Decline in Morals and Values
Even during PaxRomana (A long period from Augstus to Marcus Aurelius
when the Roman empire was stable and relativly peaceful) there were
32,000 prostitutes in Rome.
Emperors like Caligula and Nero became infamous for wasting money on
lavish parties (or 100 million dollar trips) where guests drank and ate until they became sick.
The most popular amusement was watching the gladiatorial combats in the
Colosseum.(Smack down)
Political Corruption
One of the most difficult problems was choosing a new emperor. (or Presidents)
Unlike Greece where transition may not have been smooth but was at least
consistent,
the Romans never created an effective system to determine how new
emperors would be selected.
The choice was always open to debate between the old emperor, the
Senate, the Praetorian Guard
(the emperor's's private army), and the army. Gradually, the Praetorian
Guard gained complete authority to choose the new emperor,
who rewarded the guard who then became more influential, perpetuating
the cycle.
Then in 186 A. D. the army strangled the new emperor, the practice began
of selling the throne to the highest bidder.
During the next 100 years, Rome had 37 different emperors - 25 of whom
were removed from office by assassination.
This contributed to the overall weaknesses, decline and fall of the
empire.
Unemployment
During the latter years of the empire farming was done on large estates
called latifundia that were owned by wealthy men who used slave labor. (like illegals) A
farmer who had to pay workmen could not produce goods as cheaply. (like China) Many
farmers could not compete with these low prices and lost or sold their
farms. This not only undermined the citizen farmer who passed his values
to his family, but also filled the cities with unemployed people. At
one time, the emperor was importing grain to feed more than 100,000
people in Rome alone. These people were not only a burden but also had
little to do but cause trouble and contribute to an ever increasing
crime rate.
Inflation
The roman economy suffered from inflation (an increase in prices)
beginning after the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Once the Romans stopped
conquering new lands, the flow of gold into the Roman economy decreased.
Yet much gold was being spent by the romans to pay for luxury items.
This meant that there was less gold to use in coins. (the amount of silver in a quarter or dime) As the amount of
gold used in coins decreased, the coins became less valuable. To make up
for this loss in value, merchants raised the prices on the goods they
sold. Many people stopped using coins and began to barter to get what
they needed. Eventually, salaries had to be paid in food and clothing, and taxes were collected in fruits and vegetables.
Urban decay
Wealthy Romans lived in a domus, or house, with marble walls, floors
with intricate colored tiles, and windows made of small panes of glass.
Most Romans, however, were not rich, They lived in small smelly rooms in
apartment houses with six or more stories called islands. Each island
covered an entire block. At one time there were 44,000 apartment houses
within the city walls of Rome. First-floor apartments were not occupied
by the poor since these living quarters rented for about $00 a year. The
more shaky wooden stairs a family had to climb, the cheaper the rent
became. The upper apartments that the poor rented for $40 a year were
hot, dirty, crowed, and dangerous. (low cost housing)Anyone who could not pay the rent was
forced to move out and live on the crime-infested streets. Because of
this cities began to decay.
And on and on and on!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
This is for Trayvon.
For the last two nights, riots have
occurred in Oakland and Los Angeles. In those areas, people have been
injured, concrete blocks thrown at the police and property damaged or
destroyed.
In other parts of the country, there were isolated incidents of violence. In Baltimore, a man was beaten by a group of “black youths” shouting, “This is for Trayvon.”
The Trayvon Martin memorial riots are in full swing.
Why are we having riots now and what can we do about it?
The riots should be a wakeup call for America.
While we are seeing the worst of the riots in California, the violence is not confined there. In a Memphis suburb, Senatobia Mississippi, three black men in a car stopped a white jogger and beat him, saying, “This is for Trayvon.”
In Oakland, where the police were reportedly told to stand down, members of the media were attacked, as were drivers on the Interstate.
This should be a wakeup call for America because liberalisms’ chickens are coming home to roost in America.
For decades liberalism has worked against the one underpinning that made America a great nation. One hundred years ago, we were told that America was the great melting pot. It did not matter where you came from, when you got to America, you became an American.
That unified America and erased old divisions that had caused wars in other nations. In America, people of differing religions lived in peace as neighbors. People from different nations, often nations that had been at war, would live in peace as Americans.
The left’s constant chants about diversity have nothing to do with us celebrating our differences. It is a mantra to keep us divided. Twenty years ago, it became popular to call blacks, “African Americans.”
That is garbage. Either you are an American or you are not.
There is no qualifying of your American heritage.
Unfortunately, the Racial Grievance Industry thrives on this type of division and that is what we see in America today.
In 2004, then Democrat Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards gave his famous “Two Americas” speech. Edwards was wrong about how he described the two Americas but he was right, there are two Americas.
We have an America that is divided by race. And we can thank the hucksters for it.
Where would Jesse Jackson be today without the Racial Grievance Industry? He never wants America to get over its racial problems. If America suddenly had not more racial problems, how would Jesse make his living? If America no longer had racial issues, the NAACP would have to disband. They wouldn’t want Ben Jealous unemployed would they?
As we watch the riots in California and violence in other places, it is time we place the blame for the violence where it belongs. It is racism. It is the racism of the Racial Grievance Industry. It is time we called out the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world and made them take the blame for what they have done.
And it is time we change the way we do things in America. We are all Americans. There are not subsets of Americas. For too long we have let the left divide us along racial lines for their power and profit.
What is the result of what the left has done?
It is the Trayvon Martin memorial riots.
In other parts of the country, there were isolated incidents of violence. In Baltimore, a man was beaten by a group of “black youths” shouting, “This is for Trayvon.”
The Trayvon Martin memorial riots are in full swing.
Why are we having riots now and what can we do about it?
The riots should be a wakeup call for America.
While we are seeing the worst of the riots in California, the violence is not confined there. In a Memphis suburb, Senatobia Mississippi, three black men in a car stopped a white jogger and beat him, saying, “This is for Trayvon.”
In Oakland, where the police were reportedly told to stand down, members of the media were attacked, as were drivers on the Interstate.
This should be a wakeup call for America because liberalisms’ chickens are coming home to roost in America.
For decades liberalism has worked against the one underpinning that made America a great nation. One hundred years ago, we were told that America was the great melting pot. It did not matter where you came from, when you got to America, you became an American.
That unified America and erased old divisions that had caused wars in other nations. In America, people of differing religions lived in peace as neighbors. People from different nations, often nations that had been at war, would live in peace as Americans.
The left’s constant chants about diversity have nothing to do with us celebrating our differences. It is a mantra to keep us divided. Twenty years ago, it became popular to call blacks, “African Americans.”
That is garbage. Either you are an American or you are not.
There is no qualifying of your American heritage.
Unfortunately, the Racial Grievance Industry thrives on this type of division and that is what we see in America today.
In 2004, then Democrat Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards gave his famous “Two Americas” speech. Edwards was wrong about how he described the two Americas but he was right, there are two Americas.
We have an America that is divided by race. And we can thank the hucksters for it.
Where would Jesse Jackson be today without the Racial Grievance Industry? He never wants America to get over its racial problems. If America suddenly had not more racial problems, how would Jesse make his living? If America no longer had racial issues, the NAACP would have to disband. They wouldn’t want Ben Jealous unemployed would they?
As we watch the riots in California and violence in other places, it is time we place the blame for the violence where it belongs. It is racism. It is the racism of the Racial Grievance Industry. It is time we called out the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world and made them take the blame for what they have done.
And it is time we change the way we do things in America. We are all Americans. There are not subsets of Americas. For too long we have let the left divide us along racial lines for their power and profit.
What is the result of what the left has done?
It is the Trayvon Martin memorial riots.
Holder wades deeper into Zimmerman battle, calls for review of ‘stand-your-ground’
Attorney General Eric Holder waded deeper into the controversy
over the George Zimmerman case and verdict on Tuesday, suggesting a
national review of "stand-your-ground" laws during a speech before the
annual NAACP convention in Orlando.
The NAACP is at the forefront of the effort to pressure the Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. Holder confirmed on Monday that his department is reviewing that possibility, citing his personal concerns about the case.
He went a step further on Tuesday, weighing in for the first time on controversial state-level laws on self-defense.
"Separate and apart from the case that has drawn the nation's attention, it's time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods," Holder said.
The comments were a reference to so-called "stand-your-ground" laws, which in Florida and other states allow people to use deadly force if they think their life is being threatened.
The role that law played in the Zimmerman shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is a matter of dispute.
But Holder suggested the laws encourage confrontation, saying there "has always been" a legal defense for using deadly force when retreat is not an option.
"But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely," Holder said. "By allowing -- and perhaps encouraging -- violent situations to escalate in public, such laws undermine public safety."
He called for a "hard look" at the laws. The crowd applauded as he said "we must stand our ground."
The "stand-your-ground" laws have been a popular target ever since the Martin shooting, and the pressure has intensified after Zimmerman was acquitted on Saturday.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, though, told Fox News that officials should not politicize the case.
"We shouldn't turn this into politics. This was a tragedy," he told Fox News on Monday.
Scott noted that he already put together a bipartisan commission to examine Florida's "stand-your-ground" law.
"Their recommendation is we not make any changes, that it is working the way it was intended," Scott said.
A confluence of pressure campaigns, though, are weighing on Congress and the Obama administration.
Despite warnings from analysts and attorneys that the Justice Department would face an uphill climb in prosecuting Zimmerman on civil rights charges, an NAACP-led petition demanding such a case has apparently hit one million signatures.
Singer Stevie Wonder is also the latest celebrity to criticize Florida's self-defense law.
He declared that he would not perform in Florida until the law is abolished. Bailey Comment: Holder is Black, now whose side do you think he is going to be on when he addresses the NAACP??
The NAACP is at the forefront of the effort to pressure the Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. Holder confirmed on Monday that his department is reviewing that possibility, citing his personal concerns about the case.
He went a step further on Tuesday, weighing in for the first time on controversial state-level laws on self-defense.
"Separate and apart from the case that has drawn the nation's attention, it's time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods," Holder said.
The comments were a reference to so-called "stand-your-ground" laws, which in Florida and other states allow people to use deadly force if they think their life is being threatened.
The role that law played in the Zimmerman shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is a matter of dispute.
But Holder suggested the laws encourage confrontation, saying there "has always been" a legal defense for using deadly force when retreat is not an option.
"But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely," Holder said. "By allowing -- and perhaps encouraging -- violent situations to escalate in public, such laws undermine public safety."
He called for a "hard look" at the laws. The crowd applauded as he said "we must stand our ground."
The "stand-your-ground" laws have been a popular target ever since the Martin shooting, and the pressure has intensified after Zimmerman was acquitted on Saturday.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, though, told Fox News that officials should not politicize the case.
"We shouldn't turn this into politics. This was a tragedy," he told Fox News on Monday.
Scott noted that he already put together a bipartisan commission to examine Florida's "stand-your-ground" law.
"Their recommendation is we not make any changes, that it is working the way it was intended," Scott said.
A confluence of pressure campaigns, though, are weighing on Congress and the Obama administration.
Despite warnings from analysts and attorneys that the Justice Department would face an uphill climb in prosecuting Zimmerman on civil rights charges, an NAACP-led petition demanding such a case has apparently hit one million signatures.
Singer Stevie Wonder is also the latest celebrity to criticize Florida's self-defense law.
He declared that he would not perform in Florida until the law is abolished. Bailey Comment: Holder is Black, now whose side do you think he is going to be on when he addresses the NAACP??
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