[ RadSafe ] Germany to shut down reactors by 2022

[Doug Huffman]

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Fraser_Tytler

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.
        The earliest known appearance of this quote was December 9,
1951, in what appears to be an op-ed piece in The Daily Oklahoman under
the byline Elmer T. Peterson[2]. The quote has not been found in
Tytler's work. It has also been attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville.


There are many variants circulating with various permutations of
majority, voters, citizens, or public. Ronald Reagan is known to have
used this in speeches:[3]

    Perhaps what he had in mind was what Prof. Alexander Frazer Tytler
has written, that a democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of
government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote
themselves largesse out of the public treasury. From that moment on the
majority, he said, always vote for the candidate promising the most
benefits from the treasury with the result that democracy always
collpases over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a
dictatorship. Unfortunately, we can't argue with the professor because
when he wrote that we were still colonials of Great Britain and he was
explaining what had destroyed the Athenian Republic more than 2000 years
before.

    Other variants:
    The American Republic will endure until politicians realize they can
bribe the people with their own money.
    The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers
that it can bribe the public with the public's money.


On 5/30/2011 16:40, Marvin Resnikoff wrote:
> This is the nature of a democracy.  Decisions are made by the voters, not by the scientists.
> Marvin Resnikoff
> 
> --- On Mon, 5/30/11, Perle, Sandy <sperle at mirion.com> wrote:
> 
> From: Perle, Sandy <sperle at mirion.com>
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Germany to shut down reactors by 2022
> To: "The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing  List" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
> Date: Monday, May 30, 2011, 4:03 PM
> 

> 
> Going to be cold winters and hot summers in all these Countries due to inexcusable decisions made by their governments.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Sandy