The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 2 of 18)

br> Great Mills, Maryland /p>

The steady drumbeat of the erosion of rights continues unabated from the very seat of what is supposedly the preserver of those rights, based on their perverted interpretation of the Constitution. I'll let the lawyers argue over their theories and details, however, this is all part of the uncontrolled growth of the Leviathan's interference in our less-free lives.

I read the words of Scottish Jurist and Historian Sir Alex Fraser Tyler, published in a collection of his lectures in 1801, and start to feel nauseous. 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 largesse 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."

p>While we descend on this slippery slope as the American people sleep, I pray for an underground swelling of those intelligent enough to understand what is being lost and will fight not only to stop this recent theft by the courts, and the ongoing theft by the legislature, too, but to regain lost ground. Where do I sign up, somebody tell me please? Is another revolution in the offing? Say it ain't so. br> -- David P. Bennett br> Chicago, Illinois /p> p> Mr. Orlet makes many good points in his opinion piece; however, the accusatory tone toward liberals is really unnecessary. Yes, the liberal side of the court looks pathetic in light of the decision in the New London case. However, the conservative side of the court looked equally pathetic in the Raich case. The constant whining on both sides of the aisle detracts from the real issues at hand and makes people like Mr. Orlet sound more like Sean Hannity than William F. Buckley. That's not a compliment. It's time for Americans to get back to discussing public policy and leave politics behind. There is plenty of blame to go around on both sides. br> -- Ben Berry br> Washington, D.C.

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