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Interesting Perspective on Our Current Situation
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finsinmd Offline
#1 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 3:02 AM EST
Joined: 05-01-2003
Posts: 73
A warning from Scots Historian Professor Alexander Tyler circa 1787.

Re: The Fall of the Athenian Republic.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of
government. It can only exist until the voters discover
that they can vote themselves largesse (generous gifts)
from the public treasury. From that moment on the
majority always votes for the candidates promising the
most benefits from the public treasury, with the result
that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal
policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

"The average age of the world's greatest civilization
has been two hundred years. These nations have
progressed through this sequence. From bondage to
spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage;
from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance;
from abundance to complacency; from complacency
to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from
dependence back into bondage."
sketcha Offline
#2 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 6:17 AM EST
Joined: 03-26-2003
Posts: 3,238
Yikes!!! Is our time up? I think Al Quaida may be shaking us up enough to rob us of our complacency and embolding us yet again..............Hopefully.
RICKAMAVEN Offline
#3 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 6:34 AM EST
Joined: 10-01-2000
Posts: 33,248
finsinmd

i think we reached apathy sometime in the last 15 years.
finsinmd Offline
#4 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 6:38 AM EST
Joined: 05-01-2003
Posts: 73
..and if you view some of the regulatory and entitlement legislation of the past 15 years, it is obvious that our society's dependence on the Government teet grows by the day. But then how else are our elected "representatives" supposed to stay in office but by making us dependent upon their appropriations?
limoric Offline
#5 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 7:23 AM EST
Joined: 03-08-2001
Posts: 623
Hey how long for a Socialist society? hehehe.
sketcha Offline
#6 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 8:11 AM EST
Joined: 03-26-2003
Posts: 3,238
Let's see, Lim, how long did the USSR last again? :)

Hehehe back at ya'.
sketcha Offline
#7 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 8:14 AM EST
Joined: 03-26-2003
Posts: 3,238
Incentive baby, gotta have incentive! Thanks to the Britts and us, you have virtually no military budget so you may last awhile with your relatively low GDP. Keep building those Fords.
limoric Offline
#8 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 9:55 AM EST
Joined: 03-08-2001
Posts: 623

sketcha - I guess we won't last that much longer considering when you become a dictatorship, you'll probably attack us. Well we'll all head north and make you fight on skates and -40 tempurature. You won't stand a chance. hehehe
sketcha Offline
#9 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 11:42 AM EST
Joined: 03-26-2003
Posts: 3,238
Lim,

We don't need to become a dictatorship to attack you, but don't fret, you don't have anything worth fighting for. =o)
Robby Offline
#10 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 5:43 PM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
This post is sad, but very true... (The first). It's the beginning of the end my friend. Open your off shore accounts NOW! Pump money in to them for 20 years down the road...

Face facts, it's simply math, really simple. And those who will use it, probably don't understand higher math or Euclidian geometry...

They don't need to, all they need to do is to vote. For those who will take from me, and many of you, and give to them and "their kind". That's right, that was a generalization, I'm a generalist! (not a racist). Why should I work hard and succeed? 12 years of school? 4 years of colege? graduate studies? An intern position? Years and Years of 60-80 hour weeks? And for what? To pay for a crack whore and her 10 kids? And their progeney? Yes it's math, and simple math...

Those who achieve, those who plan, those who learn, budget, yeah sacrifice, those with intelligence, those with temperance, those who are "responsible", they are the ones who are punished. And not unlike the carrier pigeon, or the Florida Panther, they will go the way of the dinosaur...

We're going down alright. Enjoy the last days (relatively) of our great nation. In another 50 or 100 years, the world will look back on our greatness. We'll be a shell of our former/current superpower self...

It is said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts “absolutely”. Watch the evening news. Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw looking askance at the camera as if to say “tisk tisk” and talking about “the rich” and their tax cuts… They’re taking about most of the people on this board. Got a spouse? Combined income above 50 or 60K filing jointly? Guess what! YOU’RE RICH!! YOU BA$TARD! YOU DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED! Why how dare you ask for more money back from the government in the way of tax cuts? How can we afford it!!?? You have no shame!!!!! The writing is on the wall my friends…

When they lament the fact that there are no tax cuts for those who don’t pay taxes? When they talk about your greed because you feel you’re being over taxed? When they continue to throw billions and billions away. We’re gearing up to give billions and billions to Africa as I type this. Bono said “we will have to cheer this man if he follows through with this”. He’s Irish and I don’t think he’ll actually pay. Not saying he doesn’t give, but who in the hell is he to play God with my money?

I apologize for the rant, but this touches a nerve with me in case that isn’t obvious… It’s sick, it’s no different than a masked man sticking a gun in your back and demanding “Gimie your money!” And the sad thing is, it’s only going to get worse…
sketcha Offline
#11 Posted: Mon, Jul 7 2003, 10:06 PM EST
Joined: 03-26-2003
Posts: 3,238
No apology necessary as far as I'm concerned Rob. I enjoyed your rant. Although it does paint a grim picture, but life is full of grim pictures.

Keep smokin' the good stuff for the end is neigh.
finsinmd Offline
#12 Posted: Tue, Jul 8 2003, 3:05 AM EST
Joined: 05-01-2003
Posts: 73
I would like to make an additional point to this rant. I live in Maryland where we are in the midst of the worse fiscal deficit in this state's history. Over 20 years of Democratic Governors have left us in the dumper. We finally elected a Republican last year and he promised to bring slot machines to the state to help balance the budget. His bill was defeated by the majority Democrat House led by their Democrat Speaker.

Here is where I agree with Robby.....the Maryland Speaker of the House is supposedly "morally" opposed to slot machines. What????? I guess there is a higher moral ground to be reached in essentially stealing ( called taxes ) more money from the hard working guy to pay for all of the entitlements that have led us to this deficit.

At least Jesse James wore a mask.....
Homebrew Offline
#13 Posted: Tue, Jul 8 2003, 4:43 AM EST
Joined: 02-11-2003
Posts: 11,885
hmmmmmmmm,
Here in Arkansas, it is the Democrats trying to get casino gambling, and the republicans, alined with the religous right, trying to defeat the casinos, while at the same time increasing tobacco taxes, also looking to raise all taxes on alcohol. I vote Libertarian when I have the chance, other than that I vote with whoever leaves my stogies, and beer alone. Go ahead and tax toilet paper, or something else that "Everyone Uses", unless you spend the dollars gained by such taxes, on the smokers and drinkers.
ooooppppppsssss
Rambling on.
Later
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)
usahog Offline
#14 Posted: Tue, Jul 8 2003, 9:12 AM EST
Joined: 12-06-1999
Posts: 22,691
Its called "SIN" Tax Dave and every State in the Country has it just some more then others!!!

Know Why Prostitution (sp) isn't Taxed? Because almost every Polatition in the Country Has 1 or 2 Hookers on the side!!!

Hog
Robby Offline
#15 Posted: Tue, Jul 8 2003, 3:17 PM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
While I know my post may have seemed politically motivated, it wasn't "necessarily". The us vs. them is really moot. The two large parties are growing more similar with each passing election season...

I would love it if the Libertarians could put up a showing. I'd vote for them in a heartbeat. For the time being, it's the lesser of two evils... They all want to take money from some, and spend on others. That's their power. That's their drug. And that will be our downfall...

The pantheon of political power is money. They view it as theirs, not yours and when you get a tax cut, it’s them “giving you back money”… Sigh… Deep Sigh.
Homebrew Offline
#16 Posted: Tue, Jul 8 2003, 7:00 PM EST
Joined: 02-11-2003
Posts: 11,885
You are so right Robby,
Did I Say that?
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