [billionaire shipping tycoon Maersk McKinney Moller] climbed the stairs to his office, attended meetings into his 90s, and brown bagged his lunches to work. Brown bagging by Danish executives is still popular today.

One of the most profound things I found about the Danish culture is what is called the Law of Jante, which originated in a book titled A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks written in 1933 by Askel Sandemose. The Law of Jante is a list of fictitious laws in the fictitious town of Jante. They are written as if the entire population of Jante is speaking as one to any individual citizen. Here are the 10 rules of the Law of Jante:

1. You’re not to think you are anything special.

2. You’re not to think you are as good as we are.

3. You’re not to think you are smarter than we are.

4. You’re not to convince yourself that you are better than we are.

5. You’re not to think you know more than we do.

6. You’re not to think you are more important than we are.

7. You’re not to think you are good at anything.

8. You’re not to laugh at us.

9. You’re not to think anyone cares about you.

10. You’re not to think you can teach us anything.

Although the Law of Jante seems inhumane and unrealistic in our American culture, I read many articles that said the list taken collectively represents the historical culture of Denmark and to a large degree represents their culture today. In that regard, I read a very interesting article regarding the Law of Jante and happiness. It was written by Cole Seidner in March 2017 on a website called Big Think. He said’ Being American means culturally striving to be the best and going to great pains to differentiate yourself as unique. Danes tend to believe in something called Jante Law, which has 10 rules around the idea of accepting the average. Quartz [an online news service] reports that Jante Law is everywhere in Denmark, even if no one is discussing or admitting it. I found during my research that Seidner’s conclusion was confirmed by many experts and pundits.

Seidner said that Jante Law exists in the Danish culture in every way. He used the schools as an example. He said the schools were not competitive and there were no advanced programs for gifted learners. The students must all be equal and help each other rather than vie for the best. There are no rewards programs and no trophies for students who excel.

Danish author, Askel Sandemose, was quoted in a timeline.com story on the Law of Jante saying, To much of Western society, these rules seem careless at best, if not downright cold-blooded. American children are taught the opposite: They are inherently special, with unlimited potential. All anyone needs is a dream and hard work to become the best at anything he or she desires. But to the fictional residents of Jante and Danes as a whole, raising an individual above the group is actually the cruel act. Unfortunately, we are becoming more like Denmark everyday thanks to our increasingly Marxist progressive dominated American schools.

Seidner said Lindsay Dupuis, a Copenhagen therapist, commented that the Jante Law is not discussed in everyday life as a conscious practice but is lived out every day; therefore, talking about it seems redundant. It doesn’t mean that Danes are not as ambitious as everyone else. It just means they don’t brag about it or stress about doing more. Dupuis was also quoted in the timeline.com story as saying, By aspiring to be average, and no more, they will likelier meet expectations and reap the satisfaction of attaining their goals. They will simply be content.

Seidner quoted psychologist Madeline Levine as saying, By definition, most of us are average. Levine said most of society falls somewhere between worst and best and struggling against that fact only leads to anxiety. She also said that it is not futile to try but intentions matter and do you want to achieve something or do you want to beat someone else at his or her achievement? Seidner also quoted Alain de Botton in Status Anxiety as saying, Anxiety is the handmaiden of contemporary ambition.

A psychologist named Barry Schwartz wrote a book titled The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. Seidner quoted the following from the book:

It is necessary for a person’s mental health to accept the average, the ‘good enough’. This is necessary because it may be impossible to know if ‘the best’ is ever reached, and often, perfection is unattainable. It may be impossible to know if one had the best score, but it is easily understood if the score was good enough. It is impossible to quantify if one is the best musician, but good enough is well within reach. … psychologically speaking; this continued push to rise above average has negative consequences on mental health … what happens is this imagined alternative induces you to regret the decision you made, and this regret subtracts from the satisfaction you get out of the decision."

Seidner concluded his article by articulating his own opinion regarding the Law of Jante and Denmark’s culture. He expressed the following:

This means that Jante is, psychologically speaking, a far healthier way of thinking. To accept an average life means that one would get more satisfaction from it. To accept the ‘good enough’ means that one would have a far better experience with it. In addition, the Danish also have hygge [pronounced hue-guh], which is according to the New Yorker and Oxford Dictionary, the concept of being cozy and comfortable as a way of creating the sense of health and happiness. The Oxford Dictionary even reports that hygge is a defining quality of the Danes. That, plus the 10 rules of Jante Law, all add up to the low-stress environment that is Denmark. By slipping into something a little fleecier, and lowering your expectations you will occasionally find yourself pleasantly impressed when those expectations are outdone. All it takes is a sense of being good enough to be comfortable and cozy in life: Jante and hygge.

I don’t know about you, but just reading this stuff makes me depressed. If America adhered to the Law of Jante, there would be no America. Keeping the Law of Jante philosophy in mind, let’s take a snapshot of cultural life in Denmark. I read several articles that were consistent in describing life in Denmark but two articles stood out to me as great summaries. The first is by a Brit named Michael Booth whose wife is Danish and works in Denmark. He has lived in Denmark on and off during the last decade. The article was published in The Guardian in 2014. If you are not aware, The Guardian is a daily center-left British newspaper.

Booth said he has written a plethora of print columns expounding the virtues of Scandinavia life but is now proclaiming enough. He said there is never any mention of Denmark being second in the world to Iceland in taking anti-depressants. He did point out that the Danes have high levels of trust and social cohesion but according to the OECD they work fewer hours per year than most of the world resulting in very poor productivity.

Because of their high cost of living, many use the black market to obtain goods and services. He also said that economic equality, which many believe is the foundation of their societal success, is decreasing. He said poverty has doubled during the last decade and Denmark is becoming a nation divided.

I found it very interesting that, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Denmark has the fourth largest per capita ecological footprint in the world and many visible windmills but still burns a lot of coal. They are proposing to phase out coal by 2030. It will be interesting to see if they do.

Booth said their television programming is constant reruns of 15-year-old episodes of Midsomer Murders [a British detective drama] and documentaries on pig welfare. Denmark is one of the world’s largest producers of pork and export 90% of the pork they produce. Booth did say they recently released a new drama series titled Arvingerne that is stunning and will be shown on the BBC. I questioned if Booth’s comments on Danish television were exaggerated so I looked further.

My research showed Booth did negatively exaggerated Danish television but was correct in principle. The government is heavily involved and access to programming is extremely limited when compared to the U.S. and that is being generous. Wikipedia did say that Arvingerne was a very successful drama series that ran from 2014 to 2017.

Booth also pointed out that politics in Denmark is not without its scandals. He said that even though their national railroad has barely skirted bankruptcy, the government still found money to fund a two-year tax-scandal investigation of the prime minister’s husband that appears to be, in reality, about his sexual orientation. I found several news articles on the issue but no outcome from the accusations. According to Wikipedia they are still married. I guess politics is politics no matter where one lives.

On a positive note, Booth said he found living in Denmark off and on for over a decade to be pretty comfortable in that it remains free of armed conflict, extreme poverty, natural disasters, and Jeremy Kyle who I learned is a shock jock in England. He also mentioned that Danes have a high level of trust, social cohesion, and are aggressively patriotic. On the other hand, he said Denmark had its fair share of pedophiles, racists, crooks, and tax-dodging corporations.

Booth was interviewed by the Washington Post in 2015 and said, … though it is true that even though Nordic countries are among the most gender-equal countries in the world, they also have the highest rates of violence toward women. I found that comment so surprising I went to the Internet to verify it and did. In 2014, The Guardian published the results of a study by the European Union (EU) showing how many women in Europe had reported physical or sexual abuse since age 15. The study showed that, on average, 1 in 3 women in Europe countries had reported abuse. What country had the highest abuse? Denmark did at 52%. The Scandinavian countries of Finland and Sweden were 2nd and 3rd respectively at 47% and 46%.

Booth also said in the interview, I don’t think they [the Danes] were ever the ‘happiest’ people in the world, but you could argue they have been the most ‘satisfied’. They are good at appreciating the small things in life and making the most of what they have — a legacy, I think, of experiencing the rough hand of geopolitics in the 18th and 19th centuries. That goes back to their peasant beginning and the Law of Jante.

The second article that I believe is a good summary of Danish culture is a 2015 article in the New York Post by National Review critic-at-large Kyle Smith. His writings have been characterized as an exercise in hilarious hostility. He said, Pretty much everyone is middle class. Danes belong to more civic associations and clubs than anyone else; they love performing in large groups. At Christmas they do wacky things like hold hands and run around the house together, singing festive songs. They’re like a real life Whoville.

Smith says that Danes are joyless to be around, suffer from high rates of alcoholism, rank fourth in the world in use of antidepressants, have declining productivity, seem to all have a government job, and live in the world’s cancer capital. Maybe that is why Denmark dropped to 3rd in 2018 on the UN World Happiness Report. For your information, Norway dropped to 2nd, and the U.S. dropped to 18th.

Smith additionally commented on the Danes fellow Nordic country of Finland. He said that alcohol related disease is the leading cause of death for men and second for women. The suicide rate is 50% higher in Finland than for the U.S. and more than double the rate in the U.K. He also said that partygoers, even at upscale parties, report that around 11:30 p.m. things often take a fighty turn. Smith wrote that an enzyme known as the warrior gene is linked to impulsive behavior, violence, and alcoholism and is especially prevalent in Finland. Yes, there is a warrior gene. I looked it up.

Oh, and where does Finland rank on the UN 2018 and 2019 happy lists? They ranked 1st for both years! You can make your own mind up about the validity of the U.N.’s happiest countries and their true happiness factor. Oh, Denmark and Norway traded places again at the number 2 and 3 spots and we fell another spot to 19th. During editing in 2020, Finland, Denmark, and Norway held steady at number 1, 2 and 3 respectively and our good ole U.S.A. gained a spot back to 18th. Like I said, you can make up your own mind on this trivial nonsense.

Smith also offered a very disturbing accusation regarding the Danish male population and bestiality. He said that bestiality has traditionally been legal in Denmark, several bestiality brothels advertised their services in newspapers, and 5% of the male population had participated in bestiality. I found it so disturbing and hard to believe that I researched it further and learned it was true. Smith said the Danish government was in the process of outlawing the practice and I found they did so just after Smith’s article was published.

PETA said the action by the government was welcome because they were concerned that the country had become a hub for tourists who were coming to these specialized brothels. This was the first time that I ever agreed with PETA.

Here are a few random characteristics of the Danish society I found during my research that I thought were worth mentioning: unorganized prostitution is legal; children as young as 15 years old can legally purchase pornography; the legal drinking age is 18 years old but 16-year-olds can purchase alcohol in stores if the alcohol content is 16.5% or less [it is common to see 14-year-olds intoxicated on the streets]; the government limits names for newborns to a pre-approved list of 7,000 names [it is very difficult to get an exception]; it is considered rude and offensive for a person to show up at someone’s house unannounced; and 80% are agnostic or atheists.

I discovered one statistic for which I am extremely jealous. More than 85% of Danish citizens voted in the nation’s general election in 2015. Only 52% of Americans voted in our 2016 presidential election.

Over the years, Smith said he has asked many Danes if they believe they are the global happiness champions and he said he has yet to meet a single Dane who believes it is true. He said; however, they are very homogeneous society and are disinclined to disagree or criticize each other. Smith also said, Denmark is a land of 5.3 million homogeneous people. Everyone talks the same, everyone looks the same, everyone thinks the same.

Smith continued that the flip side of their reputation for social cohesion is that outsiders are unwelcome to immigrate to their country and xenophobic remarks are common. Michael Booth said in the Washington Post interview that there is no Nordic model when it comes to immigration and integration: there is the Swedish model [open door] and the Danish model [close the door and put up a Go Away sign] that the Norwegians and Finns emulate. In contrast to the Danish attitude regarding immigration, I have a good friend who has visited Denmark and told me the Danish people were very friendly and polite to him as a tourist. Understanding the Danish culture, that is not surprising nor is their attitude toward immigration.

There was a very telling reference in Smith’s article from a book written by Booth. The book is titled The Almost Nearly Perfect People Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia. The reference said, Those sky-high happiness surveys, it turns out, are mostly bunk. Asking people ‘Are you happy?’ means different things to different cultures. In Japan, for instance, answering ‘Yes’ seems like boasting. Whereas in Denmark, it’s considered ‘shameful to be unhappy’.

I totally agree with Booth that happiness is in the eyes of the beholder based upon personnel values, past experiences, and one’s current situation. I have observed many situations where Americans, even in narrowly defined groups, perceive the same life experiences very differently. That is not the typical case in Denmark where homogeneity is the customary culture.

We learned the Danes were predominately an agrarian society of peasants until agrarian reforms of the 18th century were implemented. Their society was egalitarian and survival was based upon collective effort. If a member of society became wealthy or improved their status, they were ostracized. This makes Denmark an ideal country for a Marxist based society.

The United States is not a homogeneous egalitarian country founded by peasant agrarians. It was founded as an ideal country for a society as described in our Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution. After reading this in-depth analysis of life in Denmark, how do you feel about the enormous push in America to make us more like socialist Denmark and other socialist based Nordic countries and less American?

Why would anyone want to destroy the most successful country in the history of the Earth and convert America into a Marxist based country like Denmark or worse — like a Marxist communist country such as Russia, China, Venezuela, or Cuba? Answering that question by analyzing America’s Marxist ideologues’ diabolical motives and methods and their success is what this book is about.

CHAPTER 2

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THE HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL

AMERICAN CULTURE

Let’s begin looking at the history of American culture by examining its historical foundation. Chapter 4 in the original book and Epilogue II provided a brief look. This chapter will provide more depth. We learned it is now believed the Scandinavian Vikings were the first people to set foot on North American soil about 500 years before Columbus landed in the Caribbean in 1492. Scandinavia includes Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. How ironic after reading the preceding chapter.

Jamestown was founded in 1607 by the English and is considered the first permanent colony in America although there were some attempts by Europeans to settle here before then. These settlers had to endure brutal winters, scarce food, primitive conditions, and high mortality. Jamestown lasted about 100 years. The Pilgrims came in 1620 and by 1770 there were about 2 million people in the 13 British Colonies. This is a vastly different beginning than the homogeneous beginning experienced by Denmark.

During the evolution of the United States, there were many formal battles on American soil. The first battle was the French Indian War that involved both Indians and colonists. It took place between 1754 and 1763 and was a battle between France and Great Britain as part of their worldwide Seven Years’ War. The Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 was the beginning of the end for British rule of our original colonies.

We declared our independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. The American Revolution officially began in April of 1775 and did not end until September of 1783. The Hessian Germans fought with the British and France and Spain fought with the colonists during the Revolutionary War. Although some American Indians living in the East fought with the colonists, most fought with the British as did American slaves who were promised their freedom. And, we can’t forget the American Civil War that took place from 1861 to 1865. America experienced a beginning that was anything but tranquil and homogeneous.

The expansion of our country south and west was difficult. We fought battles with and purchased land from other countries. The United States acquired Florida and land west of the Mississippi River from France, Spain, Great Britain, and Mexico. I found it interesting that we bought Alaska in 1867 from the Russians. The issue of U.S. history is much more complicated and not the same as progressives would like you to believe. We did not just simply and immorally come to America and steal the land from the Indians. It was during a period of time when exploration and colonization throughout the entire world by many formal and informal nations was the cultural norm.

Our relationship with the American Indians is often totally misrepresented by progressive modern historians and pundits who report on the topic. My wife and I watched a twelve-hour educational lecture series by The Great Courses titled Native Peoples of North America. I would highly recommend the course for those interested in American history. The first contact between American Indians and Europeans took place in the early 1500s in what is now Texas and the Indians did incur cruelty and disease from those Spanish explorers. As European settlers arrived on the East Coast in the early 1600s, they lived among the Indians in harmony. There were good Indian tribes and bad Indian tribes, which resulted in tribal fights among themselves as well as clashes with colonists. In general, the colonists and Indians socialized among themselves, traded goods, and even married and inbred.

When the Seven Years’ War came to America in 1754, problems began between the colonists and the Indians. The Indians were brought into the war and forced to take sides with either the colonists who were under British rule or the French. Indians had fought each other for decades but now they were being thrust into battle involving others. Forcing Indians to take sides outside their own tribes became an even bigger problem during the American Revolution. Problems increasingly intensified between Indians and the newly formed United States government as the East Coast became increasingly more densely populated and conflict for land became more intense resulting in the Indians being pushed westward.

In the beginning, former President George Washington and former Secretary of War Henry Knox wanted to educate the American Indians and assimilate them into the larger society. For various reasons, both sides resisted that approach. The government then signed treaties with several American Indian tribes that were broken by both sides resulting in many conflicts. Western American Indian tribes resisted any association with the U.S. Government. Obviously, the U.S. Government won out in the end. It is extremely unfortunate that the issues between American Indians and American colonists could not have resulted in total integration, which would be a much better situation than we have today with the Indian reservations.

Neither side was innocent in this less than desirable outcome. That was especially true during the War of 1812 when the British gave the American Indians considerable weaponry to encourage them to attack settlers in the Northwest Territory, which they did. I would like to hear those who routinely bash the evolutionary history of the United States describe what they believe should have happened. Should there be no America except for the Indians? Do these people really believe that is realistic considering the expansion of civilizations that took place throughout the world during the Age of Discovery and other historical periods of time?

I have studied the historical development of the United States. I am astounded and astonished at what people went through to colonize our country in order to obtain freedom of religion, freedom from oppression, and opportunity in life. Every tiny corner of the world, from the beginning of civilized man, has been one of exploration and conquest. Historically, those conquests have ranged from just plain old ugly to extreme brutality. No part of the world has been immune from these conquests since civilization began. Military conquests continue in many parts of the world even today. If our country had not been colonized by the people who did and for the reasons they did, others would have.

Whatever America would have developed into, it would not have the freedom, safety, and opportunity that is afforded to those of us who live here including the American Indians. Yes, the American Indians have the same opportunity, if they wish to take it and many individuals and tribes do. Unfortunately, the majority of Indians on most reservations live in poverty and alcoholism is a major problem with no end in sight. In reality, it is no different than areas steeped in poverty in cities and some rural areas of the U.S. This is a problem of society that is not unique to the Indians and we, as a society, have done a very poor job of addressing it.

Our country is constantly criticized by many of our fellow Americans because of our history of slavery. Slavery has been going on for thousands of years and is still rampant across the world today. Actually, slavery is currently prevalent in the United States in the form of sex slavery, which is abhorrent and predominately involves women and children. I wrote about this in chapter 10 in the original book. How come we never hear about sex slavery from the people who criticize the history of black American slavery? Where is #MeToo on that one? Great question! We will discuss that in chapter 5.

A PBS story estimated that approximately 12 million black African slaves were bought to North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean between 1500 and the 1860s. I read only 4% to 5% of those slaves came to the United States. I verified these numbers from several sources. Slavery ended in the U.S. in 1867 with the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Do you know how those black African slaves were captured and put