As a side note, I wish to briefly convey a personal story related to the oppositional voice. For several years, I served on the Board of Trustees of a private college in North Carolina (St. Andrews). I was flying to a graduation ceremony at the college on a small plane where my co-passenger was George McGovern, who had recently lost the national USA presidential election by a large margin to Ronald Reagan. This esteemed, but recently discarded, leader asked me why he was invited by Republican board members to be the graduation speaker at this conservative college. I proudly noted that the board had invited him to be the speaker because the “minority” voice (in this case liberalism) is most needed precisely at a point when a new “majority” (in this case conservatism) has won the day. I consider this to be a moment of true freedom and I was honored (as a liberal) to be a member of this thoughtful Board of Trustees.
Back to the alarms. There might be disillusionment among those hoping for an improved life under the auspices of a strong government based on collective responsibility. Major social unrest might arise among those populations receiving the least care and witnessing what seems to be cavalier societal disregard for their actual (distinctive) welfare. Control of policies might become more centralized and embedded in vested social and economic interests among those granted political power. Quite tragically, it has often been the most liberal governments that have generated the highest levels of corruption and scandal. Greed is not exclusive to those with great wealth. “Robber barons” come in many different shapes and sizes.
