11/04/2008

A thought

From my buddy Joe, a quote from Alexander Tyler:

"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 "

-Alexander Tyler – History Professor, University of Edinburgh – 1787.


With all sincerity, I hope that Tyler is wrong. But if you sat somewhere tonight occupied by a vast majority of Obama supporters, and listened to them express their hopes upon the Obama victory annoucement, it's simply hard to hold on to that hope.

But as I said before, Obama will be my president. I will not disparage him as Democrats have Bush over the last eight years. So, President Obama, now's your chance: fix it.

2 comments:

TerryN said...

Somewhere in this sequence corruption slips in and then multiplies like a virus.

Anonymous said...

With all sincerity, I hope that Tyler is wrong

Dave, you're in luck.

There is no Tyler, this is bullshit.