The Fall Of A Great Land

There was once a great nation with rolling hills, vast open prairies, plentiful lakes and streams, and mountains that reached the sky. It was the envy of all the world around it. People wanted to become part of it, to partake in the good things of that nation, the opportunities it offered to become more than they would have been.

The great positions of power were filled with good men, those who had sacrificed much to tame the land, build the cities. As a whole, they were fair and just to all. And the nation became the richest, most powerful the world had ever seen, and the people were happy.

There were injustices, and the good men attempted to end them, but were thwarted time and again by evil men who did not believe these injustices were wrong. Over time, and after many hard-fought battles, the good men triumphed, setting right the wrongs that had been allowed to fester for so long. Sadly, however, the descendants of those evil men eventually took power in this nation. They created many more injustices, different from before, but they had the same effects.

This land's wealth was once measured by the land it possessed. As the nation's citizens vastly increased in numbers, this “land wealth” was slowly, inexorably replaced by taxation.

By desiring to remain in power above all else, and under the guise of “doing good,” the rulers began over-taxing the wealthiest and most powerful amongst the citizenry, to make them powerless to stop these evil men. A powerful set of enforcers was needed to accomplish this – an “imperial guard,” if you will.

The evil men, again under the guise of “doing good,” promised the poor of the great land – the poor that the evil men had, in fact, created - many free things, that the rulers would take care of their every need.

“We care,” said the rulers. “The rich care nothing for the likes of you. See how they keep what they have for themselves?!” All the poor need do is keep the evil men in power so that they could do these great things.

Thus the wealthy and most powerful of the great nation were weakened through taxes, as the rulers took from them to give to the poor.

Things like food were handed out, but it wasn't enough, or given frequently enough, to satisfy the poor.

“We cannot feed our families!” the cry rang out. The rulers gave them more food, more often.

“We want what the rich have, but we have not the money to pay for them!” came the cry from the poor. The rulers gave them monies. Just a little at first, but as with the food, it wasn't enough money, nor was it given often enough.

And political freedoms were thrown away in the name of peace, security, and materialism. This abdication of political freedoms, this welfare state, led to despotism. The people were told what kind of work they could do, what kinds of foods they could eat, what medicines they could take.

Those who worked, those who created the great wealth of the nation, became fewer and fewer, while those who took from them became many. The rulers, fearing the loss of their power, promised more to those who took, and took more from those who worked.

Soon the rulers could no longer pay to maintain what a nation needs to survive, and still pay to keep the poor. And thus a great nation fell...

If any of this sounds familiar, that's because it describes is the fall of Rome. There were a great many other factors that led to its fall, but the economic decline was the most preventable, and likely the most significant one. Other factors included the over-extension of their military forces, a huge imbalance in trade with the far-flung lands of their empire, and unchecked immigration (those last two sound familiar, don't they?).

What it also describes are the eerie parallels between the Rome of old and the U.S. right now.

Our great nation is spending itself into oblivion, all in the name of “fairness.” At this moment, there are more people on food assistance programs than there are full-time workers; between federal and state welfare programs, the average amount of assistance received by the poor in this nation is $44,000. To add a little context, I make just a little over $27,000 per year, and I work hard at what I do.

That doesn't give much incentive for the takers to actually go out and work, does it?

Ronald Reagan proclaimed that “...the best social program is a job.”

John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Thomas Jefferson, arguably the most stalwart defender of the Constitution, once uttered these very prophetic words: “Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”

Sure sounds to me like he knew what he was talking about, doesn't it? ~ Hunter