"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage."
-Alexander Fraser Tytler
Our "democracy" has become a joke, and not even a funny one at that. We've long been ruled by crooked authoritarians from both sides of the political aisle.
@TheInterlooper Are you by chance a member in this group? Thinking about joining it soon, have a few posts in mind that would be good for that group.
Also, you should have seen some of Garban's replies to me on his most recent politics chat post, I also got accused of lecturing him.
@TheInterlooper Did a few posts already in that group, and some of the posts I have planned are sure to ruffle some feathers.
Who is/was AF Tytler and is/was s/he credible or cynical?
200 year old twaddle.
@TheInterlooper First of all, it likely doesn't attribute to him, it appears to be of modern origin attributed to him for verisimilitude. And it doesn't matter since the argument is so broad and sweeping in its claims that they can be be described as ridiculously speculative. I'll stick with twaddle.
So: "we the people" and "for the common good" can't last ? I find that a little depressing.
If your trying to cheer me up...lol Maybe if politicians had to wear their sponsors logo on their suits. Like race car drivers... Abbott and Cruz would have the ERCOT logo for example. I'm sure ExxonMobil would be a proud lapel pin for many.. @TheInterlooper
Is it fair for multi-billion dollar companies to get all our financial benefits (like tax relief) while young people fall further and further into economic oblivion for a small chance at a livable wage? If not then to Hell with fairness. SCOTUS is wrong on a lot of things, these daze, and companies are not of the same value as people. People make companies work. Companies use people up and discard them on a pile of waste and wreckage for their own nourishment. I say tax payers have fed them long enough.
@TheInterlooper No. Feeding companies has gone on long enough. I think the solution is co-ops and Unions, along with a Constitutional Convention to update our agreement, and things like that.
@TheInterlooper I'm more in favor of co-ops to Unions but one can't co-op a govt Agency who's workers need a voice. Co-ops are owned by the workers of that business, or school, for the benefit of those workers and their community. By nature they are local and involved. I think the greater school problem is that one big educational template is dumb so people get mad at it. Teach math, as an example, to a realistic use level and anyone who wants to pursue more can go to schools which cater to that. Those who aren't good at math can be doing something else and NASA will probably still find employees. Same for other disciplines like science and such. In this way few waste their kids time with nonsense they don't need as one usually has one career path, anyway. The rest they can read about at their own leisure with the money they make from that career path.