Interesting article floating around the internet.

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How Long Do We Have?

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 that 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,

(emphasis added) 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 world's 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 of this great

country. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in

government-owned tenements and living off 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 40 percent of the nation's population already having reached the

"governmental dependency" phase.

Pass this along to help everyone realize just how much is at stake,

knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom.

It is quite interesting.

It makes sense to me, too, that a democracy can only last so long. I see what was predicted happening. Why do you think our defecit is so large and only getting larger? Politicians getting a better retirement after ONE term than military folks get after 20 years? That's nuts.

It is also interesting to see my thoughts on voters proven to be fact. Those who rely on themselves vote republican, those who sit on their asses waiting for handouts vote democrat.

*disclaimer* democrats don't get your panties in a F'n wad, that was a deliberate generalization, but you know it to be 'mostly' accurate.

Thanks for the source of this quote, one of my favorites: "A democracy will continue to exist up

until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."

I think the word "discover" is not the one I would have chosen, though. That implies that our forefathers just didn't realize that they could vote themselves money from the public trough. In fact, they just didn't want to take public money.

I absolutely love the motto of the county of San Diego: "The noblest motive is the public good." I just don't think that we see enough of this sentiment these days. People don't ask what they can do for their country, they all ask what the country can do for them.

We should do nothing out of selfishness or vain conceit. Every man should not look after their own welfare, but after the welfare of others. James 2nd chapter.