Human Civilization

The history of human civilization can teach us many important lessons at the critical point in our own history where we find ourselves today. Like all great civilizations before us, our "American civilization" has seen a great period of expansion. After World War II, we emerged relatively unscathed and the seeds for dominance were sown as the American Ideal swept the globe. Our economy was exploding, our culture was blooming, new ways of life were emerging, people were thinking in new ways, technological advances occurred ever more rapidly, the standards of living were bringing people out of poverty. The entire world looked up to us as we set the example and continually raised the bar of what was possible. If you think about it, this very much parallels the rise of the Roman Empire. Like them, we were unmatched on every level, militarily and economically. Of course we know that history repeats itself and if we are not careful, we too may reach the same fate as ancient Rome. We have strayed from our ideals, and allowed monetary influences rather than the people control the machinery of our government.

Nothing on this earth lasts forever. Not people, not animals, not countries. This doesn't mean that we should accelerate our demise. Unfortunately, America's current path is leaning that way. The bottom line is that the wheels of our government are no longer being run 'for the people, of the people and by the people'. Special interests, mainly corporate interests take priority in almost all cases. This can be seen by the recent health care debate. Our congress is unable to take on the insurance companies because of their massive power, and influence they have. Health care costs alone are bankrupting thousands of Americans and will eventually do the same to our entire country if they aren't reigned in. A powerful group of corporations is being allowed to rip off the vast majority of our country. There are numerous examples of corporations being given priority over ordinary people. Our capitalist system has run amok, and our Congress is unable to make the tough calls and enact any meaningful change. Our system benefits the rich at the expense of the poor, and like ancient Rome, the consequences will get worse.

If we continue on our current course, our middle class will disappear and we will be like many other countries with a small elite running the country, with the vast majority of people poor. This will create civil unrest as people have no other options. Crime will increase as people do what is necessary for survival. We are seeing our standard of living drop for the first time in history; the dollar is worth less than it was 30 years ago, in terms of what you can actually buy. The corporate rulers of our country care about only one thing. They have no allegiance to our country, as now they have gone multinational. I don't think corporations or capitalism is inherently bad,