Is Apathy Threatening Our Freedom?

[norwegen]

Is this a fair observation? It's from an email I received recently, and I didn't verify the claims and stats.

How Long Do We Have?

About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, 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 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 votes 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 worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these 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 Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:

1. Population of counties won by: Gore: 127 million; Bush: 143 million;

2. Square miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush: 2,427,000;

3. States won by: Gore: 19; Bush: 29;

4. 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 living off government welfare."

Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency & apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some 40 percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.

[kawaika]

"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."

I think that this statement is a little ambiguous. What exactly were the greatest civilizations? Who says? The Ottoman Empire lasted quite a while--more than 200 years. But then, it depends on what other nations are included to bring the average down to 200.

I do think apathy can ruin a nation. However, it seems like people are getting more involved with politics, so I'm not sure if it is fair to say that Americans are apathetic.

[Conductor42]

Actually, what you've quoted is one of the biggest urban legends - the quotation doesn't exist at all - and is often changed over the years to fit people's political agenda. The dems have used it, my party has used it, and republicans have used it.

[norwegen]

Actually, what you've quoted is one of the biggest urban legends - the quotation doesn't exist at all

Yes, I discovered that several months ago.

I still believe that the generosity of elected officials can seriously weaken a country.

[Conductor42]

what do you mean by generosity?

[Darth Executor]

what do you mean by generosity?

Giving your tax money to crackheads so they can buy more drugs and hookers.

[Ryokan]

Its vague crap, if you ask me. And Sparta crushed Athenian democracy. Nothing else.

[norwegen]

Its vague crap, if you ask me.

Good thing we didn't ask you.

DE, I think is onto something, but more seriously, it's the government's pandering to a welfare mentality.

Promising expansions of the welfare state is a sales pitch not only to the needy but also to the lazy. The more votes big-government candidates can buy with these promises, the bigger the welfare state becomes, and the more liberties we lose.

The wealthier countries (and people) become, the more they're willing to spend; most people in present-day western and capitalistic countries would applaud the idea of spending more taxes to provide a safety net as a sort of insurance policy against temporary setbacks for otherwise productive citizens. However, trends indicate more and more that welfare is taking the place of work and personal responsibility. In the US, illegitimacy, crime, and government dependency have only increased since welfare enactment.

Let's face it: human beings, by nature, are lazy; if they don't need to exert themselves to survive, they won't (thanks to technology and specialization, we no longer hunt and gather; now we sit and get fat).

[Meh_Gerbil]

Meh.

[shadowmaster]

Meh.

heh

[Paintbucket]

Well, once we completely sell our economy out to China and India, and make a few more diplomatic screw-ups (war with Iran, an attack on North Korea) then we can say that our reign is over. America would be interesting to see after a regime change. Perhaps the 50 States become 50 "states"? Maybe the country fragments even smaller, like a Holy Roman Empire deal where there's tons on petty rulers and such with a tiny amount of land. It'd be interesting, but I'm not voting for it.

[shadowmaster]

hehheh