The Decline of the American Empire

There were probably few if any peace-loving tribes back in those times.

 

You must have seen the bread and circuses that are used to pacify the public.

 

Some of the first Germanic tribes to settle in large numbers begged Rome to protect them from the Huns. They were let in because the Roman elite planned to use them as cannon fodder. But since they did not assimilate and kept their loyalties to their chiefs and not the Roman emperor when things got bad, they held onto the weapons they used to take what they wanted. The Roman public was disarmed centuries before and were helpless against an armed enemy. If the public were allowed to be armed such as the entire Germanic tribes were, they would have repelled the invaders. The German tribes Rome fought in early times were not the same tribes that crossed the border in later centuries. We are now importing millions of people who are not assimilating. They will become a problem if the economy takes a steep fall.

 

Yes and no. Rome's relationship with the 'barbarians' surrounding it was a constant ever-changing dynamic. The Roman Empire didn't so much fall as it evolved, becoming Medieval Europe; and there was more difference between Rome the Republic and Imperial Rome than there was between Imperial Rome and Early Medieval Europe (though less continuity)
. There are many who say that Rome survives in Russia, Moscow once called itself the Third Rome and its leaders Caesar (Tsar) so who's to say?

America is not an Empire, An Empire is ruled by an Emperor and we Americans rule ourselves.

 

I share your opinion, and I am privileged enough to afford to travel and work if a have decent internet connection.

I feel like Japan and Germany has in common the thing of 'it takes a whole village to raise a child' mentality. Eastern europeans are great hosts and kind, religious people, i found myself in a situation where as a guest they let me stay in their 'best' room, and they stayed in the worst ones. Its not fake politeness for strangers.

I will soon travel to USA, I never got the chance and I am really looking forward to. Its definitely expensive to travel to, but I imagine its a great place and they live in the best conditions overall. Alot of europeans consider living outside of europe, not so much americans.There are great countries in europe too, maybe better HDI, GDP, but its not perfect and varying; I am not the type of guy to live in the north given all the ifs. I have dual eu citizenship.

From what I ve seen in my travels, I would live in few places though.

I am currently considering living a few years in Spain, I find it a great and cheap country, a great place to retire and many more.

 

Wait, the Romans fell because of.....SWORD CONTROL??

Can you back that up?

 

Well, yes I can, I recall reading it in several history books. In one chapter in the Gothic wars, the author mentions how the Roman public could still fight when given the tools when Belisarius armed the citizens of a southern Italian city. Instead of searching for exact links to info in history books I'll give you a quick Google search.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/drsara...es-over-banning-assault-weapons/#6bcbc6805761
https://www.quora.com/Were-Roman-citizens-allowed-to-bear-arms

Of course, in the early Republic, Roman citizens brought their own arms and armor to battle, so obviously they were armed at that time. But due to rebellions and uprisings, the residents of cities at least were forbidden to have arms within the city. Outside of cities not so sure.

 

I would like to go to Italy, Japan, England and France, but I plan to retire in California.

https://www.google.com/search?q=i+l...&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on

 

The electoral college (now more than ever) did exactly what it was designed to do. Stop the country from becoming the United States of California. Its why we are a republic and not a democracy.

 

Your opinion is as valid as mine...we simply disagree.

 

Rome fell because it expanded beyond its means to control. The US is not trying to expand its borders. We expand our control through alliances all over the world.

 

I found this to be an interesting site.https://fee.org/articles/most-of-europe-is-a-lot-poorer-than-most-of-the-united-states/

 

I hope you find any adventure to the USA will be a good experience. My favorite places to visit are Arizona, Nevada and Utah. I hope to visit Colorado this year. I find the Northeast to be very expensive and the West Coast beyond my daily pocketbook. The mid-west is reasonable outside of the major cities and the South the best bet for ones money. BNB's are still a good deal but I'm afraid the popularity is driving up the costs. Do your homework on the areas you are interested in and get brochures and visit other websites. I use sites like Trip Advisor, Priceline etc. and search for comments on lodging and food. Keep in touch.

 

Wrong, romans attacked us first

 

Your jealousy of the U.S. is as large as your post.

 

Yes, a different type of empire that expands not so much through conquest of territory as by using economic and military power to co-opt compridor elites and global corporate structures to subvert democracy and extract resources and wealth.

May not be expanding borders but with over 800 military bases, exerts power through gross military expenditures and threats to anyone who resists - usually socialist movements with a goal of economic reform against corporate interests.

 

AGreed but I wasn't aware we were giving opinions, I thought we were discussing the guarantees of the Constitution.

Your opinion is always valuable.

 

Many Foreigners don't seem to understand that there is as much variety in the US as there is in Europe, with the main difference being older historical sites in Europe and most everyone speaking English in the US.

 

No jealousy at all. There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars to live in a stable, peaceful land with at least a theory of democracy - though it is under threat everyday - with universal health care and where a discussion of social movements and democratic social programs is not verboten as sacrilege and banished from the public sphere.

As someone who used to travel in your country and enjoy it's land and people, I am filled with sorrow at what has become of your political process and the sheer lunacy of the currant administration which is making you a laughing stock except that you are such a threat to the entire world, that it is nervous laughter tinged with fear of the new insanity every day.

A sad spectacle to watch.........

 

One thing also concerning is our slipping into totalitarianism as our democratic process is increasingly paralyzed and unable to address significant problems.

Putin's Puppet has kicked this up several notches, though he is both a cause and a symptom.

 

What signs of 'totalitarianism' have you spotted?

 

The tyrant you've elected. He doesn't know how to do anything except by executive order (fiat).

 

Some people are happy with Trump. I am not sure the country as a whole is happy or benefiting from policies that are really only working in the interests of the very few. This will become apparent as the economic cycle evolves. IMO, Trump was a protest vote by a country in distress to poke a stick in the eye of those who they blame for the state of the nation. Wait till they find they've been conned by a guy who has been selling snake oil his whole life.

I agree with this completely. You need a leader who does not stoke and inflame but ease the calcification and promote polices that work for Americans.

 

Certainly a symptom. I would say the rot has been building for a long time and that Trump is a natural evolution of a political system that has stopped working for the interests of Americans and now only serves the military/corporate structure and the very wealthy elites.

 

I see some of your points, I did vote for Trump, but I never liked the guy. Always thought he was arrogant and pompous. Haven't changed my opinion of him but he does have a lot of accomplishments that benefits this country as a whole. If he accomplishes as much in his second 2 years he will get my vote again. If he continues to see the Black support he has received in the last two years I see him as unbeatable.