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From: Michael Vik
Date: 10/27/2003
Time: 9:57:24 AM
Remote Name: 199.44.215.199
In theory, Machiavelli's ideal form of government is a dictatorship. It is sad that he embraces the leadership style of totalitarianism and coercion rather than education and cooperation (with the people). He would think that the legislature and particularily the executive branch of the US government are both way too weak to rule effectively. He would not like our education system, also, because educated people are more sensitive to political oppression than uneducated people. He would not like our military, because it is loyal to the constitution and not the executive, and it is subordinate to civil authority. He would not like the constitution, of course, because of its limits on government power. He would not like our libraries, because many books in those places may undermine his influence. He would not like our civil right to bear arms, because that makes forceful oppression of the country much harder to achieve. He would not like our free market economy with its private ownership, because it is easier for the head of state to control production through the state. Lastly, he would not like the middle class because of their education, size, and influence in the American economy. He would prefer a country where the people have little communication with the outside, where the head of state controls the economy and military, and where civil liberties do not exist. I think he would like North Korea's Kim Jong Il, as he would probably be the best example of a Machiavellian dictator.