ReBaselining America

Ben Franklin once said: "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 about 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 apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage." It seems that we are on this very course. How do we maintain the principles and values of this Grand Experiment without refreshing the tree of liberty with more blood? This short work hopes to challenge some current thinking and inspire others to reset the foundation of this country so that the blessing of liberty will be available to our posterity as well.