Elysium

[anzel]

Probably this is the quote you're thinking of:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."

Sometimes attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, but apparently by Elmer T. Peterson.

Probably because of this similar quote by Alexis de Tocqueville:

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

Yes! I couldnt remember Tocqueville! Your good bro, good research!

I believe it was Tocquevilles stuff that influenced the thinking of our Founding Fathers.

But yes, that is exactly the case now. The two major forces that influence and scare the polititians are the rich and the poor. The rich because although few in numbers are wealthy enough to sway votes and of course their large donations to campaigns buy them a little say over how the politician does business. And the poor because although they have no money are such a large group they can sway votes and vote en mass and just flat out riot and make shit get nasty quick.
The middle class has just enough comfort in their lives that politicians can scare them into a wrong decision by doing something called LYING. The middle are working and busy and usually dont have time to learn the facts and some side with the rich and some with the poor therebye splitting the groups vote down the middle. Making it weaker.
Bottom line is the fiscal policy nowadays is to continue to grant tax breaks to the wealthy and increase the welfare state to the poor. You have to get the money from somewhere so they take it from the middle. The middle see no tax breaks or such tiny tax breaks they are worthless, losing their pensions, paying more for health care but getting less coverage, increased inflation from quantitative easing while austerity measures are practiced.

Lastly, America is really psuedo-socialist now. If the govt has to bailout the economy like it just did then that is not capitalism. Capitalism is sink or swim, produce or fail. Thats what defines it in some regards. So when the govt has to step in and hand over 1.1 trillion dollars to keep the economy alive, then socialism is at work.
But now we can see how Peterson & Tocqueville were on the money right? Even though the economy was resurrected it has played out long enough to see that the next crash will probably result in some major calamity that none of us are going to like. Because there will be another crash someday and you cant just keep throwing money at your problems. You have to fix them.

 

[Teutonic]

Bravo bravo

 

[blaa1089]

It was a good ass move to me. I like Matt in all his movies.