Can we "handle the truth?" Is it too late?

[oakchas]

An excellent editorial letter to the editor found in The Cedar Rapids Gazette today.

"Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it..." and this was pointed out a little more than 200 years ago in Scotland, by a very wise professor... as pointed out by this letter writer in our local paper...

Erosion of U.S. is a repeat of history Aug 15, 2010

As we witness the alleged crimes of Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters and the acknowledged crimes of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Tom Daschle, etc., coupled with an exploding welfare system, a pattern evolves that brings credence to the words of a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh.

About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

“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. … 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"

Today’s gluttonous politicians join greedy voters to enhance this trend. It is the solemn duty of every patriotic citizen in this country to fire those lawmakers who proliferate the erosion of our liberty. Vote well.

Bill Strilich

Marion

Now, the question is, what can we do about it? Tha majority of people in our republic have voted for those "who promise the most benefits from the public treasury..." and we are soon to reap ALL the "rewards" of that exercise in democracy. We are moving from "apathy to dependence." How soon will we move "back into bondage?"

[concrete guy]

Another person from CR here and I agree 100%!!!

I have been a political idiot for years. I have been spreading the word to everyone I meet how important this next election is and how important every other one is after that. I get response like " hmmm..... why is THIS election so important????" We have to get people to get up off their asses and SOON!

[oakchas]

Well, I did my "due diligence" on this quote... Apparently the letter writer did some as well but not enough (and, he didn't copy the entire email he might have gotten)... The statements cannot be attributed to one man... and not to a professor in some Scottish School...

This doesn't make the sentiment untrue... but there is no need to cite a professor as the source.. Here's the best comment I found on the whole problem:

And that is where the vice of misattribution lies. Perhaps the words speak the truth of democratic governments; or perhaps they do not. But either way, attributing the words to a scholar who never spoke them is to lend to them an authority and reliability that they do not deserve. Quotations should not be given fictitious attributions merely to lend credence to the messages they impart. To do so is to favor persuasiveness over accuracy, and to sacrifice truth for the sake of image.

Loren Collins

[Ringo]

We are moving from "apathy to dependence." How soon will we move "back into bondage?"

America is already there, most people are just too stupid to see it. The majority still think they can send their kids to college, they'll have good jobs when they graduate, and life will go on as it always has in the past.

[Booga]

The majority still think they can send their kids to college, they'll have good jobs when they graduate...

I have no degree, some college, and I'm still making about the average income for the US.
The reason is that I am self-motivated, have job experience, and years of experience in my field.

College is not everything.
However, some HR departments use degrees and certifications as a way to filter out job applicants. Personally, I think they are doing themselves a disfavor. I've seen job requirements for 3 years experience with Windows 2000 administration being posted in 2001. ...

[Ringo]

I have no degree, some college, and I'm still making about the average income for the US.
The reason is that I am self-motivated, have job experience, and years of experience in my field.

College is not everything.
However, some HR departments use degrees and certifications as a way to filter out job applicants. Personally, I think they are doing themselves a disfavor. I've seen job requirements for 3 years experience with Windows 2000 administration being posted in 2001. ...

I understand. My point is that people are totally unaware of the current situation in America and the fact that it is impossible for things to ever be as they have been in the past. The economic nightmare is just beginning, the lack of health care nightmare is just beginning, the loss of freedoms nightmare, the soon to be Middle East nuclear nightmare, the New World Order nightmare, are all just beginning. College and a future life of liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the last thing anyone will be thinking about in the very near future. Everything will be about survival, there's no way out. Like I said, we're already there, most people are just too stupid to see it.

[Booga]

Everything will be about survival, there's no way out. Like I said, we're already there, most people are just too stupid to see it.

Ah, I see your point. I agree.
Planning ahead is going to count for a lot. I'm trying to rotate through about two months of food. I lost my job recently and had to rely on that reserve so I'm down a bit, but I was never concerned about being unemployed because I was prepared. I'm back to being employed so I should be able to restock easily.

A friend of mine seems to have YEARS of food in his pantry. He cycles through it by having friends visit to make sure things stay fresh. I don't think I have the dedication to do what he's done, but my own reserve has proven useful.

In all honesty, I put my reserve together when Mexico closed schools, theaters, grocery stores, stadiums, and restaurants because of the swine flu. If Mexico would take such extreme measures, surely the same could happen in the US. I also found the US relies on a "just in time" delivery system for food. If distribution stopped(no trucking), most stores have about 2 weeks of food for their surrounding area. Any disruption would probably cause a run on the store. I do not want to take part in that.