The beginning of the end of Democracy in America

The following quote is open to debate as it's authorship, but it is true whoever said it.

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 followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Now consider this alarming statistic I heard on the news in post-election reporting: 52 percent of the voting public in America are on some form of governmental assistance. And that 52 percent voted for the candidate that promised them the largest handout from government. God help us.