To: Neocon who wrote (371068 ) 3/14/2003 10:07:45 AM From: Dan B. Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 769670 The difference as you simply stated it held a false implication concerning Libertarians which deserved further thought. Perhaps we have a long way to go to properly define the role of government. The common good as you view it raises thorny issues. Conservatives and Democrats alike have promoted the common good with programs which I believe have proven harmful in the long run. How do we avoid this: To:JDN who wrote (370531) From: goldworldnet Thursday, Mar 13, 2003 6:47 AM View Replies (3) | Respond to 370537 of 371061 Real tax reform is a noble goal. All Americans should read this occasionally. The Fall Of A Republic When the thirteen colonies were still a part of England, Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian republic over two thousand years previous to that time: 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 * * *