How long before America’s democracy goes from complacency to apathy?

About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution in 1787, at the beginnings of this great country, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, pondered the fall of the Athenian Republic around 2000 years earlier. From his research, he speculated that:

“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 to bondage.

Today, university research, Hamlin University School of Law, St. Paul, Minn. indicates that 40 percent of the nation’s population have reached the “governmental dependency” phase. Thus, are we, as a nation, somewhere between the complacency to apathy phase?

For our nation, apparently from “bondage to faith” took place with the Pilgrim’s escaping from the Church of England and landing in Plymouth in 1620 and during that century.

“From courage to liberty” occurred during the Revolutionary War and late 1700s.

However, it took most of the next century to achieve “from liberty to abundance.” 

This was a century of a great Civil War to define state and civil rights.

After this great conflict, our nation grew westward. We expanded our power and influence around the globe.

Finally, we helped to win World War I. The economy expanded until the disastrous “Great Depression.” Nevertheless, our country recovered.

In fact, a complete recovery came with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  This brought us together as never before. Men entered the armed forces, women entered factories. Our patriotic nation fought aggressors, became victorious and became a world power.

After World War II came a time of national abundance. From old downtown shopping, new suburban shopping centers unfolded. Builders became rampant with new housing tracts. Our economy expanded vibrantly. Thus, occurred the hundred years “from liberty to abundance.”

Unfortunately, during the years of the Vietnam War to the end of the century, we witnessed a time which might be identified as “from abundance to complacency.”

Now, every day, either your local nightly TV news or the New York Times describe how bad things are, but with no positive balance. “Just not much we can do,” according to that commentator or that news reader.

After 231 years of history, are we now in the time, “from complacency to apathy?”

Is it just a matter of a few short years until we continue “from apathy to dependence,” and a few more “from dependence back to bondage.”

With only a few months left before the primaries, every voter should ponder this historical possibility. 

Be very careful for whom you vote.

Burton F. Anderson, a U.S. Marine veteran of the Korean War, has lived in California for about 50 years. He has a background in aerospace industry. He can be reached at ba****@*ol.com.