Once more I’m stealing content via the much better informed Katabasis, but hey it’s easier than writing my own content :)
So without further ado, “The Ugly Face of Tyranny” by Matt Giwer (which means Katabasis borrowed it as well).
- Any law the electorate sees as being open to being perverted from its original intent will be perverted in a manner that is worse than the manner of perversion seen at the time.
- Any law that is so difficult to pass it requires the citizens be assured it will not be a stepping stone to worse laws will in fact be a stepping stone to worse laws.
- Any law that requires the citizens be assured the law does not mean what the citizens fear, means exactly what the citizens fear.
- Any law passed in a good cause will be interperated to apply to causes against the wishes of the people.
- Any law enacted to help any one group will be applied to harm people not in that group.
- Everything the government says will never happen will happen.
- What the government says it could not foresee, the government has planned for.
- When there is a budget shortfall to cover non-essential government services the citizens will be given the choice between higher taxes or the loss of essential government services.
- Should the citizens mount a successful effort to stop a piece of legislation the same legislation will be passed under a different name.
- All deprivations of freedom and choice will be increased rather than reversed.
- Any government that has to build safeguards into a law so that it will not be abused is providing guidelines for abusing the law without violating it.