Drastic changes have been occurring in this country over the last few years which has led me to consider why powerful countries have fallen. If we look at the reasons that others encountered when they declined and eventually fell, perhaps we can learn from them and delay or avoid catastrophe ourselves.
One of the most studied empires is the Roman Empire. It began about one or two centuries BC, and eventually fell, most agree, in 476 AD. Historians cite several causes for its decline: constant wars, frequent emperors (many being murdered), economic trouble, overspending, taxation and inflation, labor shortage, division, even poisoning from water in lead pipes and porcelain glaze. Much of this can be summarized by the expression: "crumbling from within." If a person was intent upon bringing about our own "crumbling," how do you think he might proceed? I would like to suggest some critical possibilities.
First, he should start with the nation's children. They are the most impressionable and are the future of America. We have already done away with religious teaching in public schools, and the display of the ten commandments in the public square. Now he should teach sex education to second and third graders--teach them transgender information and encourage them to question their own gender identity. Tell them it isn't necessary to inform their parents. Confuse and divide them by teaching critical race theory. And any parents who protest at parent/school board meetings should be labeled "domestic terrorists," and referred to the FBI. He should throw in a drag queen Christmas to confuse the kids even more and use federal funds to promote these sexually oriented events.
Mike Pompeo, the former CIA Director and former Secretary of State calls the head of the teachers' union (Randi Weingarten) "the most dangerous person in the world." He cites the teaching curriculum and the filth that they are teaching our kids while the students are deficient in math, reading and writing.
The person bent on bringing down the republic should also teach us all to deny much of our history--the good and the bad. The founding fathers were angry white men, and their reasoning and the constitution they crafted should be dismissed. Statues of historical figures should be pulled down.
He should identify the strengths of the republic and set out to weaken them. Cheap, plentiful and reliable energy was the cornerstone of this country's development during and since the industrial revolution. Our use of fossil fuels should now be attacked. He should downplay the fact that our recoverable reserves are far greater than Saudi Arabia, China, and Canada combined, and we must buy oil from other countries like Venezuela and Iran. He should promote climate change as requiring the replacement of traditional energy sources in order to "save the planet."
He should weaken the sovereignty of the nation by flooding the border with illegal immigrants (more than 2.3 million illegals were encountered in FY 2022.) Besides allowing illegals to enter, the borders should be so porous that deadly fentanyl, enough to kill every single American, can be smuggled into the country. Additionally, he should attack the sanctity of employment by paying people as much as $100 thousand per year not to work. (No wonder businesses are having a hard time finding employees.)
He should make it easier for crime to increase. He should support defund-the-police movements and elect district attorneys who require no bail for many egregious crimes while allowing free get-out-of-jail cards. There should be no funding for additional prison buildings.
Finally, he should facilitate more spending and inflation by encouraging congressional bills so large (preferably over 4,000 pages) that no one can read in the short time before voting on them. This will allow the profligate spending to mushroom, bring about more inflation, and weaken the economy just as it did in Roman times.
Several writers have commented on the lessons of history. Novelist Steven Erickson said it succinctly: "the lesson of history is that no one listens." Let's hope this isn't the case today.
Peter Gilderson, Madison.
