A Unique Perspective By Voltaire

Observation politique par Voltaire/ Political observation by Voltaire -

"En général, l’art du gouvernement consiste à prendre le plus d’argent qu’on peut à une grande partie des citoyens, pour le donner à une autre partie."

-Voltaire

"In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other."

-Voltaire

Thought that I would share this quote from Voltaire, who lived in a pre-Revolutionary French society that was, in some ways, very different than our current American society, but which also shared some similarities to our modern American society, as well.

Voltaire thought differently than anyone else of his era. But he influenced people with his way of thinking. In fact, this was so true, that he had a whole era named after him, which has come to be known as the "Age of Voltaire."

Indeed, sometimes it is good to see the similarities between past societies and present ones, especially when we know what soon followed. The French Revolution was an explosion, and once it was set in motion, it unleashed chaos that even those who sought to lead could not control. After all, many of the most prominent leaders of the French Revolution also wound up being the most iconic victims of this unbelievable event, as well. 

I suspect that Voltaire understood how unfair the crushing taxes imposed by the French monarchy upon the peasantry was. King Louis XIV, who reflected a legendary narcissism in his words and actions, had wanted to build a palace and grounds that he felt would be fitting of the glory of the King of France. To that end, he had Versailles built, an elaborate palace and garden unlike any other that had come before it. It was so opulent and prestigious, that it set the standard for all royal palaces to come from those envious of these incredible grounds. Soon, there would be other palaces that would be modeled on the glory of Versailles, including (but not limited to) Schönbrunn‎ in Vienna and the Peterhof in St. Petersburg. 

Of course, it came at an enormous cost. Plus, France was fighting costly wars, and had other expenses. 

Guess who paid for all of that? 

While the King and Queen of France, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, enjoyed the most incredible luxuries, the French people were starving and struggling to lift the boot of the old feudal order from their necks. It is not actually certain that Marie Antoinette ever actually suggested that the peasants should eat cake, but the perception that the royal family of France clearly overlooked the poorer people of the country and took their unbelievably privileged lives for granted was clearly not unfounded. And when they seemed ultimately unwilling to sacrifice these great comforts and privileges in any meaningful way, the French people finally turned against them, and against monarchy altogether. They were beheaded, literally and figuratively. The monarchy would be restored after the French Revolution, but it was not the same. Eventually, it would cease to exist altogether. 

At the time, many people in France subscribed to the belief of the divine right of a king to rule. 

Today in the United States, many people believe that the wealthiest Americans have been graced by God, and thus deserve to enjoy all of the benefits of tremendous wealth. To that end, we keep electing political leaders who also clearly subscribe to this view (and surprise, surprise, many of them happen to be wealthy), and there has been a very common trend of the very wealthiest Americans receiving tax breaks and other benefits. The loss in government revenue from these tax breaks have either been footed by the American taxpayer, or will be once the national debt, which is estimated to be well over $26 trillion right now, needs to be paid for. At some point, all of that money is supposed to be paid back, is it not?

This has gone too far. Honestly, it had gone too far earlier in this century, when the wealth gap between the top and the bottom had grown to absurd levels. George W. Bush helped to increase that gap, and Barack Obama continued many of those same Bush policies. But it is growing even more today, largely due to the policies of Donald Trump, who happens to have been born into great wealth, and has a staggering level of entitlement, to the point that many people believe that he views himself as a king. 

Perhaps we would do well to remember past history, and the example of a very explosive situation that came to a boil in France. And Voltaire, who died before the French Revolution ever broke out, seemed to be giving warning signs, pointing out the unfairness.

We could do worse than learn from past history.