The Eleven Truths of Tyranny

by Matt Giwer (c) 1994 (9/30)

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

   3. Any law that requires the citizens be assured the law does not mean what the citizens fear, means exactly what the citizens fear.

   4. Any law passed in a good cause will be interperated to apply to causes against the wishes of the people.

   5. Any law enacted to help any one group will be applied to harm people not in that group.

   6. Everything the government says will never happen will happen.
   7. What the government says it could not foresee, the government has planned for.

   8. 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.

   9. Should the citizens mount a successful effort to stop a piece of legislation the same legislation will be passed under a different name.

  10. All deprivations of freedom and choice will be increased rather than reversed. 

11. 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. 

    * A government is a tyranny when it sets itself above the will and judgement of the people and refuses to comply with the wishes of the people.
 
    * A government is a tyranny when it lies to the people to get what it wants.
 
    * A government is a tyranny when the traditional rights of the people are treated as obstacles to the objectives of government.

    * A government is a tyranny when it creates animosities among the people.
 
    * A government is a tyranny when it blames the people for not stopping it from acting against the wishes of the people.