Ralph Peters on O’Reilly: Schools Teaching Kids That U.S. Government Is Bad | Fox News Insider.

This is an… interesting clip from Fox News where a “strategic analyst” (whatever that means) makes a bizarre leap of logic.  He seems to accuse both the general culture and the school system of promoting the idea that “the government” is bad and that “the country” is bad, but he presents the issue as if these statements are one and the same.

Let me assure you, they are not.  The notion of “we are the government” is progressive propaganda, and it’s a shame to see so-called conservatives parroting it as fact.  The American government is an entity that is completely and totally separate from America the country, or the American people as a whole.  They might claim to represent us, but the reality is that they are not at all representative of the public.  The government represents the worst of us, not the best of us.

The notion that somehow the general culture and public schools are promoting the idea that “the government is bad” is even more absurd.  Can you imagine?  Isn’t it the liberal elites who constantly promote the idea of a kind and benevolent government that is the solution to all of our problems?  Isn’t it the conservatives who are constantly being referred to as “anti-government” and who regularly talk about drowning it in a bathtub?  If only the culture and the schools would teach that government was bad.  That would be a huge step in the right direction!  Instead, they brainwash people with the exact opposite message:  that individuals are bad, and government is your friend.

It’s important to not let anyone, on either side of the aisle, get away with this “we are the government” nonsense, whether it’s intentional or accidental.  Any time you hear someone talk like this, correct them, and let them know that the United States government does not represent you or your values.  That it is comprised of liars, crooks, and thieves whose aim is to exploit and expropriate us all.  That the country is filled largely with hard-working, honest, unique individuals that want nothing to do with these tyrants.