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One of my favorite quotes is appropriate here.

The Scottish Jurist and Historian Sir Alex Fraser Tyler published a collection of lectures in 1801. He advanced a theory of democracy based on historical observation:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can exist only until voters discover that they can vote themselves largeses from the public treasury. From that time on, the majority always votes for the candidate 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 great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: 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 dependency; from dependency back again to bondage."

Is Sir Tyler correct? Where are we are in Sir Tyler's progression?

Great quote, thanks

"Where are we are in Sir Tyler's progression?" Unfortunately I think we know where we are, we are on the slippery slope into decline, led by the socialists, and the spineless Republicans in congress.

One of my favorite quotes also. In fact, I have it posted in my cubicle here at work as a constant reminder.

I also have this one by P.J. O'Rourke:

"Freedom is not empowerment. Empowerment is what the Serbs have in Bosnia. Anybody can grab a gun and be empowered. It's not entitlement. An entitlement is what people on welfare get, and how free are they? It's not an endlessly expanding list of rights - the 'right' to education, the 'right' to health care, the 'right' to food and housing. That's not freedom, that's dependency. Those aren't rights, those are the rations of slavery - hay and a barn for human cattle."

Bump of absolute agreement. We're rushing headlong into tyrrany with open arms.

"The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: 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 dependency; from dependency back again to bondage."

Is Sir Tyler correct? Where are we are in Sir Tyler's progression?

I have always held the firm belief that immigrants were the driving force in keeping the thirst for liberty alive and well in the United States. The fact that they could come here and through trial and effort become full partners in the American Dream continually renewed the spirit of the country. So, even when we celebrated our Bicentennial, the average age of great civilizations, the US was still the shining example of liberty and opportunity in the world.

Today we have emphasis on group identity, Afro-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, etc. The group identity is used to drive dependency. Dependency chokes the spirit of individual responsibility which is the backbone of liberty. The "American" needs to come first in everyone's identity or we will continue to slide toward some form of totalitarianism. Our true freedom will be lost.