United States similar to fall of Roman Empire?

One thing I've learned on yahoo answers are that there are plenty of worthless responses so don't let it bug you. I saw an episode on the Fall of Rome on the history channel. You might want to see if it's still playing or if you can rent it. It will validate most of what you said here. History is a great teacher, and I'm sure none of those people thought wild dogs would take over the coliseums. I heard that no country has ever survived as a democracy more than 200 years once people start milking for a free hand out. We're 200+.

Well I am writing a book on this subject. Yes we are an empire not on land or maps we are an empire but on financial markets, production and influence we are. In terms its not just the government its the people too they seem to be lazy, care less about its country and more on what TMZ says. Also the media is playing a big role here too, they pretty much can say "the economy sucks blah blah" every 5mins and people start to believe that, that is why even though the government is trying to say hey clam down we got the mortgage banks back and hey here is $300 pay off your credit card bill and what not people are still freaking out. Another thing here is that we out source production and jobs to countries that hate us like China, now there a rich country and still communist, did you know we America gets money lent its from China now, and that money is coming from people who cheap out and go to Walmart instead of Target or any local shop to save a buck or two. In turn we the people and the government have delcine from what and who we where many years ago. No president can change this, only us and time. I hope this empire dosent fall, like Roman when it did the whole world it govern went into the dark ages, roads, wells, farming went back to almost nothing. If America falls, then who will be Rome...

Welfare was only a small portion of the problem that Rome had. Rome had spread itself too far, too fast. The borders were so large that there was no possible way to defend Rome from any invasion, especially that of the Huns, Goths, and Visigoths. To make matters worse, Rome had many poor rulers in the last decades of its existence, citizens were no longer looking at themselves as Roman but in a secular fashion, and the sciences (especially military) had waned so much so that any technological advantages they had early on in their empire were little to no use at the end of the empire.

Erm, there was no welfare system as such in the Roman Empire, and the only thing that might be compared to it (the alimenta system) was done away with in the late third century AD, about 200 years before the Empire disintegrated.

I would be curious to know, having a professional interest in this comparison, where you went to school, whether this was a high school or university, and whether we should take you at all seriously.

Cheers.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

Which books? Are they assigned? Specifics please, or you can take a step back yourself.

Cheers.

Sounds a lot like another conservative re-write of history to me. I suppose if you consider slavery a "welfare system" they could be right. In my history learnings, corruption was the primary reason for the collapse of the Roman Empire. The big difference is that we are able to replace a corrupt leader, like we did in the recent election, while they were not. BTW, you are wrong again in assuming that Obama wants to increase welfare. Get you facts together. He has mentioned time and time again that creating jobs (jobs aren't welfare) is the way to correct or declining economy.

Rome didn't fall because of a large well fare system, they depended too much on those damn Germanic warrior, who learn the trick of the trade, and invaded. It was also split up between the Eastern Portion, which was the Bread basket of the Roman Empire, and the Western portion, which didn't produce food, leading to the western half collapsing, while the Eastern half prospering.

you've got a good point. Gov't is expanding and hiring people who wouldn't be hired in the public sector thus assuring the incompetents of jobs. The soldiers in Rome refused to fight in wars and the youth in America today mostly hate the military.

The more the gov't grows, the larger taxes get, the less gets done and the bigger chance of corruption you have. We may be heading down the wrong road as we speak.

The welfare system in Rome was necessary because there were too few jobs and too many people. Slaves performed most work. That caused the large unemployment problem.

That's right jthack - there's no corruption in Washington - now is there?

What planet are you living on?

Well when half the people work for government and the other half live off social entitlement programs - it's pretty tough for the rest of us to support ourselves, plus the government, plus the other half living off the government handouts.

It has to give sooner or later.

Did we start this country with Socialism? NOT

We would have never made it this far.

http://www.awakeandarise.org/article/RomeFell.htm

". . . Rome had known a pioneer beginning not unlike our own pioneer heritage, and then entered into two centuries of greatness, reaching its pinnacle in the second of those centuries, going into the decline and collapse in the third. Yet, the sins of decay were becoming apparent in the latter years of that second century.

"It is written that there were vast increases in the number of the idle rich, and the idle poor. The latter (the idle poor) were put on a permanent dole, a welfare system not unlike our own. As this system became permanent, the recipients of public largesse (welfare) increased in number. They organized into a political block with sizable power. They were not hesitant about making their demands known. Nor was the government hesitant about agreeing to their demands and with ever-increasing frequency. Would-be emperors catered to them. The great, solid middle class--Rome's strength then as ours Is to day was taxed more and more to support a bureaucracy that kept growing larger, and even more powerful. Surtaxes were imposed upon incomes to meet emergencies. The government engaged in deficit spending. The denarius, a silver coin similar to our half dollar, began to lose its silvery hue. It took on a copper color as the government reduced the silver content.

"Even then, Gresham's law was at work, because the real silver coin soon disappeared. It went into hiding.

"Military service was an obligation highly honored by the Romans. Indeed, a foreigner could win Roman citizenship simply by volunteering for service in the legions of Rome. But, with increasing affluence and opulence, the young men of Rome began avoiding this service, finding excuses to remain in the soft and sordid life of the city. They took to using cosmetics and wearing feminine-like hairdos and garments, until it became difficult, the historians tell us, to tell the sexes apart.

"Among the teachers and scholars was a group called the Cynics whose number let their hair and beards grow, and who wore slovenly clothes, and professed indifference to worldly goods as they heaped scorn on what they called `middle class values.'

"The morals declined. It became unsafe to walk in the countryside or the city streets. Rioting was commonplace and sometimes whole sections of towns and cities were burned.

"And, all the time, the twin diseases of confiscatory taxation and creeping inflation were waiting to deliver the death blow.

"Then finally, all these forces overcame the energy and ambition of the middle class.

"Rome fell.

"We are now approaching the end of our second century." (Address by Governor Ronald Reagan of California at Eisenhower College, New York, 1969.)