"We have to learn from China!" Beck shouted to an energized crowd. "We need a 100-year plan for America!"
The problems we face now, he pointed out, were the result of a "ticking time-bomb" that has been waiting to blow since the beginning of the Progressive movement a century ago. It was here that the political Left planted the seeds that would grow and radically shift America towards Socialism. This isn't all about Obama, Beck reminded the crowd. "They took advantage of Democrats and Republicans," he said, making it known that George W. Bush is also to blame for the growth of government.
Now, with uncontrollable entitlement liabilities and a debt in perpetual climb, our lifestyle has become unsustainable. American simply cannot afford to continue on its current path. Currently, we are facing tens of trillions in unfunded liabilities from unsustainable entitlement programs. That's $400,000 for every man, woman, and child in America.
"America is like the Titantic. We had a captain and a crew that drove us into hitting an iceberg, and we're taking on water. Then we elect a new captain and a new crew, and they turn the ship around and start ramming back into the iceberg, over and over, with cap and trade and healthcare and spending, and they tell the passengers, you and me, that everything's fine... to go back into our rooms and enjoy the music."
It's time, Beck says, for Americans to start building the lifeboats. It's time that we "change our lifestyle", and get government spending under control. If we do not, Beck warned, we will simply join the Weimar Republic as a historical example of a failed system. The fall of the Weimar Republic lead to the rise of the Nazis. What will become of the United States if we follow a similar path?
"I've been reading a lot of history recently... [these policies] have failed every time they've been tried!"
So what is Glenn Beck's 100-year plan? Or, perhaps more importantly, what is Glenn Beck's plan for 2010, a critical election for conservatives? The answer is not surprising to anyone who pay attention to his program. Beck has taken notice of the "community organizing" tactics of Obama and the radical Left. "Well, two can play at that game!" he said, winning perhaps the largest cheers from the audience.
Beck's plan revolves around a series of educational training coarses, where average Americans can become conservative activists, and even politicians. Beck has assembled a team of experts to serve as advisors, which he plans to use to educate the conservative base on all the prominent arguments. They will then be ready for battle as they organize and gather support in their communities.
There are seven of these seminars, the first of which will be held in Orlando. The rest of the country can go to GlennBeck.com and vote for where the other six should be held. All these training and recruitment efforts are a prelude to Beck's main event this coming August - a march on Washington, D.C., where he will deliver a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
"This isn't for us. We're not doing it for us. It's for our children." Beck added. His plans are to plant the seeds, much like the Progressives did at the beginning of the 20th century, to ensure that America has a sustainable future. That, it seems, is his 100-year plan.
And what of the politicians in Washington who stand in the way?
"They'll either come to us, or we'll bring the fight to them!"
Tom Bortnyk is a columnist for the political blog Informed-Dissent.
