Is the U.S. going from Dependence & Apathy back to Bondage?
By ShadyGrove
@ShadyGrove (996)
United States
March 25, 2007 4:04pm CST
I received this and wanted to pass it along for all of us to consider and think about in these days leading up to a new Presidential election. What do you think about all this?
About the time our original thirteen 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 earlier:
"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"
Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul , Minnesota , points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:
Number of States won by:
Gore: 19
Bush: 29
Square miles of land won by:
Gore: 580,000
Bush: 2,427,000
Population of counties won by:
Gore: 127 million
Bush: 143 million
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 taxpaying citizens of this great country. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of 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 forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal's and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.
Pass this along to help everyone realize just how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom.
Thanks for reading.
6 people like this
7 responses
@carlaabt (3504)
• United States
26 Mar 07
I think this is definitely true. We are heading for disaster. I live on a military base now, so I see Proud to be American stuff everywhere. But back home it isn't common. There are several towns around where I grew up in Missouri (which is of course NO WHERE near any US borders), that are making teachers learn Spanish to get a job there because they don't want to make the illegals learn English. And yes, there are many many illegals in the school system. One of my friends has a little sister that goes to school in a small school, where recently about half of her class was taken away because they were illegal and weren't supposed to be there. Within two weeks, many of them were back.
I also have a problem with people thinking that the government should be taking care of all of their everyday needs. That's not what the government is there for. I know people who get more money from the government every year than I do, and my husband is part of the military! He puts in 40+ hours a week to bring home that pay, and there are others that sit on their butt and just expect the government to give it to them, too! We are becoming too dependent on the government for our everyday needs. I hear often "Well, I pay taxes, I should get some of it back!" when someone wants free this or that. I don't see how they don't realize that they are getting it back by things like the legal systems and military and the countless other jobs that our taxes pay people to do for our country.
I grew up poor. We were very briefly on food stamps when my dad was going through several surgeries after crushing his ankle. The rest of the time my parents worked for everything we had. They didn't want someone else providing for their family. I think it has made me a MUCH better person, I now realize that if I want something I need to get it for myself. My dad will be 60 in May. He has lung disease and three plates and about a dozen pins in one of his ankles. He still goes to work everyday. He's never claimed disability. Then I know other people that try to get on disability over every small thing just because they don't want to work. It makes me mad.
Sorry this rant was so long. I do feel very strongly that we are tearing our country apart by allowing anyone to do whatever they want to do. Including take anything they can get and use it however they want.
4 people like this
@ShadyGrove (996)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Thank you! I know there are "more of us" around than we really think about.
We need to do what we can by speaking up, in a safe way. I agree that this country is on the wrong track and I hope we can turn the train around before it's just too late. thank you again for your comments.
2 people like this
@judyt00 (3497)
• Canada
25 Mar 07
You know immediately that thestats arelies. Howcan anyone tell what part of a city that specific candidates won in, since they are SUPPOSED to be split up so both poor and rich benefit frome each area. Besides, I read somewhere, tha gore got more actual votes than Bush did and had more actual territory than Bush did and that the deciding votes were inFlorida where the ballots were so fouled up nobody knwe who they were voting for.
3 people like this
@ShadyGrove (996)
• United States
25 Mar 07
I think since you have to vote in a specific area when you are registered to vote they can track you pretty well. I have no doubt that if the powers to be want to know the make-up of a particular district or area they would have no problem getting all sorts of financial/social statistics - I mean there are scores of people who live their lives just getting such data.
But, lets just forget the number issue for a second and just look at the flow of changes of attitudes over time in any civilization or government. Do you see any relevance to how our country has gone through dramatic changes and upheavals - where we are heading? How things are getting worse? How the morality of our country (or my country - as it might not be yours) has gone steadily down hill? Why even today on Cartoon Network - I heard "Life is a B*tch!"
Now what's up with that? This is being heard by our young? Is the poor foul language even becoming common place - this is just a minor example of our downward trend, but it is everywhere.
Thanks for your response - everyone has a right to their own opinion - I do not disagree with the Florida voting fiasco - that was a true mess.
4 people like this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
25 Mar 07
judy, voting districts in cities are broken down and it is very easy to gain stats on what areas voted what. And though florida was a mess, it was not as tight as the media made it ouit to be....bush won...simple. not because of fraud or bad counting....simply because more people wanted bush than gore.
5 people like this
@clownfish (3269)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Hi! I completely agree with you. Our nation has become apathetic and dependent, dependent on resources that aren't going to be there. I would like to add this to your discussion.
In their book, Why We Want You To Be Rich, Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki explain why our nation is headed for financial ruin. None of the politicians seem to be paying attention to the financial situation of our country and I think our citizens are just as apathetic about it. Just to highlight a few of their points:
Bush has racked up more debt by himself than ALL the other presidents in history combined.
There is not enough money in all the stock exchanges in existence to pay the debts Social Security alone owes to American citizens.
Pensions have been phased out and 401k plans are basically savings plans. They are not performing as expected and aren't providing enough money for people to retire on.
Social Security will not be able to support citizens in their old age because it is running out of money and the government has nothing to replace it with.
Basically, people who retire without enough money will have to depend on Social Security - which does not have enough money - or the company they worked for - only if they still have a pension and not a 401k - to support them. As you can see, these resources will not be available indefinitely.
I think there is cause to be concerned about the financial welfare of our country. As Stalin predicted, "The US will fall from within." Perhaps this is what he meant? Great discussion! :-)
@lawqota (22)
• United States
26 Mar 07
No, I disagree with this discussion. No doubt that Bush won the rural vote and Gore the city. But, remember many of the inner city people have long given up and don't vote. Society has lost its moral center. I am not talking about abortion or gay marriage. I am talking about providing dignity for all Americans. How embarrassing that we have a nation with huge centers of poverty and children that go to bed hungry at night. These people aren't in bondage...they are the forgotten...Society has turned its back on these people and now only care about their own wealth. Just think what this nation could have done with all the money that is being spent in Iraq. Yes, we are building schools there, but whatabout schools for the children of our inner cities. We have a greedy society, a prejudiced society that prefers to think of these people as lazy. It is easier for them to think like that so that they don't have to accept any responsibility.
@clownfish (3269)
• United States
26 Mar 07
I don't really see how we disagree at all. I agree with all the points you made.
@mjgarcia (725)
• United States
25 Mar 07
I heard a sermon on this a long time ago. It struck me as truth even then and its not getting any better. I can see things going downhill as time goes on. Everyone wanting something and thinking that they're cheating the government. They don't understand that they're cheating themselves. And our congress and senators that are allowed to vote themselves raises aren't helping. I'm not sure if they even pay taxes. Do they?
2 people like this
@ShadyGrove (996)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Their raises should be tied to their performance, including their attendance and actual time worked. So mnay do not show up for votes and just abuse their power and position. We need to hold the politians responsible on a daily basis.
Thanks for your response.
3 people like this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
26 Mar 07
many things this government and this nation are doing don't make sense. what makes me very suspicious is the electronic voting machines. stalin of russia said it best once. it's not who votes that count. it is who counts the votes. those electronic machines make me cringe inside.
it is too easy for a hacker to get inside and play with who voted for what or for who. there needs to be more transparency in this government.
as for illeagal immigrants, they are here because a certain class wants them here. they are cheap labor for this upper class. they are treated deplorably. and who knows what else is slipping through with the immigrants?
http://www.stopcafta.org/
http://prisonplanet.com/
2 people like this
@kurtbiewald (2625)
• United States
26 Mar 07
good info
too apathetic to answer
why DID they fire them judges though?
@ShadyGrove (996)
• United States
26 Mar 07
awwww don't feel like you have no choice or power ~ turn that apathy into change!
I have no idea why they were all actually fired -- I'm sure more will come out about this.
2 people like this
