In the end, though, freedom depends upon citizens who are able to make a distinction between what is true and what they want to hear. Authoritarianis… - Timothy Snyder

Authoritarianism arrives not because people say that they want it, but because they lose the ability to distinguish between facts and desires.

Since the American colonies declared their independence... [m]any... democracies... failed, in circumstances that in some important respects resemble our own.

When Americans think of freedom, we usually imagine a contest between a lone individual and a powerful government. We tend to conclude that the individual should be empowered and the government kept at bay. This is all well and good. But one element of freedom is the choice of associates, and one defense of freedom is the activity of groups to sustain their members. This is why we should engage in activities that are of interest to us, our friends, our families. These need not be expressly political: Václav Havel, the Czech dissident thinker, gave the example of brewing good beer. Insofar as we take pride in these activities, and come to know others who do so as well, we are creating civil society. Sharing in an undertaking teaches us that we can trust people beyond a narrow circle of friends and families, and helps us to recognize authorities from whom we can learn.

The odd American idea that giving money to political campaigns is free speech means that the very rich have far more free speech, and so in effect far more voting power, than other citizens.