Posted on 09/15/2009 12:42:07 AM PDT by kingattax
About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage "
Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:
Population of counties won by: Gore: 127 million; Bush: 143 million; Square miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush: 2,427,000 States won by: Gore: 19 Bush: 29 Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore: 13.2 Bush: 2.1
Professor Olson adds:
"In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the tax-paying citizens. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements living off government welfare..." Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency & apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some 40 percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
Pass this along to help everyone realize that apathy is also one the greatest danger to our freedom.
Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul , Minnesota , points out some interesting facts concerning the Presidential election:
Number of States won by: Democrats: 19 Republicans: 29
Square miles of land won by: Democrats: 580,000 Republicans: 2,427,000
Population of counties won by: Democrats: 127 million Republicans: 143 million
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2 Republicans: 2..1
Professor Olson adds: “In aggregate, the map of the territory Republicans won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the country.
Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare...”
Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the “complacency and apathy” phase of Professor Tyler’s definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation’s population already having reached the “governmental dependency” phase.
If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegals and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.
Interesting... I’ve never seen those 8 phases before. I wonder how well that applies to all democracies?
FYI Ping
Sorry, I left out... Here’s another one I found after reading yours. Thanks
Well, it’s a good thing then, that we are a Republic and not a Democracy.
That word, ‘democracy’, never appears in either the Declaration of Independence or the U.S.Constitution.
Democracies only last until voters figure out how to vote themselves largesse out of the national treausury.
A republic, if you can keep it, seem to be hardier and hold up better.
Our King George isn’t across the Atlantic.
FYI
I give us maybe 5 years. I’ve been thinking about posting a vanity thread about this, giving my opinion.
We should be using “Republic” way more offten, as in the Republic of Texas or your state, my state. Or the likes of Not in my Republic, Republic Conservatives, Republic Republicans.
Let the democrats claim the other.
I’d say we are at step 7, slipping from apathy into bondage.
Well I think today marks the first year of the beginning of bondage. How many trillions of dollars is this nation in debt? Those not yet born are in debt, that is bondage.
Some of us are rebuilding the Republic one American at a time.
http://www.lorencollins.net/tytler.html
Composed of two separate quotes pushed together, neither probably older than middle 20th century. Neither by the named author.
Doesn't necessarily invalidate the message, but accuracy is important.
I could also debate the specifics. For instance, are oligarchies or monarchies really less likely to fall due to loose fiscal policy? These forms of government are not likely to spend money on the same things, but are at least as likely to waste it. For instance, due to the ambition of those controlling the State oligarchies and monarchies are probably more prone to war, the fastest way to waste money ever invented.
What are the "great civilizations" it refers to and the dates of their start and end? Only then can one calculate an "average." China is arguably going on 3,000 years and still plugging along. Rome/Byzantium almost 2000 years.
Hmmmmm good read BTTT !
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Originally were not only landowners able to vote? Maybe there was a good reason for this.
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