Americans content to commit national suicide

To the editor:

There is probably no better example of how many of our citizens are insisting on national suicide than the "earful" of protests given Rep. Joe Heck at his town hall meeting on Wednesday. The Review-Journal reports shouting and Rep. Heck being forced to talk over a vocal crowd in order to state his support of reforming an insolvent Medicare system.

With our nation bankrupted by irresponsible entitlement welfare schemes, many foolhardy citizens still support unprincipled demagogues who preach that, if elected, they will use government to take money from others, such as "the wealthy," and spend it on these supporters.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess of the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy." That observation is often attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler. We have voted for these "progressive" types of candidates since the 1930s New Deal, so our democratic republic is on the threshold of the predicted collapse.

When our constitutional republic was created, one of its wise architects stated, "When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." This prediction of Benjamin Franklin was followed by President John Adams' admonishment, "Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." Yes, we wasted and voted to spend with an abandoned and unrestrained folly, and what was pre-ordained is happening. We have put our nation on fiscal suicide watch.

Even now, the accommodating candidates we unwisely placed in power are unwilling to install any effective fiscal discipline. The "debt ceiling" for ever more borrowed spending is to be again increased, while we can no longer pay our debts and discharge our obligations. The responsibility for the demise of our once great republic is ours. We voted for this. Now in Washington, the final plug is being pulled on our life support.

JOHN TOBIN

LAS VEGAS