Gazing into the crystal ball

Mona Charen, David Brooks and Fred Barnes all look at the future with a Democratic White House and Congress -- and it ain't pretty. Some points raised include:

* Contempt for the secret ballot by passing the diabolically-named Employee Free Choice Act.

* Contempt for the freedom of speech by reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.

* An increase in taxes to take from the fruits of the productive to hand more goodies to the less productive. As Obama recently told a plumber who complained about higher taxes, his plan is to "spread the wealth around." Somewhere Karl Marx is smiling.

* A halt or rollback in free trade. And remember, free trade is just that, the free exchange of goods regardless of origin. Funny how the same people that like to talk about how they are "citizens of the world" are fiercely nationalistic when it comes to trade.

* Increase spending that drives us further into debt.

And for those that take solace that it will prompt a GOP comeback, Charen issues the following warning:

"Well," you may say, "if the Democrats drive the country into a deep recession, so much the worse for them. The Republicans will come back strong -- even with two senators from DC!" Perhaps. But in hard times people tend to ask for more government, not less, and this tumble started while George W. Bush was in the White House. Franklin Roosevelt continued to invoke the boogey man of Herbert Hoover long after the Depression was his own. In fact, Democrats used Hoover successfully for 40 more years!

Finally, there is a one-way ratchet in public policy. Liberal reforms are never undone. How hard have conservatives tried to eliminate the Department of Education or subsidies to public television? Would they have more success uncreating a new nationalized health care system?

Yep. You don't win by losing.

Update: The future seems to be now. Plans to pass card check legislation appear to be already underfoot. Jeez.