Last November we were told that America needs to break through the "politics of fear."

We didn’t want to be ruled by the fear of global terrorism, fear of a third World War or fear of a foreign army marching against us.

We were told America was sick and tired of the eavesdropping of the Patriot Act.

"Big Brother" in the Bush administration did nothing to free us from the energy grip of foreign dictators or the lobbying efforts of big business. Through Dick Cheney’s so-called "emergency" laws, the fascist state’s grip started to tighten.

But that wasn’t what America said it wanted, so it did the quintessentially American thing: voted the other way.

Now, with the other guy in power, people are realizing that the grass isn’t nearly as green as it looked. Americans on both sides are saying, wait a minute, I’ve seen this movie before. Enough.

Now we have the tea parties, the 9/12 Project and today, the G20 riots on TV — all proving that no matter what side of the aisle (whether it’s radicals with an agenda or a mom or a plumber) people are once again feeling oppressed by an out-of-control state.

We watch as day after day problems that can and should be solved locally are instead made worse with thousand-page bills, public/private partnerships, or global treaties.

So now we have a different fear.

We were afraid the government is growing larger. We are now afraid of the exact things that I was called crazy for even suggesting just a couple of years ago: Things like nationalizing our banks; putting the government in charge of private payrolls; moving to nationalize our auto industry and — here’s the key one — using the word "crisis" to obtain the unprecedented power needed to make it all happen.

It all adds up to me having to now admit that I was wrong. Our government is not marching our country down the road toward communism or even socialism. They’re marching us toward a brand of non-violent fascism or, to put it in another way, they’re marching us toward "1984."

They are watching; they are controlling; they are telling you how to run your business, your life and how to parent your children.

As thousands of protesters riot on the streets of London for anarchy, those inside are taking part in an even more dramatic demonstration. They are going after the power that comes with creating a globally run financial system.

So what does all of this mean? I think there are two things:

One, fascism is on the rise — and that doesn’t mean Adolf Hitler.

And two, all of it is an illusion. The minute you turn on the lights or peek behind the curtain, you realize that Big Brother isn’t so big. The politics of fear used by the left and right aren’t so scary.

Thanks to our Founding Fathers, they have no choice but to answer to us, if we hold them to our founding principles. But, to do that, we must empower ourselves and stand up with our voices, our minds and our hearts to remind them that it’s we the people who run this show.

We need to raise our expectations and demand more from our government. Until we do that, we’ll continue to get exactly what we deserve.

What do you think? Send your comments to: glennbeck@foxnews.com

— Watch Glenn Beck weekdays at 5 p.m. ET on FOX News Channel