Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Why History and Logic Matter

Elspeth

April 9

I originally popped up here to write a sort pre-post-mortem of my experience homeschooling a child from kindergarten all the way through high school graduation. However, that post will will have to wait until next week; or perhaps even closer to her graduation date next month since I am totally distracted by this ad (h/t: Will S):

VP Kamala Harris announces: "Your loans will be completely forgiven regardless of income, and even if you didn't graduate."

They're buying votes with OUR money. pic.twitter.com/alZEHcBt4B

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 8, 2024

I was instantly reminded of this quote attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler, the 18th century judge and historian:

"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."

This is why I try to be thorough when explaining the forms of government, economic systems, and historical trajectories of socialist revolutions to my students. The lies are so pretty, that without a base of knowledge to weigh them against, people, by the millions, traipse happily over the sides of the cliffs.

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday.