Rod Dreher is a writer for the Dallas Morning News, where this first appeared in the July 30th opinion section. I just read the same commentary which appeared in The Hartford Courant this past weekend. According to my google search, it hasn't appeared anywhere else. Too bad, because it is a great read. Mr. Dreher has a blog called beliefnet, and this post from June 8th titled "ARE WE ROME?" is most likely where his recent commentary came from.
In his June 8th post, he discusses a new book "Are We Rome?" by Cullen Murphy, which he refers to in the newspaper articles also. His post goes into much more detail about the book. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING HIS POST
In The Hartford Courant commentary, he outlines
how the U.S. is like Rome:
*Both see themselves as the center of the world, divinely appointed to lead.
*Both have unusual capital cities where government is the main industry.
*Both let the private sector exploit public goods.
*Both are successful multi-ethnic empires, though with increasingly porous borders.
*Both have militaries stretched too thin to maintain imperial power.
*Both are unmanageably complex.
How is the U.S. unlike rome?
*The U.S. is a socially mobile, middle-class democracy; Rome was a rigid aristocracy.
*Americans are reluctant to be an empire; Romans accepted it.
*Rome was economically static; America is economically transformative.
*Romans were self-satisfied by nature; Americans strive for improvement
*Romans committed to ruthless perseverance; Americans lack staying power
How Can we avoid Rome's fate?
*Accept that change is inevitable and that adaptation is necessary.
*Instill an appreciation of the wider world
*Stop treating government as a necessary evil
*Fortify the institutions that promote assimilation
*Take some weight off the military
Well my friends, the only thing I have to say about all of this is:
CARPE DIEM baby!
crossposted at BigBrassBlog
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