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Governor proposes suspending Congressional elections
Posted by David Hardy · 28 September 2011 08:40 AM
NC Governor Perdue proposes to solve the debt crisis suspending the next Congressional election so Reps won't be distracted by democracy.
Her press secretary says it was a joke. Sounds serious to me. Seriously psychotic. But then she is under some pressure.
I am reminded of the five preconditions for a dictatorship to emerge that I pulled out of Suetonius' "Twelve Caesars":
1) There must be an imminent and devastating threat to the Republic that is not contrived or otherwise able to be seen through (think of Carthage vs. Rome, or US default).
2) The legislature must be gridlocked and unable to act to create a solution to the crisis.
3) The legislature/"governing elite" must be assured they will keep their positions of title and privilege.
4) The military must support the dictator.
5) The people must be either desperate or so apathetic that they will allow a dictator to take over.
Suetonius felt that once these five conditions were met, then a dictator would 'emerge' to 'save' the nation.