[packagingguy]

If a politician votes to cut the budget the voters will throw him or her out and put in someone who’ll throw more money their way:

“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.”

― Alexander Fraser Tytler

[Leaning Right]

> If a politician votes to cut the budget the voters will throw him or her out and put in someone who’ll throw more money their way <

Fair point. But until 1980 or so, the federal deficit was relatively small and manageable. Then things went crazy. Same form of government, both before and after 1980. Perhaps someone smarter than I can explain what happened.