Posted on 07/26/2010 6:49:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
When do you suppose the citizens of imperial Rome first realized that their way of life had tipped into inexorable decline?
A few foresaw the impact of Caesar's usurpation of the rule of law, marking his ascension as the beginning of the end. Many more sounded the alarm when Rome's fiscal balance spiraled out of control, debts multiplying faster than the ability to extract taxes from a dwindling base of productive citizens. The plebeian masses, accustomed to bread and circuses, were probably oblivious until Rome was finally sacked. Everything was fine yesterday, how did these barbarians arrive at our gates?
A strange sign of the times has begun traversing America's rural byways. The sole purpose of this giant machine is to grind up paved roads leaving behind a trail of chopped asphalt and gravel. Strapped county administrators are throwing in the towel, unable to maintain their road systems absent the flow of largess cut off from near bankrupt state and federal agencies. Instead of reducing their carbon footprint by driving ecologically friendly electric cars these people will soon be riding horses. The Sierra Club must be thrilled.
Large parts of Detroit are returning to the wild as abandoned sections of the city succumb to bulldozers. Homes whose purchases were made possible by an unsustainable conflux of bloated union wages, liar's loan mortgages, and easy Federal money are disappearing faster than Barney Frank can say "roll the dice."
The response to these signs of decline? Our own aspiring Caesar and his phalanx of facilitators promise more, not less. Free healthcare for all! Free cash for not working! Buy a car, buy a house, get a check! Bottomless subsidies are being shoveled at environmental impresarios promising to save us from invisible gas by covering the land with windmills and algae farms.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearmarkets.com ...
I’m sure a few Romans noticed that their army, at great expense, was off defending anwywhere BUT Rome.
Haven’t you noticed?
Along with your statement doesn’t this “accustomed to bread and circuses” remind you of Washington DC?
rome’s failure was as much military as political. they were still using tactics and strageties that they had used for hundreds of years, and similar weaponry.
the army atrophied and became ineffective, therefore they could not repel invaders, the gauls, the huns, etc..
Amen....the invention of the horse stirrup and horse archers annihilated Gaulish/Roman frontier armies.
1. Make painful cuts to the bloated bureaucracy. This means cutting social services. It is either this or a total collapse.
2. Repeal the 16th and 17th amendments
3. Implement a tax system like the Fair Tax
If we don't do this now, then we will collapse like every other nation in history whose currency was based on nothing.
Look at our moral decline. Look at the non-stop corruption, lying, living large at the people's expense.
Hot dog mouth Barney Frank is treated like royalty. Lindsey Lohan makes the headlines and people are upset over her pampered stint in prison. It's awful and it goes on and on and on while our country falls apart.
Lessee.
Bread and Circuses - check.
Barbarian Invasion - check.
Spectacularly corrupt politicians - check.
Military intervention in the political process - ?
When we start using lead water pipes?
We seem to be having issues repelling invaders.
Actually, you are already at Nero.
Uh....no later than last week!
[The other day while out to dinner with a number of tech investors and entrepreneurs the conversation turned to a disturbing subject. “What is your back-up country?”]
Yup, just moved some money out. Trying to pick a country to buy land in next.
“1. Make painful cuts to the bloated bureaucracy. This means cutting social services. It is either this or a total collapse.”
I agree with this one. Stick to the Constitution and ONLY finance what protects and defends the U.S.. Wipe out ALL social services.
“2. Repeal the 16th and 17th amendments”
SIXTEENTH AMENDMENT
INCOME TAX
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
The income tax was supposed to be a temporay tax - LOL! I agree with appealing that.
Amendment 17 - Senators Elected by Popular Vote
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.
I don't have a problem with the 17th Amendment. I don't want a dictatorship and prefer to be represented. We do need to clean up the vote.
“3. Implement a tax system like the Fair Tax”
This one makes me go ballistic!
It went over like a lead balloon with Huckabee and it has been discussed to death. It hurts the impoverished the most and besides that, all you are doing is substituting one tax for another and that is far from “fair”. It's a shell game that will have the tax percent go UP each year.
When the general public realizes what Barney Frank and those like him in Congress get away with, they will see no reason to obey the laws of the land themselves. Why should they? Their leaders break our laws at every turn.
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