Tocqueville

Almost 180 years ago, Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville presciently wrote of the fledgling American democracy. His Democracy in America was uncanny in its assessments, esp those of the future. Toward the end of his work, Tocquevill wrote of gov't power and how it might evolve to the fall of "democracy in America," leading to a "soft" despotism.

Americans were free, free to choose how their lives would be. This freedom might lead to success or to failure, but, Tocqueville surmised, much more success than not. But the point was not necessarily success or failure, but the freedom to choose, unencumbered by gov't coercion. Americans were free to decide for themselves and he wrote what future might lead to the fall of this freedom, of American democracy:

“Over this kind of men stands an immense, protective power which is alone responsible for securing their enjoyment and watching over their fate. Little by little [government] robs each citizen of the proper use of his own faculties. [It]is not at all tyrannical, but it hinders, retrains, enervates, stifles, and stultifies [until free citizens are] no more than a flock of timid and hardworking animals with the government as [their] shepherd.”

Gov't, Tocqueville, becomes powerful enough, large enough to coerce free people into just sitting back and enjoying what the large, powerful gov't can give them. They are lulled into giving up their freedom in return for comforts and pleasures.

And, imagine, Tocqueville envisioned this 180 years ago. And most of us can't see it now, right before our eyes. "I was too busy enjoying my freedom to do anything to protect it."