By Dr. Harold W. Pease

The name George Soros is popping up everywhere as being perhaps the most influential man on earth. Certainly not the richest, that honor goes to Mexico’s telecom magnate Carlos Slim with 74 billion dollars, but he is one of the richest at 32 billion dollars. It is the use of that money that is so frightening. His giving is not like that of Sandra Bullock who recently gave a million to the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan, nor is it like the billion dollars given several years ago by Bill Gates to help eradicate AIDS in Africa. Their money does not buy power or amplify wealth. Mr. Soros’ money is targeted for influence and political power over this nation and the world—all directed to the far left side of the political spectrum and the globalization of the world.

Prominent among his myriad of well-funded socialist organizations are: ACORN, the Tides Foundation, Sojourners, The Quantum Fund, and Media Matters. Some of these organizations operate in other countries, as for example Open Society Institute (spends 425million a year on socialist causes) and Friends of the Earth, designed to build support for an international network of organizations dedicated to the environment. The Center for American Progress schedules their “experts” for talk show events even developing talking points for them. The Apollo Alliance played a major role in the development of the Stimulus Bill now incorporated into law. The American Constitution Society defends far-left interpretations of the Constitution. And, MoveOn.org organizes action alerts to followers via the Internet.

Not that the far right does not have such organizations as well, but likely no other one person has as many organizations as combat ready and as highly financed as does George Soros. Most recently he has declared war on Fox News because they criticized him. Presumably they can hold their own but certainly they have a worthy opponent. Human Events recently identified George Soros, “as the most dangerous and destructive leftish demagogue in the country. (Human Events, 3/28/11, Cover Story).”

Should he be taken seriously? Well, the Bank of England did not do so and he “shorted the British pound in 1992, wagering $10 billion on a drop in its value. In a desperate bid to keep its currency afloat, the Bank of England tried to buy up pounds as fast as Soros could dump them. However, as more and more investors followed Soros’ lead and joined his efforts, the Bank of England eventually gave up. The British pound was devalued, launching a tsunami of financial turmoil from Tokyo to Rome. When it was over, millions of hardworking Britons confronted their diminished savings, while Soros counted his gains. He had personally made nearly $2 billion on the catastrophe,” he caused (The Shadow Party: How George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Sixties Radicals Seized Control of the Democratic Party, David Horowitz and Richard Poe, Nelson Communication, 2006, pg. 4).

Two things, in particular, bother opponents. First, could his propaganda machine have undue influence in the government—especially given his frequent and friendly contacts with President Barack Obama? Soros has hosted fundraisers for Obama and made at least four visits to the White House. There is reason to believe that Soros has influenced the president on: The Stimulus Bill, Cap and Trade, opposition to the extension of the Bush tax cuts, and banking reform.

Second, Soros’ strong and frequent advocacy of global government is especially frightening. He once wrote: “To stabilize and regulate a truly global economy, we need some global system of political decision making. In short, we need a global society to support our global economy… the sovereignty of states must be subordinated to international law and international institutions. Interestingly, the greatest opposition to this idea is coming from the United States (The Crisis of Global Capitalism, George Soros, 7 Dec. 1998, Newsweek).”

In any case, there is enough evidence to keep close watch on the man and his numerous and well-funded organizations designed to lead this nation into socialism and the world into world government. If he is not the most influential man on earth, he is close.

Dr. Harold Pease is an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He has taught history and political science from this perspective for over 25 years at Taft College.