In a message dated 4/22/2001 7:40:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
markplus@hotmail.com writes:
<< It became clear that the Roman Empire was declining when it gave up on
maintaining its roads, bridges and aqueducts. I hope our current problems
are not the result of comparable social weakness. >>
The Roman roads, aqueducts, ports, bridges, were built with the work of
slaves. Our failing are not the Roman's failings, no matter how much the
promoters of this notion are. It wasn't taxes alone that weakened the Romans,
it was dependence of slavery for labor and commerce, with no development of a
sustainable working and middle class. It was lead leakage into drinks, it was
poverty as a policy, it was the desire for human labor, over the brilliant
inventions of Vitruvius and the like. It was the suppression of both
democratic and capitalist tendencies. An extremely, poor, means of
transferring governing power. It was climatic change, driving eastern
peoples into western Europe. It was not that the poor schmucks lacked for
infrastructure. Rome was closer to 15th century China where decree's
mandated that every son must follow into his father's profession, it was the
mandate that no inventor would ever profit from his invention.
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