Greetings:

Does this familiar quote aptly describe the current state of many EC countries, with the U.S. following closely in their footsteps?

"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 Tytler

Corrupt, selfish politicians exploit the laziness of a large percentage of the population by promising them an ever-increasing amount of the fruits of other people's labor. Those lazy people then vote to keep the politicians in office, and to increase those like him/her.

Who can watch the looting, pillaging, and plunder in the recent London riots, while spineless authorities do nothing, and not conclude that the system has been totally broken by failed theories on social behavior and personal responsibility. If you have a problem, it's somebody else's fault. The community organizers - now with worldwide central planning - go in and foment the unrest. How could the British Empire have reduced itself to this? How can America follow?

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- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster

Hello Kirt, it has been a while. You struck a nerve with me on the London rioting and the self-destruction of England. My family dates back here to the beginning of recorded history and I have to say that I am utterly dismayed at the current state of affairs. It is truly shameful and depressing.

Britain is not without its faults throughout history, but I do not believe that the level of self-flagellation we seem to be engaging in is due penance for past sins. Indeed, the rest of the world is not without its faults - even horrendous acts of humanity against humanity. We have no special debt to pay. For the life of me (perhaps literally the way things are going) I cannot comprehend the insanity of the PMs doing nothing to halt this insanity.

Your visitors might not be familiar with a song titled "Living on a Thin Line," produced by the British band "The Kinks" back a couple decades ago. Its thesis is "There's no England now." My bones chill at the words. I found a YouTube video where someone went to the trouble of using it for accompaniment to current events here in England. It is not up to date enough to include the most recent spat of vandalism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIzNmLDvb8

How could we have permitted our youth to fall to such a low level? My ancestors must turn in their graves.