Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Monday, November 3. 2008

QQQ

"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
.
Benjamin Franklin (paraphrasing Aristotle) from Tell Them They Can, at Wiz. The Founders feared the tyranny of democracy almost as much as they feared the tyranny of leaders, which is why they created a Republic instead of an Athenian democracy. But you already knew that.
Posted by Bird Dog in Quotidian Quotable Quote (QQQ) at 07:44 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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That quote has been running through my head frequently over the past few weeks.

I am also thoughtful of how all the controls built into the Constitution are about to be bypassed. Those limits on power were added by the Founding Fathers who took warning from the Democratic failures in Greece and Rome.
#1 NJSoldier on 2008-11-03 07:55 (Reply)
"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."

I have heard this all my life: usually uttered by some cocktail CINO (conservative in name only). I have yet to hear or read an equally true statement: when the Prince finds he can steal his neighbors' property, that will herald the end of the Monarchy. the same holds for the Aristocracy. These CINOs and people who parrot them need to spend some time as serfs.

The quoted statement is meant to discredit a republican form of government.
#2 njartist49 on 2008-11-03 09:33 (Reply)
I had just finished reading Ezekiel 46:18 which limited the reach of the Prince towards his neighbors property.
#2.1 njartist49 on 2008-11-03 09:35 (Reply)
The quote discredits unrestrained Democracy (Mobocracy). A properly functioning Republic has limits on governmental powers that prevents property siezure and wealth redistribution amoung other abuses.
#2.2 NJSoldier on 2008-11-03 12:16 (Reply)
"The quoted statement is meant to discredit a republican form of government."

No - It's meant to make a distinction between a republican form of government and a democracy.

"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." - Thomas Jefferson

Subtitute "money" for "rights" in the above statement and you'll see where we're headed.
#2.3 someone on 2008-11-03 15:53 (Reply)
"The Tragedy of the Commons".

Or maybe: The Tragedy of the Commoners.
`
#3 Meta on 2008-11-03 13:23 (Reply)

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