It’s hard to believe that we enlightened, practical, eyes-wide-open Americans are living in a fable, a virtual fairy tale — but more and more evidence is making the case that we are.

The “fairy tale” I refer to is actually a witty satire written by the brilliant author/politician Jonathan Swift in 1726. Because it was such an entertaining piece, it became a famous children’s story; but that was not the original intention of the author. Swift himself said “The chief end I propose to myself in all my labors is, to vex the world rather than divert it.”

That is, he wanted to focus his society on its folly. And that he did, eloquently. But little could he have imagined how accurately he would picture our society in America today. It’s startling. It’s disheartening. And it’s threatening to our very survival.

Remember? In Swift’s satire, a traveler named Gulliver finds himself in Lilliput, surrounded by a race of people universally 1/12 his size. Though he wishes them no harm, and in fact is quite friendly toward the little people, his size intimidates them. So they conspire to get him drunk and lying on the ground — at which time they crawl all over him, staking him to the ground with countless little ropes. And when he comes to, he’s helpless.

You may not yet get the connection. But here are recent facts, revealed by none other than the Los Angeles Times, the truth teller in one of America’s unofficial “sanctuary cities” for illegal aliens.

40 percent of all workers in L.A. County (10.2 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants working without a green card.

95 percent of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

75 percent of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.

Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal, whose births were paid for by taxpayers.

Nearly 35 percent of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.

Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.