He Was Either Psychic Or Very Intelligent

Let’s see if you can identify this writer.

This author says that people today are being governed by "an immense, tutelary power" determined to take "sole charge of assuring their enjoyment and of watching over their fate." The author says this power is "absolute, attentive to detail, regular, provident and gentle," aiming for our happiness but wanting "to be the only agent and the sole arbiter of that happiness." According to the author, this governing power wraps people in "a network of petty regulations -- complicated, minute and uniform."

He also writes, "It does not break wills; it softens them, bends them, and directs them" until people resemble "a herd of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd."

Does this sound familiar? Does it describe what is happening today in DC?

The author is Alexis de Tocqueville, and the passages are from “Democracy in America,” written in 1863. De Tocqueville warned of an all consuming government that would provide people security, anticipate their needs, direct their industries and divide their inheritances.

Read this great article by George Will to find out more.