Opinion

Washington is driving America toward a debt crisis we can't ignore any longer

America has faced challenges before and has always recovered when citizens returned to the principles of individual responsibility, economic freedom, and constitutional restraint

By Les Rubin Fox News

Published August 21, 2026 5:00am EDT

Comments Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Print Email Add Fox News on Google

close

Video

Gen Z starts 'moneymaxxing' trend as credit card debt climbs

Personal finance expert Rachel Cruze discusses the 'moneymaxxing' trend on TikTok as Americans look to cut costs. Cruze reacts to surging credit card debt and shares key strategies to save money and pay down balances.

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. Those words are widely attributed to Alexander Tytler, the Scottish judge and historian who lived from 1747 to 1813. There is, however, some debate over the attribution. Historians and researchers have questioned whether Tytler actually wrote the passage in the form in which it is commonly quoted, whether he expressed a similar idea that was later expanded and attributed to him, or whether the passage originated elsewhere. The exact authorship may be debatable. The warning itself is not.

Here is the prophetic quote:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that........

© Fox News