Why we study history.....[or need to]
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse (generous gifts) from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through this 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."
These words of wisdom current in their warning were written by Scottish historian Professor Alexander Tyler in 1787, concerning the Athenian civilization.
Thought on Democracy...
As an addendum to this thought on the state of democracy, Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University of Law, St. Paul, MN provides the following 2000 election factoids for consideration..
*Population of counties won by Gore 127 million, won by Bush 143 million.
*Square miles of country won by Gore 580,000, won by Bush 2,427,000.
*States won by Gore 19, by Bush 29 .
*Murders per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore 13.2 - by Bush 2.1
Professor Olson comments, "And may I add that the map of the territory Bush won was (mostly) the land owned by the people of this great country not the citizens living in cities owned by the government and living off the government".
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse (generous gifts) from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through this 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."
These words of wisdom current in their warning were written by Scottish historian Professor Alexander Tyler in 1787, concerning the Athenian civilization.
Thought on Democracy...
As an addendum to this thought on the state of democracy, Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University of Law, St. Paul, MN provides the following 2000 election factoids for consideration..
*Population of counties won by Gore 127 million, won by Bush 143 million.
*Square miles of country won by Gore 580,000, won by Bush 2,427,000.
*States won by Gore 19, by Bush 29 .
*Murders per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore 13.2 - by Bush 2.1
Professor Olson comments, "And may I add that the map of the territory Bush won was (mostly) the land owned by the people of this great country not the citizens living in cities owned by the government and living off the government".
