The Debt And Denial

A reader writes:

You wrote:

Is this how wounded the American giant is? Is this how incapable it is of reforming itself?

Well, you know...

"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." - Ben Franklin

"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 about 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage." - Alexander Fraser Tyler.

I mean, that's essentially what's going on, here.  The *American people* do not want to hear that they have to pay for the services that they receive from government.  They want something for nothing.  All of these politicians wouldn't be following this path if it was going to get them thrown out of office.

The problem is not with the politicians; it's with the people who are voting for them.