“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.
if you see low-trust behavior and yourself getting plundered, it’s 100% rational and arguably even moral to say “to hell with this system. i see no benefit to cooperating with it. it’s stacked against me.”
in essence, they are saying “you will not keep your contract with me, why should i honor it with you?” if you want us to play in your system, you must convince me that this system serves my future and not just yours.
