If you have a culture that says "those who have nice things are pigs, and we the people have the right to kill them and take those things for ourselves" then you end up with a country like Zimbabwe. If you have a society that says "the police pay for their badges and then shake down everyone they run across for their income" then you end up with a nation like Mexico.
The funny thing about this viewpoint is that it makes perfect sense to someone with any inclination towards understanding enviromental studies. First you need the social and legal infrastructure (the "environment", if you will), and then the growth follows. Those who focus on creating the environment for growth are rewarded with harvests of plenty. Those who focus on redistributing the products of wealth produced by others are doomed to harvest sorrow.
Yes. Very good point.
This is what is lacking in Russia, today. When they first formed the CIS, I downloaded and read their constitution. It was apparent that the thugs would eventually take over after reading the preamble.
We, the multinational people of the Russian Federation, united by a common fate in our land, affirming human rights and liberties, civil peace and accord, preserving the historical unity of our State, based on generally recognized principles of the equality and self-determination of peoples, honoring the memory of our ancestors, who have given us our love and respect for the Fatherland, our belief in good and fairness, reinstating the sovereign statehood of Russia and affirming the firmness of its democratic foundation, striving to secure the well-being and prosperity of Russia, based on our responsibility for our Homeland to the generations of today and tomorrow, recognizing ourselves as a part of the world community, hereby adopt this CONSTITUTION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The concept of "limited government" is foreign to Russia.