The Greeks all warned us that an uneducated electorate leads any type of democracy to tyranny, and Tytler’s cycle of democracy shows the last stage before bondage being dependence on the government (UBI nails that coffin shut).
Maybe there is a way of out of this mess that would be relatively simple in theory?
In practice, it might not be as simple, but why not at least have a discussion about it?
We could require that every voter must pass a civics test, or at least mirror the citizenship test, in order to vote. I’ll bet that alone could weed out at least 50% of the conformist types who don’t care to ask why 2 + 2 does not make 5. It might be hard at first, but maybe there will be relief from much of the public who feels like they should vote to be a good person and now, they simply can’t vote…unless they study for the test!
Although all states have jurisdiction in their elections, and I could never advocate a national law out of the first principles of federalism, and it would not happen in this dysfunctional congress anyway, but we could try for a petition for the redress of grievances that we need an educated electorate in order to restore the constitutional republic back to our founders’ vision of federalism.
Yes, cries of discrimination will be made and the test could be hacked or cheated, but at least the voter is looking for an answer to the question in order to answer the test.
Tears will be shed by the “victims” unable to vote and the answer is easy. Study. If you can’t pass after studying, then no voto. But you can always try, try again. That’s the American way!
I’ve thought about this kind of thing before, for instance we could limit the franchise only to people who own real estate and have kids - since that dramatically realigns the interests of voters, they’re far more likely to care about what impact policy has on the future. Also if you don’t allow anyone receiving welfare to vote then that would remove a lot of the bias there.
The problem is, none of this would ever be implemented. Politicians, both at the state and federal level, depend on voters who don’t think. They would never jeopardize that.
I don’t think there’s a political solution to this mess. The best we can do is focus on our own individual ability to:
Exit and build alternatives and become independent of the system, resilient, and participate in local trade networks.
Raise children with peace, freedom, and reason at the forefront, and keep them out of schools.
Keep our bodies and minds healthy (eat organic, home-grown produce, raise our own animals, be careful of what we consume intellectually too, e.g. Netflix junk “food”). Ultimately this preserves our fertility, something that is under intense attack right now (see my Biology & Survival series).
Lead by example so that others know it’s possible and want to build a similar life.
Anything political is I think a distraction to keep us engaged with the broken system, in some faint hope of somehow remedying it. It sounds tempting and I’ve spent many years in that arena before finally realizing it’s the wrong path.
Great articles!
The Greeks all warned us that an uneducated electorate leads any type of democracy to tyranny, and Tytler’s cycle of democracy shows the last stage before bondage being dependence on the government (UBI nails that coffin shut).
Maybe there is a way of out of this mess that would be relatively simple in theory?
In practice, it might not be as simple, but why not at least have a discussion about it?
We could require that every voter must pass a civics test, or at least mirror the citizenship test, in order to vote. I’ll bet that alone could weed out at least 50% of the conformist types who don’t care to ask why 2 + 2 does not make 5. It might be hard at first, but maybe there will be relief from much of the public who feels like they should vote to be a good person and now, they simply can’t vote…unless they study for the test!
Although all states have jurisdiction in their elections, and I could never advocate a national law out of the first principles of federalism, and it would not happen in this dysfunctional congress anyway, but we could try for a petition for the redress of grievances that we need an educated electorate in order to restore the constitutional republic back to our founders’ vision of federalism.
Yes, cries of discrimination will be made and the test could be hacked or cheated, but at least the voter is looking for an answer to the question in order to answer the test.
Tears will be shed by the “victims” unable to vote and the answer is easy. Study. If you can’t pass after studying, then no voto. But you can always try, try again. That’s the American way!
Thanks!
I’ve thought about this kind of thing before, for instance we could limit the franchise only to people who own real estate and have kids - since that dramatically realigns the interests of voters, they’re far more likely to care about what impact policy has on the future. Also if you don’t allow anyone receiving welfare to vote then that would remove a lot of the bias there.
The problem is, none of this would ever be implemented. Politicians, both at the state and federal level, depend on voters who don’t think. They would never jeopardize that.
I don’t think there’s a political solution to this mess. The best we can do is focus on our own individual ability to:
Exit and build alternatives and become independent of the system, resilient, and participate in local trade networks.
Raise children with peace, freedom, and reason at the forefront, and keep them out of schools.
Keep our bodies and minds healthy (eat organic, home-grown produce, raise our own animals, be careful of what we consume intellectually too, e.g. Netflix junk “food”). Ultimately this preserves our fertility, something that is under intense attack right now (see my Biology & Survival series).
Lead by example so that others know it’s possible and want to build a similar life.
Anything political is I think a distraction to keep us engaged with the broken system, in some faint hope of somehow remedying it. It sounds tempting and I’ve spent many years in that arena before finally realizing it’s the wrong path.
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best! Sound advice.