Final Word from Monday, January 10, 2011
In a rising civilization, opposition to bad government leads to better government; in a declining civilization, opposition to bad government leads to worse government. Opponents of the grand coalition at Prague city hall, or of the corrupt cartel on the national level, would have us believe that breaking up these structures would somehow lead to more-responsible government. This would theoretically be possible if the ruling elite put the interests of the nation before their own, but if this were the case, the situation could never have reached the proportions that it has. Instead, the greater the opposition to what is happening, the worse the government will become. Increased frustration from below will lead to a sort of "great fear" among the ruling elite that they will be wiped away, resulting in even greater restraints and oppression, which will all be done in the name of preserving democracy. As Hannah Arendt wrote in "On Revolution," hypocrisy is the vice through which corruption becomes manifest.[Czech Republic Prague city hall French Nečas ODS ČSSD]
Glossary of difficult words
proportions - size, dimensions, magnitude;
great fear - a period of riot and panic by peasants and others during the French Revolution;
to wipe away - to remove something;
restraint - a measure of condition that keeps someone or something under control or within limits;
oppression - prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control;
vice - immoral or wicked behavior;
manifest - clear or obvious to the eye or mind;
"On Revolution" - see Page 100 of the first U.S. edition.