As the federal government shutdown emerges and the American workforce slowly comes to a halt, the question needs to be asked, “is America becoming Rome?”
The Roman Empire, a prodigious civilization, fell due to many reasons, decay of morals being number one. Corruption of politicians, the wealthy hoarding the wealth and political in-fighting were some of the major causes of its decline.
The government was constantly threatened by bankruptcy due to the cost of ‘defending’ the Empire and failing economics. Heavy taxation and high inflation along with debasing the Roman gold coinage, that followed a particularly long period of financial crisis, inaugurating the slow collapse of the economy, can be compared to America. Much of the gold that was being spent by the Romans went to pay for luxury items and was kept among the affluent. This meant that there was less gold coins in use. As the amount of gold used in coins decreased, the coin became less valuable. To make up for the loss in value, merchants raised the prices on the goods they sold. Many people stopped using coins. The American economy is inundated with the use of credit/debit cards, the use of legal tender is declining.
The Empire saw many examples of antagonism between the Senators and the Emperors. Either the Senators didn't like the Emperor or the Emperor was at odds with the Senators. The current situation is the result of antagonism among Senators, Congressmen and the President.
Constant wars and heavy military spending was a contributing factor. The Roman army became over-stretched and needed more and more soldiers.
The use of cheap slave labor drove the unemployment of the working classes, the ordinary citizens of Rome became dependent on hand-outs from the state. The similarity is the rise in outsourcing American jobs to other countries along with hiring foreign workers that work for less compensation.
There were also natural disasters such as plagues, famines and earthquakes.
Much of the architecture of US government buildings and practices such as swearing of oaths before taking office reflect Roman culture. The American icon, the eagle, was the symbol of the Roman state. His Eminence Sheikh Gillani teaches, when you emulate a people you become like those people.
Heavy taxation, high inflation, corrupt politicians and political in-fighting attributed to the fall of the Roman Empire.
