Turns out it was not Cicero, but rather Robert Heinlein who said it;
""[O]nce a state extends the franchise to every warm body, be he producer or parasite, that day marks the beginning of the end of the state. For when the plebs discover that they can vote themselves bread and circuses without limit and that the productive members of the body politic cannot stop them, they will do so, until the state bleeds to death, or in its weakened condition the state succumbs to an invader — the barbarians enter Rome."
Robert A. Heinlein (Courtesy of The Corner @ NRO)"
ht to Alfred Mahan
Regardless, here is the point people;
It is in teaching the population and educating them about the basics of economics that you could have a democracy that would be forever lasting, or at least not befelled by human's natural desire for greed and tendency to put themselves ahead of others. It is economics that is the key to making a nation great. If the people understand why you can't just go a file for bankruptcy and why instead of majoring in cosmetology you should instead major in chemical engineering, then wealth will be produced and poverty eliminated to such an extent it would rival the olden days of the US. I write about it in further detail in my book, but also plan on making a post along the lines that inevitably as science disproves various traditional religions wrong, for moral and spiritual guidance, people will turn more and more to economics as it is the laws of economics that ultimately govern our behaviors. And if the study of economics can be mastered by the masses, there would be an unbelievable advance and enrichment of society.
Of course people would have to quit believing in worthless socialist drivel such as "hope" and "change," but, even despite the naivety of spoiled brat Obasming American leftists, I think most people when given the choice;
"A pathetic government financed existence of mediocrity standing in bread like circa 1970's Russia"
or
"A Bermudian level of capitalism and $80,000 per capita GDP."
Will come around to the "new" religion.
Read 'Starship Troopers' if you haven't. It's a great book.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, only discharged veterans have the right to vote. The theory is that only someone willing to risk their lives for something greater than themselves are worthy of leadership or voting.
The system is sustainable because it's run by the fighters and not the sheep.
Active soldiers though cannot vote because they might vote not to go to war.
It's an interesting theory - better than the universal 'plus' voting we have now. By 'plus', I mean illegal aliens, felons, multiple voting, dead people and cartoon characters voting.
You should look into neuroeconomics. Even the firing of our neurons when we make decisions can be modeled by economic equations.
ReplyDeleteGod, I hope you are right Cap!
ReplyDeleteThe caveat about Starship Troopers is that every person is elegible to enter what is called "Federal Service" to earn their franchise, no matter their handicap, as is explained in the book. You do not have to be a war veteran, per se; only have earned your discharge from Federal Service.
ReplyDeleteNow, back in the "day", there were restrictions on voting in the Republic that made sense as well; property ownership, poll taxes, etc. These have since gotten a bad rap because of our society's rush to embrace "democracy" at the expense of "republicanism".