Can Democracy Survive in America?

An interesting e-mail has been going around for about 7 years now, in which it discusses the Scottish Historian, Lord Woodhouselee Alexander Frasier Tytler's, research into the phases of a democracy. As I do with all chain e-mails, I ran it by the snopes webpage, and found that the research is real but the rest of the e-mail has inaccuracies related to the 2000 presidential election.

So I am going to post the accurate information, in hopes that it will spark some discussion.

Alexander Tytler concluded the following:

'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'

It is suggested that we are in the 6th phase of the Democracy, in the Apathy phase... and quickly moving into dependence.

Don't believe me?

Look at the Katrina refugees, unable to help themselves... some died due to lack of water, food, shelter... all the while they had the means to band together and help themselves.

Look at Hillary Care. This is a further plan to ensure dependence on the government for healthcare, rather than personal responsibility in ensuring self and family health while demanding a fair market price.

And look at Social Security. Originally planned as a protection against starvation, it has become a government controlled retirement plan, mandating savings, and leaving no room for personal savings. Hell, with taxes and inflation it is hard to save anything above and beyond my current costs of living! The perfect situation where one becomes dependent on the government structure and handouts.

Is the sun setting in the West? Is the great experiment coming to a close? What can we do to return us to phase 3/4?

Comment if you have some ideas... otherwise, check in later... I will surely be expanding on how to save America!

A free people, A limited federal government, A pipedream?

What IS the definition of a free person?

Has freedom in America been reduced to the freedom to select between Comcast or Qwest? McDonalds or Wendy's? K-Mart or Walmart?

Has our freedom been reduced to a limit of consumer choices?

Even with politicians... Which President do you want to buy? The inexperienced African American, the Battle-Ax Ex-First Wife, or the Cross Dressing Mayor from NYC?

Why is it that I hear less and less about local governments? About 18 people vying for the spot of Governor in the state of Colorado?

I will tell you why... The federal government is taking steps to reduce the power of the local and state government, and turn everything (literally) into a federal case. Imagine a federal government that works to limit itself, reducing it's own power back to a more constitutionally appropriate role... and letting the states be free?!?

Imagine if the Federal government said "This is not a federal issue, please handle in the states"... This would take care of marriage, abortion, education, transportation, etc, etc...

If there were no income tax breaks on a federal level, then there would be no marriage tax benefit, and thus no need for the federal government to "recognize" marriage. Families can form within the accordance of the local lifestyle... and what makes sense in San Francisco would not have to make sense in St Louis.

If privacy rights were regulated on a state level, then folks who are pro-abortion or anti-abortion could choose to live within communities or states that felt the same way...

Education would be a local issue... and "My two mommies" would not have to be mandatory classroom study for a Des Moines first grader, as it may be in Seattle or New York.

People live in America because we have the freedom to choose... We choose to live in certain communities because we want a certain lifestyle for our families. Why then is EVERY issue a federal issue? Why is EVERY special interest group pressing a federal agenda? What role does our new federal government play with respect to the constitution?

I will tell you, they overstep the constitution on just about every issue... We are in a constitutional crisis... where our freedoms are being peeled back one by one... and the federal government is to blame. It has made itself an overseer of the people... not a vessel for communication, but for ruling.

So at what point do we, as the last vestige of freedom, say that enough is enough, and demand that the federal government withdraw from the states... limiting itself to it's constitutional boundaries?

My guess is that we will not see an outcry on the level that is needed until it is too late...

Land of the Free?

As I was watching news reports in the days after the Iowa Straw Poll, and listening to conservative talk radio shows in the same time, something struck me as odd...

The very same talk show hosts on the AM dial who prior to the Ames Straw Poll where billing it as a relevant event, marking true support for "America's Candidate", were now debunking the results... and why??? Because the big news out of the event was that Mike Huckabee, the underfunded underdog came in a awe inspiring second place and was the media favorite after the contest...

So the Pro-Romney, Pro-Rudy AM radio hosts who have been responding to Pro-Huckabee callers with "Good guy, doesn't stand a chance" were eating their words... Yes, I am talking about Rush, Hannity, and Hugh Hewitt...

And then it really got me thinking about how we are going about choosing our next President... when a man with as much Message as Romney has Money is belittled because he is not the talk show's favorite, and the host keeps repeating those words "doesn't have a chance", then I ask this simple question: How is this Presidential election any different than the 2005 Iranian Presidential election?

The answer... It Isn't!

In Iran, the Guardian Council sifts through the field of candidates and selects the candidates that THEY think are fit to run for president. There are no real primaries, no real pre-contests... it is who the Council decides should run, and the people hear that the guardian council has selected a field of candidates, all else are not worthy.

In the US, the Media and Talk shows anoint the candidates that they think are fit to run for president. The primaries are no longer on election day, but on the front page of TIME, or on talk radio shows where the "other" candidates are asteriks candidates, and their beloved Mitt Romney (who is still in single digits nationwide) is always granted the title of debate winner, or poll winner, because the other candidates don't count anyway (almost a direct quote from Hugh Hewitt). The Media decides who should get the airtime, who's name they will praise and who's name they will be debunking. The people hear the Guardian Council... I mean the Media Elites... and see that all else are not worthy in their eyes.

So are we getting the elected officials we deserve? Are we falling for the carrots at the end of the media elite's stick?

With 25% of the GOP vote going to "other/unknown", you have to wonder what candidate we are going to settle for... "Tell us, oh wise council of elite media, for we no longer have the ability to be free thinkers..."

OR, we can rise up, as we did in Iowa... time and again, supporting a candidate with executive experience and a strong Jeffersonian message... We can use this election to take back America, restoring it back to the wonderful Land of the Free... We can look at candidates with substance, intelligence, and core conservative values. Look in your hearts... you know what is right.

Do we want to live in a land of the elite ruling class, or do we want to live in the America that our forefather's endowed us with... the free land, where the government does not rule, the media does not rule, but the people... the common people... you and me... we rule, because we are free.

Reject the elite class. Flood their phone lines with calls. Fill their e-mail inboxes with letters. Send them letter after letter to fill their studio. Organize rallies outside their broadcasting buildings, demanding support for a Jeffersonian candidate willing to give power back... Take the power back from the elites, or suffer at the hands of their appointed leaders.

God Bless!