"I think I understand why Rome needed a Caesar, because I think I see why WE are going to need a caesar to bail our butts out of the crack we're getting ourselves into, and when I was younger I would never have bought into that idea."
So, you think a dictator could solve all our problems?
Fascinating. Tell more!
Fascinating. Tell more!
First, I'm not calling for a dictator. I understand that the problems that come with a dictator are not outweighed by the benefits. As another poster posted to me, "For every Hadrian or Marcus Aurelius, you get a Commodus or Nero."
My thesis is that we're heading for a dictatorship whether we like it or not, that it's been the fate of Republics throughout history, and that we've tended to delude ourselves into thinking it couldn't happen here.
I think we all see the rule of law breaking down. If it continues, if the population of those who have never known the rule of law continues to grow, if we have a few more attacks on our soil and it becomes apparent that the government can't/won't protect us from them, the people are going to start looking for a strong man that can get the job done.
I'm already ready to vote for a hard liner, but I don't think that the situation is dire enough yet that a real hard liner will get far enough to have a real chance at the top job. Now putting a hard case in the WH doesn't equate to a dictatorship or a president for life, but it's a step on the way.
On the other side chaos could lead to a banana republic style oligarchy where the only laws that are enforced are the ones that enrich the top ruling cadre and its friends.
Then again, we could go communist. The ways we could go with a dictatorship are numerous. I guess we need to work harder to save the Republic.