[A. Pole]

Perhaps, and so were the Romans, Spanish and British before their empires started to collapse."

With the small difference that each of those 'empires' were built upon and operating within completely different global economic systems than the one in which the United States operates today.

Are you saying that Romans were in the same economic system than Spanish? Yet the same general rule applies.

[Sandreckoner]

"Are you saying that Romans were in the same economic system than Spanish? Yet the same general rule applies."

I'm saying no one, even during the 'globalization' of the early 20th century, was in a comparable scenario. So, no, the same general rules don't really apply. We don't have to take from someone else to grow our economy. There isn't a finite global GDP pie. We aren't a tiny population militarily subjugating our far-flung lands and drawing revenue from them. For every 'similarity' you can cite, it can either be reduced or off-set by a long line of differences.