# The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

(...with apologies to Will Cuppy, for having stolen the title of his book...)

Obama announced today, according to the ABC-TV news, that, if elected, he would give $1,000.00 (or some such sum) to each and every working-class household.
If I remember my history correctly, and indeed I do, this is how Rome began it's own "Decline and Fall" (more apologies, this time to Mr. Gibbon).
Mark Antony and Augustus (Octavian) Caesar vied with each other to give the greatest amount of _largesse_, to buy the loyalty and votes of the citizens of Rome. The early result was a civil war, and the end result was Imperial Rome and the constant dole its emperors kept paying, to ensure the acquiescence of the people.
Finally, Roman citizens were so tied to the dole, and therefore so unwilling to either work or fight, that slaves ran the country and foreigners had to be recruited to fight Rome's wars.
In the end, the foreigners who were the army revolted against the government, sacked the treasury, and Rome fell.

If Obama is elected, and he well may be, not least because of this promise, we will have taken the first major step toward "The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody."


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## js (Jun 29, 2006)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> (...with apologies to Will Cuppy, for having stolen the title of his book...)
> 
> Obama announced today, according to the ABC-TV news, that, if elected, he would give $1,000.00 (or some such sum) to each and every working-class household.
> If I remember my history correctly, and indeed I do, this is how Rome began it's own "Decline and Fall" (more apologies, this time to Mr. Gibbon).
> ...


If Obama is elected, with a majority Democrat congress and a Democrat in the White house, Well....................... like I said before, it's not going to be pretty.

After today's action from the Majority Democrats in congress, I believe we are headed for some serious conflict down the road. Whatever it may be...


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## kev74 (Mar 22, 2008)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Obama announced today, according to the ABC-TV news, that, if elected, he would give $1,000.00 (or some such sum) to each and every working-class household.


And how is this different from the "Economic Stimulus" checks we've been getting from Dubbya? You know, the ones that started when he couldn't wait to blow (sorry, I shouldn't use the word "blow" when talking about the President.) the budget surplus we had when Clinton left office....


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Obama announced today, according to the ABC-TV news, that, if elected, he would give $1,000.00 (or some such sum) to each and every working-class household.


Sounds like a bribe to me.


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## submoa (Dec 16, 2007)

How is this any different from the economication stimubation check I just got from Dubya?

Same shit, different face.


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## brisk21 (Mar 14, 2008)

"Dubya" gave the money to stimulate the economy, not win an election. He did it after his second term, so I don't think that it was to gain political power for himself. Obama is satan.


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## bdp2000 (Apr 22, 2008)

If you remember, The "dub" issued everyone checks back in 2001, calling it a "tax rebate". This was a plan that he heavily advertised while running for his first term.

Same shit, different polititions.

Polititions are like diapers. They should be changed often, and for the same reason!


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## unpecador (May 9, 2008)

brisk21 said:


> Obama is satan.


I don't think Satan would appreciate that comparison...


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Satan is a very poor choice. He has too little power.
Instead, why not vote for a _*real*_ evil.
Check out this website: http://www.cthulhu.org/


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## teknoid (Mar 12, 2007)

If Yomama wins, it will be a long two tears for the country. As crappy as our elected "representatives" have become, our only recourse is to keep them fighting among themselves. If we have a majority of EITHER party in the White House, the Senate, and Congress, we're screwed.

I figure if the Dems win, two years will see the majority switch in the house and senate. Much as what happened when the GOP flubbed things last time.

A lot of damage can be inflicted in two years, unfortunately.


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## nelskc (Jan 15, 2008)

> A lot of damage can be inflicted in two years, unfortunately.


George Bush sure proved your theory, 4 times in a row.


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## oak1971 (Apr 28, 2008)

Ok nelskc. Just what have the Dems done besides a whole lot of nothing. Oh yea, they keep voting for more welfare. Brilliant! Genius! Face it, right now niether party is a friend to any of us. And you know it.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Politicians, including those in America, have been doing this for millennia. Rome had lots of other problems, and anyway no nation/civilization lasts forever.

In every American presidential election, both sides become Chicken Little and announce the end of civilization if the other guys gets elected. Yet despite Democrats being elected many times, America is still here, we still enjoy a tremendous standard of living unimaginable in most of the rest of the world, and a very considerable amount of personal freedom. I will note that most of the more recent successful attacks on personal freedom have come from the right, not the left.


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## teknoid (Mar 12, 2007)

nelskc said:


> George Bush sure proved your theory, 4 times in a row.


Sure did, and I expect at least the next two to be even worse. It's been a very long time since we had a choice that included a person fit to hold the job. I don't see it getting any better, unfortunately.

There is a reason I'm a registered Independent. Both major (and most minor) parties don't run candidates I would tolerate associating myself with.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Mike Barham said:


> ...I will note that most of the more recent successful attacks on personal freedom have come from the right, not the left.


To me, the issue is not so much personal freedom as it is economic suicide. The Right may or may not be encroaching upon our personal liberties, but it is an absolute certainty that the Left has set out upon the wrong economic track, and that the Left continues to provide a dole in order to encourage the support of the recipients thereof.
I was calling attention to Obama's offering of a bribe, in order to accrue votes; and I was comparing that offer to the similar offers (and the dole) which precipitated "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire."
I think that openly offering a bribe in order to win votes is pernicious, and I see it as a "tipping point."
Rome took a long time to fall, and all systems do fall eventually, but I see no need for our system to fall prematurely. Thus I've attempted to warn everybody that something that might precipitate a fall is occurring, and that we should both note and oppose it.


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## gmaske (Jan 7, 2008)

Frankly I think the Dem's are stepping in it big time. They have their heads stuck up their fundamentals up to their arm pits while the price of gas goes through the roof. What do they offer us as relief? Nothing but statements like we can't drill our way outa this and check your air in your tires. While we may or may not be able to drill our way out, by drilling we slow the problem down long enough to at least try to come up with a solution. The problem is affecting EVERY single person and I think they are gonna pay for their inaction come November. This country runs on oil and you can't change that fact over night. If they don't do something to balance out the supply and demand....... what will happen will make the great depression look like a walk in the park. So frankly, I don't think Oblunder has an ice cubes chance in hell at this point.....unless he flips or flops on the issue. I think he's screwed himself on this issue either way. The more he opens his mouth the more he just looks STOOPID!!


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## MLB (Oct 4, 2006)

While I can see the short term comfort in it, I don't agree that looking for more crack is a good step towards kicking the habit.

More on track with Steve's original post, it does seem quite bold for a politician to offer a bribe for votes. It's not significantly different than Bush's economic stimulus, nor less insulting than McCain's short-sighted "gas tax holiday" though. All band-aids to placate the populace's sores, rather than solutions to the underlying problems.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

MLB said:


> It's not significantly different than Bush's economic stimulus, nor less insulting than McCain's short-sighted "gas tax holiday" though. All band-aids to placate the populace's sores, rather than solutions to the underlying problems.


Well said.


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

The ironic thing about Obama wanting to give $1K to every household is that it will almost assuredly be accompanied by a democratic tax increase. My guess is that tax will be something more than $1K per household. :mrgreen:

It is getting to where I can hardly remember having one good choice let alone two.


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