It's very fashionable lately to clamor about "Threats to Democracy!" In fact, I have nightmares about a blond-haired, bespectacled bird named Chicken Lizzle running around a Wyoming barnyard repeatedly yelling exactly that.
But that clucking is of recent vintage (like, say, starting around 4pm ET on January 6, 2021). There is a much older admonition. A version of it is even attributed to Plato, though more people attach it to an 18th century Scottish professor by the name of Alexander Tytler. "Maybe not," the self-appointed factcheckers tell us. Fair enough; we want to be accurate.
Still, it appears the prediction is at least 70+ years old - almost as old as Joe Biden. It is:
"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."
The aftermath, it is explained, is dictatorship.
One can't help but wonder if Biden's* "student loan forgiveness" less than three months before the mid-term elections is the final American proof of that principle.
Biden's cynicism is as layered as it is breathtaking.
First of all, can he even do this? Likely not. As of this writing, at least, the President is still not Der Fuhrer. He is not all-powerful. Recall from School House Rock that Congress "has the purse strings" under the Constitution.**
Even Nancy Pelosi realizes that. It will be more sad than comical to watch the Speaker of the US House of Representatives sell out the institution she leads if she walks away from her previous comments - which she almost certainly will, because she is not really a leader but a disgusting political hack. Surprise us, Nancy - please.
So, this giveaway will be challenged in court. The court will either shoot the Constitution in the face and uphold Biden's decree or will rule it unconstitutional, at which point Biden and the rest of the Dems can tell everyone, "see, we tried, but the evil court system took it away." Biden may be particularly hoping the "Republican" Supreme Court makes a final ruling on it during the presidential election cycle (still deluding himself the party will let him run in 2024).
This debt-forgiveness is a capstone to the cynical scam that "higher education" already represents. Remember when you first went to your HS counselor to talk about college? Likely, the first thing they told you to do was fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid). That started the socialist process of taking as much money as possible from you and your mom and dad. If your family had some money, great - give it all to the University. If your family had little money, fine - give that to the University. If your family had no money, well - we can still let you in, but we will need to take some more money from other families and make you a lifelong indentured servant through student loans.
The cost of an undergraduate education has gone up almost 120% since 1985, adjusted for inflation! *** How does that make sense? If the system wasn't honked up, the internet would be bringing the real cost down dramatically (schools no longer need to compete over library envy, for example).
And, it is not like the quality of the product is improving. If you are paying for your daughter's education right now, do not watch the current viral video outing how little college students are learning (except about the Kardashians).
In fact (and ironically), Biden is counting on how uneducated the electorate is. He figures most Americans think the federal government has unlimited resources that come from ... somewhere. Maybe Area 51.
He assumes hard working middle class Americans who didn't go to college aren't smart enough to realize THEY are now paying for someone else's four year party.
Biden believes the people smart enough to realize this scheme is stealing from the poor to give to the rich are the ones who will benefit, so they will just quietly smile, put the money in their pocket and thank him by voting Democrat in November 2022 and 2024.
Recommendation: If you are not getting a piece of this Biden-pie, be livid - you deserve to be. If you are a winner of this federal lottery (and it actually happens), congratulations - go ahead and take it (of course), but then ...
shh, don't tell anyone ...
VOTE REPUBLICAN, as a small thank you to those of us who actually paid for it and (more importantly) to keep our Democracy intact a while longer.****
* We realize Biden may not be the actual functioning president at this point - we use his name as a surrogate for the West Wing Cabal as a whole.
** just because of the ridiculous fact-checking Karens out there, I acknowledge the "purse string" concept may not actually be mentioned in School House Rock. Here's something from The House Committee on The Budget (John Yarmuth, D, Chair):
"The Founders knew that money – and who controls it – is fundamentally important in a democratic government. They saw in the “power of the purse . . . the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people.” That is why the Constitution gave the power of the purse to Congress. It vested the people’s representatives with control of the people’s tax dollars and how they are spent. Yet Congress’ ability to fulfill that responsibility has been increasingly challenged by an executive branch that, regardless of party, has sought to claim control of the nation’s purse for itself. This potential collapse of our separation of powers is a direct threat to the American experiment that transcends presidents, parties, or politics." Protecting Congress’ Power of the Purse and the Rule of Law Apr 2, 2020
***“In constant 2018-2019 dollars, the NCES reports average total tuition, fees and room and board for full-time undergraduate students at four-year colleges was $12,811 by 1985,” said Nicole Hopler, the former lead marketing manager at Optimal, a higher education research publisher. “By the 2018-2019 year, [the cost] was $28,123, an increase of 119.5 percent after adjusting for inflation.” Source: Jordan Rosenfeld, AOL News, 8/17/22
**** I realize the US is really a Constitutional Republic, which uses democratic mechanisms (and that what is going on now is exactly why it was set up that way).