An Observation on Democracy from ActionAmerica.org

The most interesting observation is how closely the U. S. has followed this scenario.

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the Public Treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the Public Treasury with a 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. These nations have progressed through the following sequences:

  • From Bondage to Spiritual Faith
  • From Spiritual Faith 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 Dependency back into Bondage

Most commonly attributed to “The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic” By Alexander Fraser Tytler Lord Woodhouselee (1748-1813) (Scottish judge and historian at Edinburgh University)

However, this has also been attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, Alexis de Tocqueville, R. G. Le Tourneau and others. It is likely that it is actually two quotes, put together. Parts of it show up in printed record as far back as 1950, when the “Fatal Sequence” portion was cited in a speech by Eugene E. Wilson at a special United Nations Convocation at Hillyer College in Hartford, Connecticut. But regardless of the quote’s origin, it is interesting to note how accurate it details the past and how much further The U. S. has progressed along that predicted line, since it first appeared in modern recorded history, in 1950.   Please focus on truth that is in the words. I believe that we can stop this “Fatal Sequence”, but not the way we are going. United States of America is over 200 years old.   Where on the list do you think the United States of America is today.