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Several years ago I received the following article attributed to Alexander Tytler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh around the year of 1787. Checking with Snopes.com, I was unable to confirm the authenticity of the article, but Prof. Tytler was, in fact, the author of several books dealing with ancient governments. I would like to share it with your readers.
“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 vote 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 world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, those 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”
I find this both plausible and thought provoking. I suggest that we need to consider the current state of our union and ask ourselves two questions, i.e., how much longer do we have as a democracy, and which presidential candidate would best preserve our democracy?
GLENN T. KIMBROUGH
Grand Junction
18 Responses to “How much longer will our democracy last?”
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 3:54 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
The answers to Mr. Kimbrough’s two questions are simple and direct:
“Not long” and
“Barack Hussein Obama
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 4:04 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
gjbubba,
You are correct. If Obmama becomes president, there goes our democracy. Just thought I would throw that in for a dig. :O)
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 4:10 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
What part of that list includes the Patriot Act?
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 4:40 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
“A democracy is always temporary in nature”
And this was written in 1787?
How much data had this guy collected on democracies before forming his opinion?
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 6:47 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Tasha53 posted: “You are correct. If Obmama becomes president, there goes our democracy. Just thought I would throw that in for a dig. :O)
What comes to mind when seeing such a post, the first question that comes to mind is “How old is such a person, not only physically but intellectually and emotionally? For, by the contents, one can readily make the assumption that one is dealing with a juvenile, at least in the latter two categories.
We have before us this year the future of the country, and we have an opportunity in this forum for intelligent discussion but, due to some adults behaving like children, we do not seem to get to any substantive matters. If we do, enter the rambunctious children more concerned with ‘being noticed’ than anything else. Is it not about the time that everybody grew up and learned to engage their brain prior to activating their mouths of fingers?
I do realize that most have spent their lives thinking only of themselves, their only concern being “What’s in it for me”, but maybe you should do what some of us were taught, even as children, GOYA. When something has to be done then “Get off your A__” and don’t wait for someone else to pick up your share of the load as well as their own.
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
rl
Get over yourself will you. Yeah like you were so successful in Delta, you have no room to talk.
We don’t use the government for any support, We own our home, paid for, kids are grown up and doing just fine on their own. Where in the hell do you dream all this BS up about me? Your eyes must be pretty Dark Brown!!!! Such a loser you are.
Just because I don’t like Obama, does that get your goat? Well that is just too damn bad.
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
In other words, STHU!!!
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 7:10 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
tasha, as I’m sure you know, RL’s function on this board is to psychoanalize and demean anyone with whom he does not agree. And seldom does he discuss the facts of the subject at hand. Such was the case here.
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 7:14 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
I know bullishfrog. He must be one big miserable person. Like I said a loser, so he takes it out on others.
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 7:45 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
“Get over yourself will you. Yeah like you were so successful in Delta, you have no room to talk.”
Perhaps Tasha might care to tell us what she has ever tried to do, besides what she has done for herself? It is not ‘Trying and failing” that is the worst failure, it is not trying in the first place. I tried, what has she or Mr. Johnson tried to do? I would be willing to bet, nothing but shoot off their mouths.
And as far as the following: “In other words, STHU!!!”
She may be allowed to tell others around her what to do, and they may accept her tantrums, but she should exercise greater care when attempting it upon others. Maybe she should just grow up, something she has obviously neglected to do to date.
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 9:13 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
If I may interrupt this little love-fest. Mr. Kimbrough’s quote from Mr. Tytler and comments are indeed thought-provoking. Thank you, sir. As to which candidate will best preserve our democracy, I must confess to being a bit cynical that either one, by themselves, can. We still have a system of government that has THREE branches to it. Much of the fabric of our society has woven by congress and the supreme court as well as the presidency.
Every year, each presidential candidate is touted almost as a Messiah by the respective parties. “Barak Obama/John McCain is the best hope for our nation” say the campaigns. But is the strength of a true democracy (which we really aren’t) based upon who is voted into the White House, or on the spirit of the people voting?
Posted August 26th, 2008 at 9:38 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
XSBC states: Every year, each presidential candidate is touted almost as a Messiah by the respective parties”
There is no such thing as a Messiah, in either party, nor should anyone be looking for one. If this is to be a ‘government by the people’ and ‘for the people’, then more of ‘the people’ had best begin paying more attention to what ALL of their public officials and what they are doing, and at every level, from local to federal. And that means that one has to work at it.
While we may disagree on many things, what we must keep our eye on is the broader picture. What is best for the community, the state, and the nation. And, in looking at that panorama, we cannot approach it with the attitude of “What’s in it for me, personally”. We must look at it from the perspective of the whole, and act accordingly.
Posted August 27th, 2008 at 9:54 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
Well, that explains why the Delta school district is unsullied then.
Posted August 27th, 2008 at 10:57 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
The original poster lists the various steps by which the exercise of democracy dies. If one looks at those, it does not take much to ascertain where this country now is. It is at step 6 (complacencey to apathy) and rapidly moving toward step 7.
However, that need not be the case if the electorate were to ‘wake up’. But, having been in an apathetic state for so long, it may no longer be able to do so. And that is the real tragedy.
Posted August 27th, 2008 at 12:33 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
the real tragedy will be if we allow the socialists, i mean democrats, to wrest control of our government away from the republicans and independents. granted, certain republicans have made errors, but they remain capitalists at heart and will not fall into the trappings of wealth redistribution. funny, how the messiah (obama) and mccain are in a virtual tie, when all the networks and celebrities are touting obama as our next pres. i’m hoping mccain picks colin powell as his running mate, game over for the democrats.
Posted August 27th, 2008 at 12:40 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
“i’m hoping mccain picks colin powell as his running mate, game over for the democrats.”
That would be something great!
Posted August 27th, 2008 at 3:45 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
I’m curious, RLaitres; would you say the “wake up” would be a return to the step of “spiritual faith?”
Posted September 7th, 2008 at 1:20 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Hi, Much of what was expressed as to the method of failure lies on in the arena of fund management. I guess everyone has heard about Fred and Fanny’s problem by now? Anyway, personally, I suspect many could see this coming from the time of NAFTA’s conception. Who in the list of entities is taking advantage of the ability to direct money is their direction, I’ll leave up to you. But yes, the problem exists.
I’d suggest some possible solutions, if you wish to hear it. One being the creation of a ‘TARIFFica’ [Tariff Affording Resources to Introduce Foreign Funding to Improve Conditions Abroad]. That way the relative standard of living we would be trying to complete with would not be so disparaged in a relatively permanent way. The most developed counties can help the rest of the world get on its feet in a functional way, without putting themselves at risk of falling into the same condition they are trying to address.
Another that may be quite relevant is the fact the we once had 2 votes for the entities running the Federal Administration. The notion of a functional diversity of political views in it is not foreign to the Constitution, and political parties are not mentioned in it either. Basically the Parties pinched the potential for this diversity off when they redesigned the present Presidential election process. I’d like to see the potential restored in some fashion. For ideas one might check out the present Constitution of South Africa. The white minority is not about to get left out, luckily they agreed to not disparage other minorities also.
Something the future may better address is the way money exchanges for resources and cultivation processes is noted. One cannot have negative resources and function. With decent record keeping though, IOUs in cultivation processes are quite possible even to God’s eternity. The problem for many poor in the world is that moneys made from cultivating resources, even only slightly, is being used to grasp resources. A better focus would be to consider matters from the resources per person perspective. It is unlikely, that a hard fast rule should exist, though. From that point of view it does not make sense to have more people being born into ones system than is healthy for it. Instead the focus is to have more resources per person and more cultivation of those resources to live in a better way. In the end, institutions would likely complete for the opportunity to cultivate peoples resources, and present much information as to why they are better than the other system. A proactive, informed public is the real solution.
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