Rome fell. Will the modern-day West follow suit?

The Economist ^ | May 25th 2023

[mewzilla]

Bureaucracy Kills: A Lesson from Rome

[ealgeone]

What happened then?

[packagingguy]

Brandon is importing armies from around the world, especially from China.

Chinese are certainly getting a lot for their bribes.

[LouAvul]

The 1962 mid-term election served as a referendum on Kennedy’s New Frontier program, with record numbers of African Americans enrolled as voters. Their support permitted the Democratic Party to hold sway in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

[sauropod]

.

[Palio di Siena]

My bad - I meant 1963 - Kennedy assassination - apologies

[Cronos]

The Roman empire fell in 1453, not in 476.

[P.O.E.]

The left has been “deconstructing” and “re-imagining” for decades. It’s only lately that it’s hit critical mass.

[The Duke]

A gentleman from the Middle East once told me over dinner that one well-placed bomb from his associates could set the US back 25 years. I immediately replied ... "In that case could you make it a double, because I missed out on 'sock hops'?"

That shut him up.

[PerConPat]

When a sociocultural system does not nurture/protect virtue, it's just a matter of time until Götterdämmerung. I'm purporting the crucial concept of classical virtue. Strength, moral rectitude, valor, intelligence etc. as derived from the Latin word vir meaning: man...person of courage/honor...

For the past three or four decades, America's leadership has represented this concept less than its antithesis. We are in trouble.

[Adder]

The eastern empire did indeed survive until 1453 but the western empire ended in 476...some would argue in 410 with the sack of Alaric.

They were one entity in name only.

[maddog55]

We could use a reset.

[Vaduz]

Not just the west new stats came out saying the world has (8) billion people not much can go right.

They crowded themselves out Jim.

[wintertime]

p

[ealgeone]

Didn’t that shift already happen during the so called “New Deal”?

[1Old Pro]

We can prevent the fall of America, but voters won’t.

If voters are good with 10 billion illegals coming into the country and radically shifting our culture, then they could care less about our country.

If voters are good with the rise in crime with Soros DA’s and leftwing judges, then they could care less about our country.

[1Old Pro]

million NOT billion...at least not right away :)

[ealgeone]

No problem. As I went to bed last night I thought it might have been a reference to prayer being removed from school.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

In spite of the troubles we have in America, it's still structurally pretty stable. The first sign of a truly crumbling economy will be the rise in black market trading, and widespread refusal to pay taxes. That's why the Federal government is so intent on beefing up the IRS. Taxes are effectively the short hairs of the population. The tax code controls businesses and the population. Failure to comply results in imprisonment. But once the people no longer fear the IRS, the economic foundation of the US government collapses.

We are still a long way from tax resistance, as the tentacles run wide and strong.

[MinorityRepublican]

Ping.