In one sense, despotic majorities are worse than a despotic tyrant because majority rule creates an aura of respectability. One might understand how a large percentage of Americans can come to despise 40 million to 50 million of their fellow Americans who smoke. But surely these people, I would hope, don't also despise our Constitution and rule of law. The tobacco controversy conclusively demonstrates the perils of socialism. We've gone a long way toward the socialization of our health-care services.
Tyrants never take away liberties all at once.
They do it bit by bit.