Indeed.  It is their nature.  Another fable demonstrating the same thuth, "you knew I was a snake when you took me in".
 Yet too many want so badly not to see the truth, to think best of others even though they keep getting burned by them over and over again.

He either had a working crystal ball or working brain and deductive reasoning and clearly saw this coming.  It's been being built by Leftists over decades, while most weren't paying attention.  it's the 'infrastructure' of corruption, supporting a 'culture of corruption' such as we saw operating in the Obama/Biden regime where gov't is weaponized and enforcer of the corrupt political self-proclaimed masters.  Their army of corrupt, dirty lawyers has succeeded in unbalancing the gov't, usurping power from the other two branches [the legislative with their assistance] so the one UN-elected branch will dominate.

Hard to go wrong with Mencken.  Though gone over half a century, we're seeing now just how dumbed down the public indoctrination education system has succeeded in making vast swaths of our population.  It was absolutely no accident and he states the reason clearly.

His father was right--that and the Lord.  

5 stars for Spooner's quote.  
Voting in self defense...I'd never looked at it that way though "voting for lesser evil" is more of what I've done my whole life than actually voting FOR someone I really supported.

Our founders would be appalled at how their direct and explicit words that they debated over so carefully have been warped and twisted.  Freedom OF religion has been corrupted to supposedly mean freedom FROM religion--a personal choice their intent certainly allowed but the practice of one's choice of faith--even in public was also not one they or government prohibited, even in the halls of gov't.  In fact, services were held in gov't buildings on Sundays and prayer opened gov't sessions.  

He's so right. We have two progressive Parties dominating our politics and gov't, working together to keep the "littles" as insignificant as possible. They both intend an entitlement state with central gov't controlling all. They differ mostly in how quickly we get it done and in whether or not we are just part of a global pack or leader of the global pack.