This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In "Keep checks coming" (Forum, Oct. 1), Darrel Manning provided a typical conservative view of liberalism. He worried that growing dependence on the federal safety net by those at the bottom will eventually suck the life out of the economy.

How many times in the history of the world has this fear been realized? I can think of no clear cases, certainly not modern Europe, as he imagines.

By contrast, most countries of the world have faced threats from the top — the usurpation of power and wealth by a few who seem less like benevolent job-creators and more like mythical dragons guarding their treasures.

This concentration of control is the historic enemy of democracy, not manipulation by the masses. The world is full of examples of nations where democracy has no chance because power and wealth are held by only a few.

Top predators, not bottom feeders, are the real threat to democracy

Neil Brady

Orem