Sunday, August 09th, 2009 | Author: markross
“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, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship”. Alexander Fraser Tytler
Sunday, 9. August 2009
The stages of democracy by Alexander Fraser Tytler and/or Lord Thomas B. Macaulay:
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:
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.
Sunday, 9. August 2009
While this is a little off topic, I wanted to link to this famous poem (First They Came) by German Lutheran Pastor, Martin Niemoeller, as it perfectly describes what the emotion of ”apathy” can lead to, if allowed to go unchecked for too long.
Monday, 10. August 2009
Please also see The Lollipop Effect (The Parental Government)
Monday, 10. August 2009
While the every day citizen can not vote generous gifts to themselves, directly from the national treasury, many have found, they can elect the representatives that will vote these gifts for them.
And this seems to be a big part of the break down of our Republic in its current state.
If big entitlement programs and such gifts were taken out of the electoral process, I would have to believe that people would begin to vote for the most responsible, and constitutionally respecting people that are running for office.
If we are to save our current system of government, I do believe that a constitutional revival, and re-visiting our founding documents, would be a great start. Also, I would like to see thorough constitutional tests be given to people seeking to run for office; I would also like to know that they are fiscally responsible before being given the powers to vote for legislation that utilizes millions of tax-payer dollars.
As long as more gifts (entitlements) continue to be promised to voters, from the national treasury, I would have to believe, inevitably, we will end up bankrupt as a nation; at which point, only God knows what will become of us and our Republic.
Saturday, 29. August 2009
That would all be fair and great if robber barons were not the ones really running things. They choose to crash the financial market in the US. They’re taking this country to 3rd world status by design, they could stop all this is they wanted to, and they can create this if they want. That’s how little people control their lives in the USA. The average person has dependence to the dollar … which these people create from thin air.
Friday, 20. November 2009
I find this quote interesting, not only for its content but for the references within. Alexander Fraser Tytler was born in Scotland in 1747 and died in 1813.
“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.”
By the time of his death, which democracies could he have studied to determine this pattern of events? This would had to have been at least one example of a direct or representative democracy where the principle of majority rule was established that eventually failed due to failed fiscal policy as described.
The pattern of (theortical or historical) events described does seem well-reasoned and consistent with human nature, however.
Friday, 20. November 2009
To name a few, off the top of my head, I would say Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome, were early examples of democratic societies. Neither democracies or republics, were created with our country…it is the concept of the separation of powers that was a new concept, employed by our founders. The theory of the separation of powers came from the French political philosopher, Charles de Secondat; he was very influential on our founders; in particular, James Madison, the father of our Constitution.
We are a Constitutional Republic, as we have (representation) a say in our government… a true democracy is when the people, and majority rules.
Those words are very astute for sure… I completely agree with the premise: For too many years, due to these big government programs, and too many promises from the national treasury, our government has an unbelievable amount of unfunded liabilities; and with the unbelievable amount of national debt we have, I really do not see how we will not collapse (financially) under lose fiscal policy.
If you examine the above stages of democracy, we have been in the stage, “complacency to apathy,” for many, many years. If this overambitious spending, by our federal government, is not stopped soon, we are rapidly going from “apathy to dependence.” Once the people completely lose control of their own financial destiny… God help us, we can very well go from dependence, back to an autocracy.
Sunday, 22. November 2009
“When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” – Benjamin Franklin