"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. "The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following 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 to bondage."
Alexander Tyler - on the Athenian Republic
One of my all time favorite quotes. I first heard it in a speech by Senator Bennett of Utah at a Repub convention where I was a delegate. I aked him about it and he only knew that a staffer had given it to him for his speech. By the way, Bennett was one of the few sane people to vote against Bush's continuing socialization and centralization of American Education. Bravo, Senator Bennett!
Right on all points.