The Illegitimacy of Theft Demands for equality were intially justified because they were demands that the nobles should stop stealing from the peasants through taxation. With democracy the demands for equality went fully the other way being unjustified in that now people wanted to steal from other members of society though the same means (taxation). Democracy was initially versus aristocracy which was a good cause but it came to be versus freedom. Taxation is a form of theft and is biblically unjustified no matter who is doing it
Other forms of equality: the medieval church allowed social mobility based on ability, firearms equalised peasant and noble militarily, printing brought knowledge to all, protestantism brought salvation to all equally and capitalism brought wealth ( by historical standards) to all.
The Threat to Freedom of a Leglislature Once the right of a body of people ( like Parliament) to do whatever the people demands is established, then the eclipse of freedom is only a matter of time. It is essentialin a truly free state that no such institution exists.(ED) In America, the gradual and inevitable extension of the franchise would lead to mob rule and theft eventually as every extention of the franchise led those without it to want it more p57
Two contrasting systems Everyone was voted for in the New England colonies; collectors of tax, constables to keep the peace, execute laws, treasurer, overseer of poor, men for the schools, roads, fire wardens, fence viewershog reeves, sealers of weights. Notice the entirely different system here from a free society. In early America the key thing is that everyone is voted for. Thats democracy as a religion- the idea that the people is God and what they say must happen. In a Biblical society the key thing is that matters are according to God law and particularly that there is not theft. So each of these things is provided privately not democratically voted for and funded by taxes stolen from others who may have voted against it. Even at this early stage too we can see the regulatory impulse- that there were fence viewers rather than courts where boundary disputes could be dealt with.
Understanding Democracy from De Toqueville's Democracy in America
(1) The US was the first example of freedom of the lower and middle classes
(2) New England " A democracy more perfect than antiquity had dreamed possible"p35
(3) Connecticut constitution full of verbatim quotes from tbe Bible "Whoever shall worship any other God but the Lord shall surely be put to death" same for other Biblical penalties
(4) But some non-biblical ones added : idleness and drunkeness fined. A source of weakness since it went beyond biblical sanctions.. (5) All these laws were freely voted in
(6) All citizens over 16 had to bear arms
(7) Even at this age the state provided education with fines for not doing so, also roads, poor relief
(8) At the same time as Americans discussed in their market square , Europe was as absolute as it ever was. "never less political activity among the people"
(9) "Despotism not durable without religion" ( he lived before the Soviet Union)
(10) In Europe government is based on superior force. In the US citizens help the government- no state police, no passports
(11) Committees formed to find criminals
(12) "In the middle ages when it was difficult to reach offenders the judges inflicted frightful punishments on the few who were arrested but this did not diminish the number of crimes. It has been discovered that when justice is more certain and more mild, it is more effecacious" Certain yes, mild no (ED (13) Small nations have always been the cradle of political liberty. He sees in Capital Cities and large nations an inevitable income inequality (due to taxation ! ED). This may be a reason to promote the break up of states into smaller ones - also more competition
(14) Mexico copied the states constitution exactly but constant conflicts between states and union (1824)
(15) Amican experience shows us that it is often easier to start again than reform from within
(16) "Despotism ruins individuals more by preventing them from producing wealth than by trying to deprive them of what they already have produced"
(17) US poor richer than Europes poor p 214
(18) In the US toll roads abound
(19) American statemen say "Leave it time and experience of the evil will teach the people their true interest"
(20) "On passing from a free country into one that is not free ,the traveller is struck with the change; in the former: all is bustle and activity; in the latter everything seem calm and motionless" p249 DIA
(21) Democracy hangs on the belief on the intrinsic goodness on man, it is not consistent with the reality of sin "The people are flattered adn considered intelligent" p266+
(22) Law in France the legal code is accessible to the people, not so with English precedent
(23) DT sees lawyers as a check on democracy
(24) Almost all education entrusted to the clergy
(25) NY and other constitutions forbade clergy from office
The Closing of the American Mind by Alan Bloom
(1) All students now believe truth is relative , fearing to be intolerant
(2) This is the result of democracy which in idealising equality has produced the pressure that everybody's truth must be equal
(3) The modern mind does not weigh the claims of truth but does not believe that there is such a thing.
(4) "Where there are no shared visions is the social contact any longer possible"
(5) To maintain the ability to operate , we make a distinction between fact and values. There is truth it appears when it comes to facts but not values.
(6) Western education aims to teach that Western values aren't better whereas every other culture thinks their values are better
(7) Families today don't think together
(8) The aspiration now is not to be wise but simply to be successful
(9) Modern man sees only colour and form in Leonardo or Michaelangelo because he doesn't see content since its classical or Biblical
(10) Relativism about truth doesn't seem to extend to medical matters
(11) To a large degrees we have lost our prejudices and meet people at face value
(12) The lack of absolute truth demotivates from learning - why learn when there is no trut
What Bloom essentially shows is that democracy in America has undermined Biblical religion and the conception of absolute truth and hence undermines effective education. To have an effective and long lasting Christian country we must not have democracy in this sense or ideal equality to this degree. In other words we should not have a legislature able to raise taxes and pass laws at the will of the people but rather taxes should be illegal and instead of a legislature we should deal with all matters at the court level. The egalitarianism of the market In the Biblical society, as to a lesser extent today, people vote when they spend their money. If people want education to be a certain way they spend their money in this manner and this effectively , en masse, signals to the providers the kind of education that they must provide. This is a far more effective form of democracy than any system where peope vote every 4 years ! In the free market you vote several times a day and people will pay great attention to how you cast your vote. In Britain shopping chain Sainsbury has an advert at the moment "Vote for the products you want us to sell". Democracy is best expressed in normal consumer behaviour. Leicester Thurow picks up the distinction in the Future of Capitalism but argues that it in anti egalitarian in favour of the rich . This is misguided for several reasons. First the lower earning groups always have more weight simply because there are more of them (even if they spend less ) and secondly because market can segment (unlike elected governments) so that they can supply the rich with what they want and the poor with what they want. Its not win-loose, everyone gains.