By: Randall Hill
“Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” That simple statement is one of the greatest truths ever spoken. Too bad our leaders aren’t concerned with the truth. Like the corrupt Senators in the final days of the Roman Empire, their only concern is the expansion of their wealth and power.
As more people wake up from their entertainment-induced slumber and see the signs of America’s decline, the question is being asked- “Are we in a collapse similar to the fall of the Roman Empire?” The answer is Yes! The U.S is definitely on the decline, and anyone who refuses to admit it are only fooling themselves.
Listed below are 9 ways that the U.S. decline is similar to the collapse of the Roman Empire.
1. In the final days of the Roman Empire, the Roman Senate became a den of corruption. The sole ambition of a Senator in Rome’s latter years was to use his power to amass more wealth and influence for himself and his allies. America’s politicians would make the Roman Senators proud. The corruption that takes place in Washington today is absolutely mind-blowing. Insider trading has made multi-millionaires of numerous small-town political hacks that have managed to get elected to Congress. The shady deals and no-bid contracts rammed through by unscrupulous politicians in Washington have continued to feed the military-industrial complex, which leads to-
2. An over-extended military. In Rome’s final days, the Empire had soldiers stationed from Western Europe, all the way across the Mediterranean and into Africa and Asia. The ruling elite kept pushing the Empire’s boundaries in a quest for more land, slaves, and plunder. Rome’s treasury couldn’t keep up with the demand, leading to the takeover of Roman provinces by the very tribes Rome had sought to conquer. The U.S. military is currently fighting all over the globe. We don’t have the money in the coffers to pay for these “wars”, but that hasn’t slowed us down. Just this week, a new conflict broke out in Mali, so add another to the list. Our soldiers, as well as their families, are growing more war-weary every day. It’s gotten so bad that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced yesterday that women will be allowed to fight on the front lines as soon as this year. Never-ending wars are a drain on our nation’s wealth, but there is something else that is doing more economic damage, and that’s-
3. The creation of an underclass that is dependent on government. The Roman overlords destroyed the middle-class by bringing in slaves from newly-conquered territories. This created a permanent underclass that became completely dependent on the state for its food. Does this sound familiar? Over 47 million Americans rely on the government’s food stamp program for their very survival. America’s free-trade policies of the past 20 years played a big part in the growth of government dependence. With slave wages being paid in third world countries, American factories never had a chance. Slave labor destroyed Rome’s middle class, and it’s well on its way destroying America’s.
4. Overtaxing its citizens. With the never-ending wars in the borderlands and the growth of a dependent underclass, Rome turned to heavy taxation of its subjects to keep the empire afloat. Rome’s tax collectors became the most feared and hated men in the entire empire. Most citizens in the outer reaches preferred to be ruled by barbarians rather than be subject to the Roman tax assessors. With the re-election of Barack Obama, America has chosen the same path that helped lead Rome to ruin. By over-taxing the wealthy and the working class, ambition will be stifled and the wealthy will take their money and go where they’re wanted.
5. Immigrants that refuse to assimilate. With a massive army to feed and a dependent populace in the cities, Rome had a lot of mouths to feed. The empire relied heavily on immigrants to work the land. The immigrant workers tended to keep their own customs and refused to assimilate into Roman society. They changed the empire more than the empire changed them. Vast areas of the Roman Empire were taken over by immigrants in Rome’s latter days. The same thing is happening in the U.S. today. Millions of illegal immigrants pour into America every year in search of the American Dream. Many come to work, but an increasing number simply come for the government benefits. Few attempt to learn the English language or otherwise assimilate into our culture. Major cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco have literally become separate nations inside our own borders.
6. Failed attempts to “win the hearts and minds” of conquered peoples. Rome tried to win the loyalty of its conquered foes by building them roads, aqueducts, and other marvels of Roman engineering. This tactic failed the Romans, just as it is now failing the United States. It won’t matter what we buy, build or give Arab nations, they will continue to resent America and the West indefinitely. They see the “War on Terror” as a new round of crusades being launched against them by the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. occupation of Middle-Eastern nations only helps Islamo-fascists fill their ranks and garner support from the occupied peoples.
7. Obsession with comfort, luxuries, and pleasure. Roman citizens, especially those in the cities, became lazier and more depraved as the empire crumbled around them. Sexual perversions, adultery, and divorce became rampant, causing the breakdown of the family. America’s pop-culture is leading us down the same dark path. Adultery, alcohol, drug abuse and pornography are just a few of the reasons that half of marriages in the U.S. will end in divorce. The family is the foundation of any society. The mass breakdown of the family unit in a society will always lead to the destruction of that society.
8. Obsession with violent entertainment. While the Roman Empire was crumbling, the citizens in Rome were too busy to notice. The government provided them with free entertainment, most often in the form of chariot races and gladiatorial matches. The Roman appetite for violence was insatiable. Nothing made the hordes happier than the sight of mayhem and death in the arena. Slaves and prisoners were forced to fight to the death, not only against each other, but against exotic animals shipped in from the furthest reaches of the empire. Today we have brutal UFC matches featuring men pummeling one another seemingly to the point of death, with thousands in attendance screaming for more. Turn on the television or go to a movie and you’re likely to see multiple scenes of murder, torture and rape. The most popular video games feature scenes of horrific violence, murder and total mayhem. America’s entertainment industry seems to be intent on warping the minds of our youth. The results can be seen in the Columbine Massacre, the Aurora theater shooting, and the Newtown Massacre.
9. Debasement of the currency. With welfare roles burgeoning, Rome began to inflate the currency in the first century A.D. and continued until the monetary system collapsed in the third century A.D. At the pace the dollar is being inflated, it will be years, not centuries before the U.S. economy faces a total collapse. Hyperinflation will be the end result of the Fed’s irresponsible monetary policies. History has proven that no nation can print its way out of debt. We are no exception.
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