These words, attributed to Alexander Tytler* in 1790, to my mind seem to have been prophetic, sadly so. They make a person stop and think. And you? What do you think?
“Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse 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, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years.
Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage…”
I agree with the principle. There are insanely wealthy people who use the government via tax code and regulation (lack of) to feed their insatiable need. What I know from history about the evolution into autocracy is those taking the power destroy institutions, create the dreadful boogeyman, now it's immigrants and liberals, stir up fear which blooms into hate. Place all of this in the middle of chaos and you are on your way. Sound familiar?
ReplyDeleteHow frighteningly prophetic and sadly true. May it not be too late for justice and peace here.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
If history is any judge, the US has hit it's sell by date.
ReplyDeleteOMG - What a great comment! LOL
Deletetotally agree Ellen!
DeleteMoving forward is sometimes difficult and scary. Some people scare easily...some stay the course. It is what it is and God is in charge:)
ReplyDelete