United States of America!
Something to Think About
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 apermanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up untilthe time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous giftsfrom the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, withthe result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscalpolicy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.""The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning ofhistory, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nationsalways 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 40percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.If the Senate grants Amnesty and citizenship to 20 million criminal invaders called illegals and they vote, then goodbye USA in less than 5 years. Pass this along to help everyone realize just how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom. It's quite obvious to me that this may very well be happening to our great country right now. If you really look at the figures the two professors quote above, then imagine adding twenty million more voters to those already on government hand-outs of several various and sundry types, then realize that all these voters are going to do everything in their power to continue to protect"their rights," our country is bound to fall under the heavy burden of all the "feel-good" programs. It MUST stop somewhere, and the sooner the better!
MY REPLY:
Well, it says "Something to Ponder" in the subject line so you had to expect that i'd "ponder" it and then construct a rebuttal, hit "reply all" and then "send." I think this little piece makes a very nice point about the life span of a democracy. I would agree completely that abundance leads to complacency and apathy (and also corruption and world-changing arrogance). But the article completely loses me in a few places:
1. Discussing statistics from an election that occurred 6 YEARS AGO! You're kidding right? There have been 3 full elections since then, or did nobody realize that?Of course people on welfare and in the need of the most government assistance voted democrat, they voted for their wallets and their livelihoods. Which is the exact same thing the Republicans voted for: voting for Bush kept the most money in your wallets! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Let's not have a double standard here, one standard will do just fine.
2. How poor Professor Olson got mixed up in this, not even he knows. Read this: http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp and find out how many of the statistics and facts in this e-mail are flat out wrong and falsely attributed to Olson.
Even if completely false, taken on its face, what a negligent statement to say that the people who voted for Bush pay taxes, while the people who voted for Gore don't. That's a pretty vague, biased, generalistic and obviously untrue statement, don't you think? I think if you were to add up the amount of money the Gore voters who didn't pay their taxes owed, and compare that with the amount of non-competition bids, tax-protections, kickbacks, reliefs and wind-falls that the friendly Bush corporations got, well, never mind, it's too obvious.
3. Who are the complacent and apathetic people in this country? Is it the illegal immigrants who are washing your Hummer H2, mowing your lawn, raking your gravel, preparing your food, cleaning your house, ironing your suits, working in the factories that keep the costs of the goods you buy down? Is it the people who risk their lives again and again to come to the land of opportunity and do the jobs us snobby Americans refuse to do in order to get their own children and families out of poverty? Or is it the American citizens who after years of good fortune and "I'm king of the world" status have become the most obese and wasteful country in the world, more than half of whom refuse to vote on their own election days, who allow great injustices to happen in the world, who let their constitution and bill of rights be desecrated by a corrupt administration while they yawn, scratch their full stomachs and turn the channel to Dancing with the Stars? Who are the complacent and apathetic ones hurrying this country towards it's downfall? Really take a moment to think about that one.
One of the major symptoms of a failing empire is when the land-owning, gentrified aristocracy start blaming the peasant workers for their problems. (see: Rome, Greece, Ottoman Empire, Hitler blaming Jews for Germany's problems, etc.)
4. And finally, i know it's an e-mail that someone on unemployment probably wrote while sitting in his pajamas at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, but come on. "Goodbye USA in less than 5 years"? Are you high? If there had been e-mail in the 20s and 60s, then I'm sure the same ignorant thing would have been said when we, as a country, decided that it was OK for women and blacks to vote. That didn't kill this country and neither will illegal immigration. Apathy and complacency will kill this country and if you're looking to the border for that, you won't find it. The only place you need to look to find apathy and complacency is squarely into the mirror.
Hope everyone has a great day!
3 comments:
Adam- what a wonderful post. Once again I am reminded how often readers bring their own standpoint into their interpretation of philosophy, theory, and wisdom literature.
When I read that original e-mail and subconsciously glazed over the partisan rhetoric- I was stpped in my tracks by the "eight step progression of a nation theory/philosophy." This theory is so applicable to our own political, cultural, and economic climate...and I agree that we are somewhere between complacency and apathy.
Back to standpoint- it is funny to me that the author of the e-mail cites illegal immigration, social programs, and loose fiscal policy (different interpretation than mine) as the things that will act as the tipping point for the deise of our country. To me, it seems that it's our increasing ceo salaries, the tax cuts for the wealthy, and continued lack of care for the immigrants, poor, and marginalized that will lead to our nation's demise.
I always have thought that fear was the opposite of love, but a friend commented on a blog of mine that he believed it was apathy- seems that we need a little more love in order to reclaim, and redeem our country.
Refusing care to the marginalized seems to lack love, partisan rhetoric (on both sides) seems to lack love, and apathy...absolutely seems to lack love.
Thanks again for your response, post, and commitment to writing.
Wish I could go to the Kweli show. I have one of my last few youth group nights on Wednesday. Thanks for keeping me in mind though.
Adam, after talking about the show I decided to read this post. I regret to tell you this is the forst post of yours I have read. After doing so your feed has been added to my blog subscriptions. Love your insights.
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