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Roger Sause, in his book "Left for Dead" does a magnificent job in explaining the implications of the new age, which he refers to as the "Third Wave". He borrows this descriptive phrase from Alvin and Heidi Toffler who wrote a book, not coincidentally titled, "The Third Wave". It is based on a theory that, in the history of man, there have been very few developments that cause fundamental change in how we live. The first came when men first invented agriculture. This "first wave" allowed people to store wealth, provide for the future and create a more settled, orderly society. Up until only a few centuries ago, this was the prevailing "wave" in that 97 percent of all people were employed in some aspect of agriculture. The "second wave" was brought on by the industrial revolution. This wave had the unfortunate consequence of requiring men and machines to be interchangeable components, to be rigid, strict, massive, controlled and timely, but showered us with inexpensive goods and services. The "third wave" is, of course, indicated by the information age. It's hallmarks are the easy access of information by all classes of society, flexible work hours, independent thinking and movement of individuals who lead more fulfilling lives.
Mr. Sause points out that there is a present day struggle going on between advocates of both the second and the third wave. Second wave people want to push society in a direction that is centrally controlled by a massive bureaucracy. They want to provide all essential services such as health care. They want to make all people alike by providing an education that makes them more "socialized". They want to restrict the independence of individuals in order to force them to conform with the rest of society, making them better components of the industrial machine. Does this "second wave" industrialist agenda sound familiar? The Democrats have been pushing it for more than thirty years. On the other side of the issue are those who are fighting for individual freedom, open information, decentralization of government and its power, decentralized education and healthcare. These "third wave" advocates tend generally to be Republicans and Libertarians.
Roger Sause directly links the policies of the Left with the 150 year old writings of Karl Marx. It is no secret that much of what Leftists have to offer is a watered down version of Marxist-Leninist dogma. What Mr. Sause adds to the argument is a brilliant connection between this stilted, dying, discredited philosophy and the passing, archaic, restricting era of "Second Wave" history. Socialism/Communism was actually meant by Marx and Engels to be the full fruition of the Industrialized society, where individualism was crushed and "the needs of the many outweigh the need of the few" or words to that effect - which could equally be pronounced, "from each according to his ability and to each according to his needs."
"Left for Dead" reveals the struggle between the advocates of these various "waves" to be both vicious and vital. The leftists remain stuck in the ideas of industrialism that mean to hold us in a claustrophobic grip, while those on the right want to advance into a new age of individualism. Mr. Sause's premise is that Socialism is the philosophy of the past and Conservative Libertarianism is the philosophy of the future. If we allow the left to win on various issues from health care to school choice then we set society back and put off the time when individual liberty and the fundamental enrichment and fulfillment of our lives will become more widely attainable via the "Third Wave".
Gory details of Leftist tactics, activities and mistaken notions abound in "Left for Dead." Mr. Sause is not an academician; he is rather a musician who has spent his days surrounded by the elitist left. His insights into pop-culture and pop-socialism are thus well-informed and profound. His logical and concise arguments reveal a common sense not often achieved among the "intelligencia". In clear and vivid prose he deals out anecdotes, statistics and analysis that makes for compelling reading. This book is a breath of fresh air that should be read and quoted for a long time to come. Highly Recommended.
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