Exploiting Fear

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
 --V (V for Vendetta)

Good point by Ron Paul. The recently proposed Green New Deal linked to the progressive rallying cry of 'climate change' is analogous to various neocon proposals that stir the rallying cry of 'terrorism.' Both are ready-made excuses for expanding government and curtailing liberty.

Politicians learned long ago that the key to assimilating power is to instill fear in the citizenry. When people are fearful, they become more willing to surrender their freedom in exchange for safety. Consequently, they contract with strong armed government agents to protect them from their fears.

By exploiting fear, the government's protection racket flourishes. State power increases and social power decreases.