How to Destroy a Representative Republic... By the Book.

[Jeremy Roenick]

“A 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.” - Alexander Tyler, “The Fall of the Athenian Republic ”, 1787

http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/08/05/an-august-surprise-from-obama/

Main Street may be about to get its own gigantic bailout. Rumors are running wild from Washington to Wall Street that the Obama administration is about to order government-controlled lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to forgive a portion of the mortgage debt of millions of Americans who owe more than what their homes are worth. An estimated 15 million U.S. mortgages – one in five – are underwater with negative equity of some $800 billion. Recall that on Christmas Eve 2009, the Treasury Department waived a $400 billion limit on financial assistance to Fannie and Freddie, pledging unlimited help. The actual vehicle for the bailout could be the Bush-era Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, a sister program to Obama’s loan modification effort. HARP was just extended through June 30, 2011.

Furthermore...

The move, if it happens, would be a stunning political and economic bombshell less than 100 days before a midterm election in which Democrats are currently expected to suffer massive, if not historic losses.

Right now the USA is in that "apathy to dependence" stage.  Follow the play book and you can see what's just around the corner.

[MRM]

I don't know, we are still a very selfish country.

[Jeremy Roenick]

Yes we are MRM, but the signs of dependency grow by the day...

Like today's headline....

Food stamp use hit record 40.8m in May

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who are receiving food stamps rose to a record 40.8 million in May as the jobless rate hovered near a 27-year high, the government reported yesterday.

Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program subsidies for food purchases jumped 19 percent from a year earlier and increased 0.9 percent from April, the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement on its website.

Participation has set records for 18 straight months.

Did you ever think you'd see a time in our history when roughly 15 percent of the nation's population (1 in 8) would be on food stamps?  And the figure is likely to top 43 million sometime next year.

[GRAY]

i wonder how many illegal mexicans receive EBT?

[NCVol]

I don't know, but here's a link where you can start the search.

http://www.google.com/

[Maxxgas]

i wonder how many illegal mexicans receive EBT?

I would bet most of them..

[NCVol]

And you would be wrong.  If they're kids born here, they're not illegal.  According to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, those kids would be what we call CITIZENS.  And if they are adults, illegals don't qualify for food stamps. 

[LTC]

Wingnut moronic cultists don't care nuthin' bout no stinkin' citizens! They be brown and hispanic...they is illegal!

[Just Win]

i wonder how many illegal mexicans receive EBT?

Gray,

What is an EBT?

[Just Win]

“A 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.” - Alexander Tyler, “The Fall of the Athenian Republic ”, 1787

http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/08/05/an-august-surprise-from-obama/

Furthermore...

Right now the USA is in that "apathy to dependence" stage.  Follow the play book and you can see what's just around the corner.

JR,

I have thought about your post and the words of Tyler for several days now. These words have haunted me like ghost. I think you are correct. We are entering a period of apathy brought on by a dispair that no matter what those out in "fly over" country do or think the ruling political class (both parties) are going to rule and not govern. I have made no secret in posts that it is my opinion or problem is a spiritual problem of the heart. The heart of the citizen (present company included) must be transformed and renewed. It is our only hope as a nation.Our government is in trouble because the majority (not all) of the political class lack character from which integrity, love or the republic, concern for he common good, honesty, steadfastness, and courage flow. The political class is simply a reflection of those of us out in "fly over country" ( again present company included) that elected them. Our trust and hope must not be placed in our military might,  economic prowess, or our academic preeminence all of which are waning at the moment. These things will fail in the end. Our faith must be in God.

[Jeremy Roenick]

 

Well stated my friend.

I fear the agenda of those truly in control of our nation is to pit brother against brother, liberal against conservative, republican against democrat, black man against white man, white man against hispanic man, and on and on...  The ruling elites are turning our nation (as Teddy Roosevelt called it) into a tangle of squabbling nationalities.

While we're all busy at one-another's throats, they'll continue to loot the treasury as they have for decades.