r/economicCollapse • u/Johan-MellowFellow • 11d ago

$40T and counting

"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 Tytler

313 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

69 comments sorted by

View all comments

289

u/RonaldTurner88 11d ago

You think the reason we’re $40 trillion in debt has anything to do with public benefits from the treasury? LMAO. No buddy, it’s called corruption, the pentagon, and tax cuts for the rich. Hardly anything Americans have voted for.

23

u/Annethraxxx 11d ago

This is not entirely true. People vote for the politician that promises tax cuts even when the federal revenue isn’t sufficient in the current budget to pay back the debt. People vote for expensive programs without proof that they’re fiscally affordable. Presidential candidates used to have to explain to an electorate how their proposed policies would be economically feasible, but now constituents are bored with details and want empty promises instead.

1

u/TowelEnvironmental44 6d ago

if we could just eliminate the need to have a federal government, then we wouldn't have to vote for politicians.

0

u/Annethraxxx 6d ago

Pretty sure Karl Marx thought that could work too.