I have always heard about this democracy countdown. It is interesting to see it in print. God help us. How Long Do We Have?

• About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:
• '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 they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.'
• 'From that moment on, the majority always vote 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 world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years'
• 'During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1.  from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage'

• Professor Joseph Olson of Hamlin University School of Law, St. Paul ,   Minnesota , points out some interesting facts concerning the 2020  Presidential election:
  • Number of States won by: Democrats: 19 Republicans: 29
  • Square miles of land won by: Democrats: 580,000 Republicans: 2,427,000
  • Population of counties won by: Democrats: 127 million Republicans: 143 million
  • Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2 Republicans: 2.1
• Professor Olson adds: 'In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare...' Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the 'complacency and apathy' phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the 'governmental dependency' phase.
• If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million invaders called illegal's and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the   USA in fewer than five years.
• Just how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom.
  
  WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE

Thomas Jefferson said, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people “.  The Fountain Hills Republican Club believes this statement is very true.  

The Club established a scholarship fund to help our graduating seniors go on to college many years ago.  The education committee each year reviewed criteria for the scholarships and it varied frequently.  It was noted that not only graduating seniors wanted to go to college but adults in the work force were considering going back to school, so for a time both were included.  There were times the scholarships were offered only for trade school aspirants.  

The Club is very interested in knowing the applicants so elected not to put our scholarships into the Golden Eagle organization that does all the selecting of winners from criteria offered by the funding organization.  A member of the education committee goes with the Golden Eagle presenters when they present to graduating seniors their offerings and explains our offering.  Those that apply are individually interviewed by education committee members and the winners are selected within that group. 

 Unfortunately applications dropped significantly and the Club reconsidered where to place the funds.  In recent times the funds have gone to two large entities that provide excellent programs for young people.

Current times have prompted discussion within the Club to again offer scholarships locally to our graduating seniors.  The goal is to raise enough funds to continue the funding of the large institutions as well as offer scholarships locally.