Fall of the Roman Empire

http://www.hermes-press.com/triumph_civ.htm

You have heard an expression that America is likes a Roman Empire.
Below you can read how connected the dots between what is going on now in our country and what reason Roman Empire had fallen.
It has a strong parallel between them. Read and THINK...

In his famous history, The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbons outlined the major reasons for the fall of Rome:

• The government became increasingly controlled by the rich and the military
  
  
• Imperialistic militarism became the primary state policy, with increasing amounts of funds spent on armaments for foreign wars
  
  
• Patriotism declined as people lost their allegiance to the state
  
  
• The state imposed ever increasing taxes on the middle class
  
  
• Moral decay was evident as depicted in its literature, amusements, and lifestyles that often portrayed gratuitous sex and violence; there was a mad craze for pleasure, with sports becoming progressively more brutal
  
  
• As productivity declined, the Roman empire became more dependent on foreign products (globalism)
  
  
• A break-down in the labor force occurred as the traditional work ethic declined
  
  
• The infrastructure of the cities eroded and began a steady decay
  
  
• A balance of trade deficit began to occur in increasing volume
  
  
• The cost of government, including the military and welfare, became unbearably burdensome to the taxpayers
  
  
• Class economic warfare broke out between the rich and poor
  
  
• Parts of the empire were not taxed while others were overtaxed
  
  
• Christianity challenged the traditional Roman character traits and caused people to neglect the state as they concentrated on personal salvation; religion degenerated into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to guide it