&uot;We have a species of parasite in America; some call them Democrats, who think that America’s greatness comes from its government. But America’s true greatness was brought about by the dynamic of a free people interacting privately with one another while adhering to a system of laws crafted to preserve and protect basic individual rights. These laws protect the right of the individual to act in his own best interests so long as he respects the rights of others to do the same.

Big government is a threat to those rights, and so far George Bush has done nothing to halt the growth of government…terrorists can destroy infrastructure and take innocent lives… Social Security and Medicare could destroy our economy and both are now headed toward bankruptcy.&uot;

&uot;With every day that passes we have more people receiving those benefits and less people working and paying taxes to fund them. By the year 2020 those two budget items will account for nearly 80 percent of all federal spending…that’s only 16 years from now…so when taxes triple to fund these two entitlement programs where do we citizens and businesses go to escape?

This threat is as real as terrorism, and it’s time for Mr. Bush to show some of the same leadership qualities he’s shown in the war on terror in a war against runaway entitlements.&uot; Those are the thoughts of Neal Boortz and I would add this caveat: like most politicians Mr. Bush wants to be reelected and appearing to give away the store can make that a reality. Even opposing Democrats buy that philosophy.

My thanks to A. C Volper, a former Suffolk resident, who lead me to the Internet history lesson about the Fall of the Athenian Republic more than 2,000 years ago. I paraphrase the true words of Professor Alexander Tyler, the Scottish historian. &uot;A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always vote for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy. This is usually followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been two hundred 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 complacency, from complacency, to apathy, from apathy to dependency, and from dependency back to bondage.&uot;

Think about it; see if you can spot where we are now.

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Along that line is the story about the college girl who considered herself to be a liberal Democrat even though her father was a die-hard Republican. One day she was belittling her father for his beliefs, his opposition to high taxes and welfare programs. He changed the subject and asked how she was doing in college. She said she had a 4.0 GPA but it was really tough, she had to study all the time and never could go out and party. She had no time for boyfriends and few girlfriends because of spending all her time studying. On top of that the part time job her father insisted she have left her no time for anything else.

Her father asked how her friend Mary was doing. She replied that Mary was barely getting by, had only a 2.0 GPA, never studied, but was very popular on campus. She didn’t want a job and went to all the parties but she was always complaining about not having any money.

So her father asked he why she didn’t go to the Dean’s office and request that 1.0 be taken off her GPA and given to Mary to add to her 2.0. That way they would both have a respectable 3.0 GPA. Then she could give Mary some of the money she earned from her job so her friend wouldn’t be broke. The daughter fired back that it wouldn’t be fair, that she worked hard for her grades and money and Mary just goofs off. &uot;Why should she be rewarded?&uot; Her father said, &uot;O.K., so now you are a Republican.&uot;

Robert Pocklington is a Suffolk resident and regular News-Herald columnist. He can be reached at robert.pocklington@suffolknewsherald.com.