“Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse out of the public treasure. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefit from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a dictatorship, and then a monarchy.” MomentsGovernmentFormPoliticsResultsDemocracyPolicyBenefitsVoteMajorityTreasureSocialismPermanentCandidatesThat MomentVotersCollapseDictatorshipMonarchyForms Of GovernmentDemocracies HaveTreasuryVoting And DemocracyFiscal PolicyLargesse Author:Alexander Fraser Tytler
“It is not, perhaps, unreasonable to conclude, that a pure and perfect democracy is a thing not attainable by man, constituted as he is of contending elements of vice and virtue, and ever mainly influenced by the predominant principle of self-interest. It may, indeed, be confidently asserted, that there never was that government called a republic, which was not ultimately ruled by a single will, and, therefore, (however bold may seem the paradox,) virtually and substantially a monarchy.” MenMaySelfSeemsGovernmentInterestPerfectPrinciplesVirtueDemocracyPureElementsVicesParadoxRepublicSelf InterestMonarchyUnreasonableContendingVice And Virtue Author:Alexander Fraser Tytler
