Can America Survive?

In Caesar and Christ, Will Durant states "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within. The essential causes of Rome's decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggle, her failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, her consuming wars."

All to often people become complacent and disregard the duty of being a citizen of these United States. It is our right and obligation to place into office honest and good persons who will hold fast to the Constitution. Who will uphold the moral and economic principals found within the sacred writing of our Founding Fathers.

On June 1, 1837 Daniel Webster expresses "I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe...Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing."

Abraham Lincoln shared similar views. When Lincoln was 28 years old speaking to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield He asked, "At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

Lincoln continues "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide."

I am starting to wonder if we can stop this suicide. Some believe that we are already dead. Alexander Fraser Tytler (history professor at the University of Edinburgh) claimed "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 that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes 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 worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always 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 complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage"

For those of you who have read the Book of Mormon know this to be the Nephite cycle. It is found repeatedly in the pages of the Book of Mormon.

At the close of the Constitutional Convention a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government the convention was giving the people. Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it."

Our Republic is more frail then a democracy. A Republic demands more from its citizens. A Republic requires the citizen to take an active part in the government. To vote, to serve in community positions, to serve in the many branches of military.

I fear that America has abandoned our republic and moved towards a democracy in the last 50 or so years. I fear more that we are moving more and more towards a dictatorship. The meaning of checks and balances are losing their meaning. The House and Senate no longer play the role of keeping a president it check. That is why a republic is so frail. Each citizen must do our part by knowing who we are voting for.

How many of us know our Congressman and Senators? How many of us have attended town hall meetings? How many of us research those running for office so when we arrive at the polls we make an informed decision?

Our country is in trouble! Spending is out of control. Our Federal debt is off the charts. Americans will be passing debt onto their children and children's children because of the fiscal recklessness of our elected leaders.

Americans need to take a stand today! Start now to research the Constitution, and those who helped to created it. Study about the principals and morals that made America great. Learn the true history of America by the very men and women who made it. Become informed on current events. Vote!

Can America be saved? If it can then it is up to her people to do the job. To elect men and women with sound moral principals. To vote out those who have betrayed the Constitution and forsaken integrity.

I wish to close with the words of man who knew and lived the meaning of integrity.
"The honor and safety of our bleeding country, and every other motive that can influence the brave and heroic patriot, call loudly upon us, to acquit ourselves with spirit. In short, we must now determine to be enslaved or free! If we make freedom our choice, we must obtain it by the blessing of Heaven on our united and vigorous efforts.
General George Washington, August 8, 1776