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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (358214)	2/12/2003 3:44:34 PM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

First, there never was democracy in Rome, even during the Republic, which was dominated by patricians, but especially after the rise of the Empire. Second, overtaxing was largely a function of giving too many benefits to the mobs in the cities, to pacify them, and making the countryside pay for them. We have reversed such a trend, with tax relief and limits on welfare and other subsidies. Third, most Roman wars of conquest were complete long before the fall of the Empire. The problem was that they hired semi- barbaric Teutonic mercenaries to guard some of the borderlands, and paid tribute to other tribes to stay away. Ultimately, the Ostrogoths who sacked Rome and ended the Western Empire were disgruntled mercenaries, invading due to a pay dispute. Additionally, those who were in charge of the state, for the most part did not tend to their duties, but lived decadently as part of the Imperial entourage, so there was increasing unrest due to maladministration, and increasing scandal as the public treasury was, in effect, looted. The real lesson is not to leave security issues to others; not to buy off threats; and not to allow the government to consume without engaging in productive activity, such as road maintenance, the upkeep of the courts, and so forth..........