Is America Going the Way of Rome?

June 6, 2019

It could be argued that the Roman Empire, in its day, was a more powerful and dominant superpower than the US is today. From the beginning of the Roman Republic to the end of the Roman Empire in Western Europe, “the glory of Rome” lasted over one thousand years. The point of this being that if Rome fell, as powerful as it was, could the US be heading for the same fate?

The reasons that brought about the downfall of Rome were political, economic, and social in nature. One of the main political reasons was the incompetence of some of the emperors and the senate. It is even the opinion of some historians that at least two of Rome’s emperors were actually insane. Obviously, if leadership at the top is incompetent, the bad decisions are felt all the way down the chain of command. The longer this incompetence persisted, the more serious the consequences were to the empire.

Because it was in an almost constant state of war, Rome began to encounter financial problems during the second century. This, coupled with the mismanagement of resources, led to serious financial problems. In order to protect their borders, more and more resources were spent on the military—leaving less and less for infrastructure and the citizens of Rome. In the fifth century, Rome began to lose territory: Rome lost North Africa to the Vandles and Spain to the Visigoths. With the loss of territory the supply of new slaves began to dwindle. It was the slaves who grew the food and performed much of the general work of Rome. When the flow of new slaves decreased, much of the work was left undone.

Another consequence of losing territory was that there were fewer precious metals coming into Rome. Rome was thus forced to put less gold or silver into its minted coins. With less precious metal in each coin, the money was devalued, and inflation became an issue. In addition to the inflation, taxes were raised to compensate for the loss of revenue. This helped to seal Rome’s fate.

Rome also had to deal with the problem of finding new recruits for the military. There came a point in time when there were not enough Romans to fill the ranks. They were therefore forced to recruit men from the provinces. Although most of these non-Romans were excellent fighters, if Rome became engaged in a conflict with their home province, these fighters would switch sides and fight for their homeland. These people were not Roman, and they never would be.

Rome’s decline was also affected by a number of social issues. These social issues ate away at the moral fabric of Roman society and the empire became more and more decadent. This decadence presented itself in several different forms. Perhaps the most well-known example of Roman decadence was the lavish parties and orgies that Roman society was known for. This promiscuity became more prevalent as time went on. It has been estimated that, at one time, there were as many as 32,000 prostitutes in Rome. I was unable to find out if this number represented just the female prostitutes or whether it included male prostitutes as well. By all accounts, they all made a very good living.

Rome was also famous for its gladiatorial games which were its favorite form of entertainment. The very fact that these games existed show the extremely low value that Roman citizens placed on human life. More times than not the participants of these games died a brutal and painful death. Many times these gladiators would lose an arm or a leg and would be mercifully put out of their misery with a final sword thrust. Other times they would match a human against a predatory beast such as a lion or a tiger or some other such animal. Here again it was brutal and savage. In some cases, it was more of a sacrifice than a contest. Aside from their entertainment value, these human beings were worth little more than a piece of lint. In some cases, those that were forced to fight in the arena were criminals or slaves. By today’s standards this type of brutality would be sickening to most people. This overall belief that human life has no more value than a piece of furniture was another example of Rome’s decay.

As I stated above, Rome’s eventual decline and fall was the result of numerous and varied reasons. Some of these reasons can be found in American society today. For example, promiscuity has been present in US society since we landed on Plymouth Rock. They don’t call prostitution the world’s oldest profession for nothing. However, in the US, the business of trading in sex has evolved to a whole new level. It has become predatory. We now sell human beings into the sex trade and it’s happening right here in the US. I’m talking about both adults and children. If this isn’t a sign of a decaying society, I don’t know what is.

With the advances of audio and video technology we can now record and sell all types of sexual acts on video tape. We can record men with women, women with women, men with men, and the best of all, adults having sex with children. How’s that for expanding your product line? The reason all this disgusting filth is available is because there is a market for it. The fact that people are willing to pay for this smut is another sign of the moral decay in our society. It is my opinion that this moral depravity will be a contributing factor in the downfall of this great country we call America.

In addition to examples of decay that the US shares with ancient Rome, America is dealing with problems that are even more troublesome than those mentioned above. One very obvious issue is the problem of substance abuse. The US has been dealing with this issue for decades. We have thrown tens of billions of dollars at this problem and, if anything, it has only gotten worse.

America loses about 600,000 people per year from problems of addiction or the inability of some people to exercise self-control. That number includes 72,000 deaths from drug overdoses, 90,000 from alcoholism, 125,000 from smoking, and 300,000 from health issues related to obesity. I fully understand that some people are more prone to these addictions and excesses than others. That said, we were all born with free will and at least a minimum amount of self-control. It’s time to start being responsible for our own choices. If necessary, seek professional help. The people who have these problems have no one to blame but themselves. Addiction is another sign of cultural decay.

With the public having decided to partake of these different types of addictive behavior, the government, at all levels, has decided to cut itself in for a piece of the action. That’s correct. Governments are currently generating tax revenue from the sale of alcohol and tobacco. Some states have legalized marijuana. Here again these governments will generate tax revenue from this as well. There are discussions in some states about legalizing psychedelic mushrooms. If this drug were made legal these states would collect tax revenue from this also. Instead of discouraging the public from smoking, drinking, and using legalized drugs, they have decided to take advantage of the situation and generate tax revenue from it.

Americans are being killed every day by drunk drivers. Now they have other substances from which they can choose to accomplish the same task. The public can now become impaired by drinking and driving, smoking grass and driving, and coming soon to a city near you, consuming psychedelic mushrooms and driving. Isn’t it great when we have choices? I wonder how many more people will die on our highways as a result of the government’s never-ending quest for more tax revenue.

Another form of addictive behavior that state and local governments profit from is gambllng. In the US we have casino gambling, horse racing, dog racing, and lotteries, among other games. Government generates revenue off all of them. In order to maximize their take, these states actually run ads to entice people to gamble more. In New York for example, there are large horse racing facilities. The three largest race tracks in New York are Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga. These tracks are overseen by the NY Racing Association. As track season nears, advertisements start running in earnest in order to maximize the handle and therefore the revenue for government. Should the government be enticing its citizens to gamble in order to generate revenue?

The government also runs ads for the large number of lottery games available to be played here in New York State. Here again, these ads entice people to buy more tickets. In some of these games, the odds of winning are millions upon millions to one. The government runs ads like “You can’t win if you don’t play.” Ads like this give hope to people. It makes them feel as though they have a chance. This is not in the interest of the average citizen. It’s an example of the government luring the public to gamble and further contributing to America’s decay.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve waited in line at the local convenience store while the person ahead of me buys eight, ten, or a dozen lottery tickets. He then goes over to a table with his coffee and begins to scratch them off one by one. Some of these people spend $50 or $60 dollars every morning. They don’t appear to be able to afford this expense, but still they do it. Sometimes I wonder if that money is their Social Security check or unemployment check or if they are actually working. What I do know is that most of the time those eight, ten, or twelve tickets wind up in the trash.

Several months ago, two states, New York and Virginia, passed laws legalizing not only late-term abortion, but abortion right up to the moment of birth. This is by far the most egregious example of disrespect for human life in our society to date. Just when I thought American morality had reached bottom, the elected officials of these two states pass laws that effectively sanction the murder of a fully formed, viable, unborn human child with a heartbeat. These unborn fetuses are, for all intents and purposes, human beings.

In the case of New York State, not only did the elected officials of the state pass this sick, demented, brutal law, they actually applauded themselves in the legislative chambers for doing so. As if that wasn’t bad enough, our formally Catholic governor, who I believe is no longer allowed to receive the sacrament, arranged to have pink lights turned on at the top of the Empire State Building to celebrate. This is moral and cultural decay at its worst. How low can our society go?

Just before this post was sent to my editor, I came across another example of the medieval brutality to which American society is descending. This has to do with a specific type of abortion procedure which is called dilation and evacuation. The use of this procedure to perform an abortion was challenged in court in the state of Alabama. The plaintiffs in this case filed suit in Alabama claiming that this procedure should not be allowed because of the pain and suffering inflicted on the fetus. During this procedure the fetus is dismembered surgically, within the womb, and removed piece by piece. What ever happened to the Hippocratic Oath “First, do no harm”?

This procedure is performed at approximately the middle of the pregnancy. The fetus has a heartbeat and can feel pain. I can’t think of a more vicious and brutal way to execute a living being—any living being. This procedure sounds more like ripping a drumstick off of a Thanksgiving Turkey. The only difference is the turkey is dead; the human fetus is not. Here again, just when I thought that the moral values of this country had hit bottom, I come across a story like this. I can’t even imagine the amount of pain and suffering that an unborn fetus would have to endure during this procedure. It is also difficult for me to understand how a human being could, in good conscience, perform this procedure. It was decided in the lower courts that this procedure was legal. The plaintiffs asked the Supreme Court to hear their appeal. The high court refused to hear the case, so the lower court ruling was allowed to stand.

There is a bit of irony regarding the murder of late-term, viable, unborn human beings in the two states mentioned above. New York state, for all intents and purposes, has eliminated the death penalty. The irony is that a person convicted of the most heinous crime imaginable will most likely not be executed. However, an innocent, unborn, full-term, viable fetus will be executed—and brutally so. Is this another new low? They just keep coming.

The great state of Virginia has executed 113 people since 1982. According to my information there are only two people left on death row. This tells me that Virginia has effectively ended the use of the death penalty even for the most vicious crimes. Here again, you are more likely to get the death penalty if you are an unborn fetus than a convicted murderer.

If you need further evidence of our country’s downward spiral you need look no further than the major cities of this country, especially those on the West Coast. There you will see thousands upon thousands of homeless people living on the streets in tents. In one of these cities, the purchase price of an average home is $1,000,000. In addition to the hefty price tag, there is also a very substantial real estate tax bill.

In exchange for paying through the nose to live in these cities, these property owners get to see homeless people shooting up on the street and discarding the used needles on the sidewalk. These property owners also get to play the new game called “Dodge the Poop.” This game is played by everyone who is unfortunate enough to have to walk on the sidewalk in one of these cities. The way we play this game is everyone that has to walk down the sidewalks where homeless people are living get to walk around piles of human feces. If you make it through the minefield without stepping in any poop, you win. The prize for winning is that you don’t have to clean your shoes.

Another benefit of paying all this money to live in a disgusting environment is the infestation of rats in and around these tent cities. In addition to the risk of being bitten, there is also the very real and substantial risk of contracting a serious contagious disease. It has been confirmed that a police officer in LA has contracted typhus. There has also been talk about the possibility of bubonic plague. Ya, I know. I didn’t believe it either, but this was reported by one of the local news channels. The very real possibility exists for these types of diseases to spread out of control very quickly. To date I have seen no other reports of anyone else being infected.

If an epidemic were to start these people would be at a very high risk to contract one of these diseases. First of all, they are living in very close quarters which enables these diseases to spread very quickly. Secondly, most of these people are not eating properly which means that their immune systems are depleted. These tent cities are a bomb waiting to explode.

If you thought it couldn’t get worse, think again. New strains of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have begun to appear in these tent cities and some have been found to be resistant to antibiotics. In addition, there are other communicable diseases that people in these tent cities are at very high risk for. The list of these diseases includes TB, HIV, rabies, HEP-A, HEP-B, and syphilis, among others.

Moral, social, and cultural decay is happening right before our eyes, especially in areas of high density populations. This decay is a slow process. It took centuries for it to occur in Rome. Given today’s 24-hour news cycle and access to social media, I fear the process will happen here over a substantially shorter period of time.

Our legal system is also beginning to fail. It has become a partisan weapon wielded by whatever political party happens to be in power. I first noticed this at the federal level during the Obama Administration. Attorney General Eric Holder became selective as to which laws he was going to enforce and which ones he was not. In addition to picking and choosing which laws to enforce, selective law enforcement can also be used to determine which people will face justice and which people will not.

An example of this occurred during President Obama’s time in office. One case that comes to mind is the IRS scandal. In this case the IRS was weaponized to prevent conservative non-profit organizations from obtaining tax-exempt status. Lois Lerner, who was in charge of requests for tax-exempt status was confronted by the authorities and brought before Congress to testify. She took the fifth for just about every question asked of her. At the end of her hearing before Congress, she went home, put in her retirement papers, and, to the best of my knowledge, is living happily ever after with her government pension. My last observation here is that this issue is so petty that I am at a loss to understand why Ms. Lerner even bothered to pursue it.

The most obvious example of weaponization of our law enforcement agencies occurred in 2016 and was uncovered in 2017. Employees at the highest levels of the FBI and the DOJ were shown to have been biased against the Trump Campaign, the Trump Transition Team, and even the President himself after he was inaugurated. This bias was discovered when a so-called FBI counterintelligence investigation was found to be spying on a member of the Trump campaign. The evidence upon which this investigation was based turned out to be an unverified “dossier” compiled by Christopher Steele, a foreign intelligence agent. It is suspected that this information was obtained from Russian sources known to Mr. Steele. It is also believed that the content of this “dossier” was actually Russian misinformation that was fed to Mr. Steele. It is now known that this “Steele dossier” was the main piece of evidence used to obtain FISA warrants to surveil Carter Page, an advisor to the Trump Campaign. It is also known that the “Steele Dossier” was paid for, at least in part, by the Clinton Campaign and the DNC as opposition research.

The counterintelligence investigation against the Trump Campaign could actually have been the forerunner of the Mueller probe. After almost two years—at a cost of between $30M and $40M—Mr. Mueller and his band of nineteen angry Democrats, as well as forty FBI investigators, found no evidence of collusion, conspiracy, or collaboration with the Russian government. These results were in addition to the same findings from three other investigations. All four investigations found absolutely no evidence that the Trump Campaign conspired with the Russian government to affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. There are currently three other sham investigations being conducted by Congressional committees looking into the same evidence that has already been investigated. Keep the faith. Someday the house may actually get back to passing legislation.

The real investigation is now just beginning. Attorney General Barr is investigating the origins of this so-called Russian collusion investigation. In addition he and Michael Horiwitz, the Inspector General of the FBI, are investigating how and why the CIA, FBI, and DOJ were weaponized to investigate members of the Trump Campaign. It would seem that the main piece of evidence, and possibly the only piece, that was used to obtain the four FISA warrants was the unverified “Steele Dossier.” Several high-ranking employees of the FBI and the DOJ have been dismissed from their jobs for being biased, lying under oath, and other offenses. This is the type of conduct that one would expect in Russia or Red China when someone is being framed by the government.

The most egregious example of selective law enforcement, was the non-investigation of the mishandling of thousands of government emails, some of which were highly classified, by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It is known, for example, that Mrs. Clinton had an unsecured, unauthorized email server installed in her home in Chappaqua NY, which she used to send and receive government emails. It has now been seven years since Mrs. Clinton left the Department of State and still there has not been a credible investigation and no charges were ever filed.

This type of manipulation of our legal system is why the average American believes that there are at least two standards of justice in this country. One for the average American and one for the elite and the politically connected. This fact does not speak well for the legal system that is supposed to be the envy of the world. This is especially true for those at the highest levels of our most respected government agencies.

The case of Jusse Smollett was another widely known instance of selective law enforcement. This case centers around the allegation by Mr. Smollett, a gay black man, that he was attacked at about 2AM by two white men wearing MAGA hats. During the course of the investigation it became apparent to the police investigators that his claims of a racially motivated hate crime being committed against him were false. The police eventually came to the conclusion that his story of an alleged hate crime were nothing more than a hoax planned by Mr. Smollett.

In addition to video evidence provided by surveillance cameras on the street, there were statements given to the police by the two men who allegedly beat up Mr. Smollett. Incidentally, these two men were black, not white, as Mr Smollett alleged. There was further evidence that made the case for a hoax pretty much open and shut.

At this point Mr. Smollett was arrested and charged with fourteen felonies, including lying to police officers. Kim Foxx, the State’s Attorney, who was in charge of prosecuting this case, entertained a plea deal, whereby Mr. Smollett would not have to admit guilt and would be fined a total of $10,000. The city of Chicago is suing Mr. Smollett for roughly $130,000 for time spent investigating the false hate crime that Mr. Smollett was supposedly the victim of. This case has been reopened and is being investigated. The actions taken by Ms. Foxx regarding her decision to accept a plea deal are also being investigated. Justice may yet prevail.

In every one of the cases discussed above the political views of the defendant, or even of those who are suspected of committing a crime, were major factors in determining whether or not to investigate a suspected crime, or whether or not to prosecute those who were ultimately charged. This is not the way our justice system is supposed to work. Law enforcement officials, such as those who investigated the alleged crimes discussed above, are perverting our justice system. This type of behavior seems to be an everyday occurrence somewhere in this country. It is becoming apparent that more and more of the officials charged with administering our justice system are corrupt. These officials not only need to be replaced, they also need to be held accountable. This corruption is undermining the belief that the average person will receive the standard of justice that the wealthy and politically connected will receive. The more prevalent this double standard of justice becomes, the less faith the citizens of the country will have in the system. The less faith and respect that the people have in the system, the faster the decay of our moral and cultural norms, and also our society as a whole.

The most blatant and widespread example of disrespect of our laws and our legal system is the non-enforcement of our immigration laws and the inability of this country to control its southern border. Illegals are entering our country uninvited and unvetted. Some are infected with contagious diseases and others are here to do us harm. It has become apparent that in addition to the well-connected and the elite receiving special treatment from our legal system, illegal immigrants are also being held to a lesser legal standard.

In many cases, a portion of the money that these illegals earn here, and also the money that is given to them in the form of government subsidies and other welfare benefits, is sent to their relatives in their home country. This money is then used to pay their way here. Therefore, the larger the number of illegals who come here, the larger the number of illegals that will come. Put simply, the longer this goes on, the worse it will get. Eighteen months ago it was estimated by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) that the net cost to the American taxpayer was approximately $115B per year. The latest estimate is now up to $200B.

In addition to the financial cost, illegals have committed hundreds of thousands of violent crimes. Over a two year period, in Texas alone, illegals were accused of committing 265,000 criminal acts, many of which were of a violent nature. It is not my intent to condemn all illegal immigrants as criminals. However, this simple mathematical fact is indisputable. The larger the number of illegals that we allow into our country, the larger the number of crimes that they will commit.

Many of these crimes occur in sanctuary cities. In some of these cases, illegals who have been arrested for committing a crime have been released on bond and gone out and committed another crime. Instead of calling ICE and having this person picked up and deported, the local police in these sanctuary cities are under strict orders by local government officials not to notify ICE.

When this happens these criminals are given a free pass to go back out into the public and commit additional crimes—including murder. These additional crimes should never have been committed. Every single one could have been prevented simply by calling ICE and having these criminals picked up and deported. I wonder how the victims or the families of these victims feel about that.

Everyday in this country there are about fifty people in this country who are murdered. In addition, there are also thousands of other violent crimes. Most of these crimes are committed in our major cities. They have become war zones and safe havens for criminals. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, many of these cities have become sanctuary cities. This is an insult to the American taxpayers who live in these cities. Many of them go to work everyday, pay their taxes, and expect to be protected by the people they have elected to run these cities and also by the police that they pay for with their tax dollars. In too many cases this has not happened. The argument that these liberal-minded politicians make is that the sanctuary city policy makes their cities safer. I don’t recall hearing anyone ask these local officials just who exactly the city is being made safer for. It would appear that it is the criminals, especially the illegal ones, who are being protected by these sanctuary city policies and not the American taxpayer.

Airman 1st Class Ezell Jones Jr. reacts to the crowd after helping hold the American flag during the national anthem at a professional soccer game in New Jersey. (Sgt. Russell Toof /Army)

It would seem reasonable to me that if you pay for a service, that service should be delivered. This basic premise, however, at all levels of government, has not been adhered to. The citizens of this country pay federal, state and local taxes, and we pay them through the nose. We pay income taxes, sales taxes, real estate taxes, excise taxes, and God only knows what other taxes we pay. Our governments at the federal level, and in some cases at the state and local levels, are not delivering the law enforcement services that our taxes are supposed to be paying for.

Our federal government is responsible for passing immigration laws that protect the country and its citizens. Secondly, it makes policy regarding immigration, specifically who is allowed to enter our country and who is not. It is also up to the federal government to decide under what circumstances people will be allowed to immigrate. US immigration laws are much more lenient than in any other country. This is why we are experiencing the problems that we have today. These problems will not go away until Congress fixes our immigration laws. It makes me sick that we actually pay people to pass laws like this. To quote Senator Kennedy of Louisianna, “People like this are the reason they put instructions on shampoo bottles.” To make matters worse, these useless, overpaid, egotistical jerks that we have elected to run our country are too lazy and too inept to fix the problem. They enjoy the power of the office, but are not into doing the work. Their inability to do the job is costing the country billions of dollars and more than a few American lives. This is not acceptable.

When laws are not enforced equally people lose respect for the law and those who are supposed to enforce it. Illegals, at least the ones in sanctuary cities, are being held to a lower legal standard than the average American. American justice is supposed to be blind. This means that everyone—elitist politicians and entertainers, wealthy business people, illegals, and the everyday average Joe—should be treated the same in the eyes of the law. Yet we do not have equal justice today. What we have is in-your-face selective law enforcement. This double standard of justice is causing great harm to the republic and is contributing to the decay of our society.

A growing number of young people in this country expect to be able to live in America for free. To me living a life of sloth is not a life, and it is another sign of cultural decay. This phenomenon is becoming more pervasive with each passing generation. As discussed in a previous post I wrote, part of strategy of the new Democratic plan to retake the White House in 2020 is to buy off as many young voters as possible with promises of “free stuff.” I can certainly understand why “free stuff” would appeal to young people—or anyone else for that matter. The only problem that I can see with this entire scenario is that none of this “free stuff” will be free. Payment will be made. It will be made the old-fashioned way or it will be made through significantly higher taxes for the rest of their lives. They can pay now, or pay later. The choice is up to them.

Living off government handouts is exactly what a small majority of millennials and people from generation Z envision. In their minds, the government will provide free college tuition, free health care, universal basic income, a guaranteed job with a family sustaining wage, and safe affordable housing. According to people like Uncle Bernie and AOC, the government will provide all of the above for free.

If you believe this, you are one of the ignorant, gullible people that the Democratic Primary Candidates are talking to. The annual cost of all the above is somewhere between nine and ten trillion dollars. To put this in perspective, the current federal budget is $4.7T per year. Of that number the government collects roughly $3.5T and borrows $1.2T every year. As things stand right now, these large deficit budgets are unsustainable.This is why we currently owe almost $23T. In fifteen years, that number will balloon to around $50T if we’re still here. Good luck dealing with that.

If these new giveaways were to be implemented our annual budget would triple to over $14T. How would we pay for all this? As stated above, the federal government collects roughly $3.5T per year and borrows the rest. This means that if we tripled the amount of tax collections we would still have to borrow $3T per year. By the way, that $3T deficit does not include the massive increase in interest expense the country would incur every year. Annual interest would be in the trillions. This would not be the future I would want for my children and grandchildren.

Living off government handouts, from cradle to grave, is not exactly what I would consider to be a fulfilling life. This is, however, what many millennials and individuals from generation Z are looking for. It seems that with each succeeding generation the desire to live a life of indolence and dependence on the government is becoming the preferred way of life. In their minds, the government will provide all the essentials of life. Their only responsibility will be to enjoy life. The world will become Shangra-La. Let me know how that works out for you.

Let me end this segment of the post with this. What the Democratic Primary candidates and many others in that party are telling you is “pie in the sky” economics. Put another way, they are flat out lying to you. Their vision of America cannot happen in a way that keeps the country solvent. It also cannot happen with the level of freedom we currently enjoy. Young people who are reading this should give serious thought to the last few paragraphs. Your future depends on it.

A few weeks ago, I watched with great interest the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. It was the Greatest Generation who achieved this historic victory over the Nazis—and shortly thereafter, over the Japanese. The stakes were so high that losing was not an option.

After these hard-fought victories were won, this Greatest Generation was not quite finished. These brave, battle-hardened men came home, married their sweethearts, raised families, and began building the greatest, most powerful economic machine that the world has ever known. Many of these disciplined American GI’s came home, opened businesses, and began to grow, what would become the most powerful economy in the world. These people took risks and invested their money, with the hope of making profit and a better life for their families. There were no guarantees. There was a lot of hard work and a lot of risk-taking. In many cases it paid off. Just to be clear about the risk-taking, there were no safety nets. You either made it, or you didn’t.

Incidentally, it was under a capitalist system, not a socialist system, that this phenomenal economic growth took place. This fact alone speaks volumes. Thousands of single family homes were built for these returning GIs and their new families. In addition, Detoit began to manufacture tens of thousands of private passenger automobiles. These two industries alone created hundreds of thousands of jobs. This was the beginning of the American economic juggernaut. Seventy five years later, America is still the economic envy of the world. PERIOD!

The Greatest Generation began to give way politically to the Baby Boomers in the 1980s and 1990s. It was this generation that began the moral and cultural decay we are experiencing today. I guess one could argue that this decline began in the 1960s. This was the beginning of free love and epidemic amounts of STDs. It was also the beginning of pervasive drug use. Year after year and generation after generation, it got progressively worse. There was always another drug that would make you feel just a little bit better. There was always another high that would elevate your consciousness to the next level of enlightenment. Really? Give me a break.

There was always another new drug. First it was grass. OK, no big deal. Then it was uppers and downers, acid and mescaline. Wow, far out. After the drugs of enlightenment fell out of fashion, everybody started using cocaine. At this point we began to descend at a much faster rate. A few years went by and a new, innovative, cheaper and more addictive version of coke, crack cocaine, showed up. We may now be at the bottom. The drugs of choice are now opioids. Opioids are expensive, so if you can’t afford them, there is always heroin which is much cheaper and more readily accessible. If you want a real special high, just add a little fentanyl. This is a very special high. It’s so special, in fact, that it can kill you. How’s that for moral and cultural decay.

Baby Boomers, after doing a less than stellar job of running this country, are beginning to pass the torch to Generation X and the millennials. Many of the citizens in this group have a better opinion of socialism than they do of capitalism. The only possible reason that I am able to come up with is ignorance. There has never been a successful socialist country in the history of mankind. The Eastern Bloc countries of the former Soviet Union now have the right of self-determination. They have chosen to be free. To the best of my knowledge, not one has voted to return to socialism. That being the case, I see no logical argument in favor of socialism.

Many of the people that will be taking over the country want the government to pay for all their wants and needs. It continues to amaze me that even though these people have gone to school, either high school or college, they still think that the list of “free stuff” mentioned above is free. It’s not. These naive young people along with everybody else in the country will be paying for this, through higher taxes, for the rest of their lives.

Raising taxes to the extent necessary to pay for all this “free stuff” would tank the American economy. This would result in higher yearly deficits and a much higher national debt. With the national debt currently over $22T and interest expense on that debt rising every year, this additional $9.3T in new government giveaways would run the country into the ground.

The irony here is that Nazi Germany and the Japanese tried to kill America during WW2 and failed. During the following forty-five years, the Soviets tried to kill America and ended up killing themselves. We are now in the post-Cold War era and America is trying to kill America. Since America has been successful at just about everything else it has ever tried, I would bet even money that this effort to destroy America as we know it will also be successful. Way to go, America.

Another observation regarding the decay of American society is the increasing number of times I have seen America disrespected by its own citizens. Perhaps the most notable example of this disrespect is shown by professional athletes who choose to take a knee rather than stand for our National Anthem. These American citizens are not only disrespecting our National Anthem, they are disrespecting our flag, our country, and all the men and women who have worn the uniform and have chosen to fight and defend America and what it stands for.

There is also, what I would consider to be an irrational disrespect and even a downright hate for law enforcement in America. I use the word “irrational” because without the police being visible on the streets what other protection from criminals do law-abiding citizens have? Maybe they would rather pay protection to the local gang? Most police officers are honest, fair-minded, hard-working people who care about their communities and want to keep them safe. I would argue that most people who decide to become police officers do so because they have a desire to serve their community and help people. What other reason could there be? It’s certainly not for the money.

What type of person in America today would want to be a police officer? I am unable to expand on the answers given above. I will however that it is becoming more difficult for police departments across the country to find qualified new recruits. The reasons are very straight forward. Who in their right mind would want to be a police officer in an environment where police are not only vilified but targeted? Who would want to go to work in the morning knowing that there was a possibility that they might not come home at the end of the day? Who would want a job where the people you are hired to protect disrespect you, spit on you, and call you vile names? Who would want a job where if you look at someone cross-eyd, you would be accused of being a racist? Who in their right mind would want to face assault charges because it was required that you use physical force during an arrest? I can say with absolute certainty that I wouldn’t have the patience to put up with that level of disrespect. The people in this country should consider themselves very lucky that there are still people willing to serve their communities and do this job.

The country is also being forced to put up with the problem of hyper-partisanship among our elected officials. This problem exists on both sides of the isle and in both chambers of Congress. Our elected officials are unable, except in very few cases, to pass legislation for the benefit of the American taxpayer. The Democrats are obstructing almost everything President Trump wants to accomplish and Republicans in the Senate are refusing to bring to the Senate floor any bills that have been passed by the Democrat-controlled House. Although the problem seems to exist in both parties, members on the Democrat side seem to have raised the tension between the two parties to a whole new level. I would go so far as to say that their hyper-partisanship has become almost militant.

This is not the first time that there has been obstruction in one or both houses of Congress. During the Obama years, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refused to bring to the Senate floor many of the bills that were passed by the Republican-controlled House. In his opinion, those bills would have passed Senate and forced President Obama to issue an unpopular veto. The losers in both the current Senate and the Senate under Leader Reid were, as usual, the American taxpayers, who shell out $5B per year to pay for both houses of a do-nothing Congress.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided cannot stand.” We are definitely divided and unless this division is healed, it will be only a matter of time before our enemies divide us further. Our justice system is becoming biased. Two examples of this are the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing for Justice Kavenaugh and the non-action on the mishandling of classified emails by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Justice Kavenaugh was accused of sexual assault and gang rape by mutiple women. These incidents supposedly occurred thirty-five years ago and remained unreported until Justice Kavenaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court. There were no rumors of these events at the time they occurred and the supposed victims, Christine Blasey Ford and three others, could not find one corroborating witness to back any of their accusations. There were Democratic senators who were screaming “She should be believed!” These biased Left-wing senators wanted to ruin a man’s life and reputation on uncorroborated say so. This is a perversion of our political system and it shows just how far politics and the legal precept of “innocent until proven guilty” has descended.

We are all aware of the mishandling of classified government documents by Hillary Clinton. We know that this happened and we also know that James Comey wrote an exoneration letter before Mrs. Clinton was even interviewed by The FBI. We know that she received special treatment because of her political connections and also because she was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party for president in 2016. We all know that no one in this country is supposed to receive special treatment in the eyes of the law. The sad fact is that half the people in the country, those that voted for her, were not upset that no charges were ever brought and it would appear that she is going to escape justice. The more often this type of legal double standard occurs, especially to a member of the political elite, the less the citizens of this country will respect our legal system. The lower the level of respect, the faster the system will decay, and that is exactly what’s happening today.

Then there is the increasing number of people who believe that if they happen to disagree with a particular law, it is not mandatory that they follow it. In addition to citizens deciding to ignore laws of their choosing, we also have elected government officials who openly defy our immigration laws. There have been local mayors who have actually helped illegal immigrants evade capture by federal authorities. There have been other instances where elected members of congress have crossed our southern border and coached illegals on how to apply for asylum. This is the type of example that these officials are setting for their constituents to follow. These elected officials have sworn to uphold the laws of this country and our constitution. If our elected officials do not see the necessity to set a good example and follow our laws, how can we expect the average citizen to do any different? This is the beginning of anarchy.

The moral and cultural fabric of America is in decline. Some people, including myself, would call it decay. Selective law enforcement is no longer hidden in the shadows. It is out there in plain sight and it’s in your face. Our political system is not faring much better. It is made of hyper-partisans with no other agenda than to make political gain. Passing legislation for the betterment of the country and its citizens is now only a secondary consideration.

Our major cities are deteriorating. Some have gone so far south that they are becoming war zones. Murder and other violent crime have, in some cases, become a way of life. Police officials are being attacked by the very people that they have been hired to protect. To make matters worse, there are areas in some of these cities that the police rarely, if ever, go into. This means that people who are in need of police protection the most are forced to do without it. With the threat of gangs such as MS-13 and others, people in these inner city neighborhoods are the most vulnerable and get the least amount of help.

The US is moving closer to bankruptcy every year. To support this argument, the latest deficit number for FY 2019 just came out and it is higher than previously stated. This year’s deficit is now estimated to be $1.23T. If this becomes the new normal in this country, our national debt will balloon to over $50T by the end of FY 2034. I believe that this will ultimately lead to our undoing and eventual decay.

We are becoming a country of addictions and excesses. We are losing at least 600,000 people a year to these problems. Between cartels and street gangs flooding into our country with illegal drugs and the government generating revenue from the habits that are legal, I fear that the problem will only get worse.

America seems to have lost its moral compass. In some states, it is now acceptable to spare convicted murderers form the death penalty, but it has become legal in two states to execute a full term, nine month, viable fetus with a heart beat. The militant brutality that has emerged since Roe vs. Wade, has progressed to the point where the next step will be the sanctioning of the outright murder of an aborted fetus who happens to have survived the procedure. This brutality sickens me and is just another sign of moral and cultural decay in American.

Over the last several years illegal immigration has become a problem of overwhelming proportions. Although most of these people are good law-abiding people, many have entered our country illegally. Should we just ignore the fact that these people are breaking our laws? If so, what other laws should we ignore? If they are allowed to break the law, shouldn’t everyone else be allowed to break the laws of their choice? The problem is not with the good law-abiding people entering our country. It’s with the murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals that are entering our country illegally with the intent to do us harm. The simple fix is to change our immigration laws and vet these people before they are allowed to enter the country. The safety of the country and the American public should be the paramount concern of our elected officials. After all, we are the people who pay their salaries.

Finally, the young people of this country are having a love affair with socialism. Socialism doesn’t work, PERIOD! There are numerous examples to back up that statement. The US government does not have, nor will it ever have, enough revenue to provide everything that Uncle Bernie and AOC have promised. It’s “pie in the sky economics” and it will bankrupt this country faster than we are doing it right now. To put it bluntly, the US does not have unlimited resources. PERIOD!

The US is currently in the process of killing the phenomenal gift given to us by the Greatest Generation. If the country continues down this path of self destruction, we might just as well put our heads between our legs and kiss our collective ass goodbye. Everything we have built and everything we have achieved is at risk.

All the above examples point to a society that is in decay. Let’s hope that there is still enough of the courage and can-do spirit left over from the Greatest Generation to reverse course and balance the federal budget. It is also imperative for America to return to the moral and cultural norms that founded this great country. If we, as a country, are not able to return to the path that got us here, history will repeat itself. We will suffer the fate of Rome.

Charles Colson (1931-2012), former White House Counsel

Category 1Nicholas PorrecaAugust 5, 2019