Rome Falls Again

          There were two principal causes of the fall of Rome.  One was the invasion by barbarians, and the other, as argued by Edward Gibbon, was the disintegration of political, military, economic and social institutions.  In truth, the former would not have been possible without the latter. 

          While the Roman Empire lasted around 600 years, the American experiment in democracy is showing the same signs of disintegration after barely 200 years.  Our political institutions have lost the respect and confidence of the citizenry; our military power is shrinking; our economy is being crushed by intractable debt; and our society is increasingly characterized by drug abuse, sexual predation, and all sorts of criminal behavior. 
          To be sure, there are people calling for personal responsibility, integrity, and righteousness.  But they are met with accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia, and religious extremism, their voices drowned out by the shouts of the greedy, the power-hungry, and the corrupt. 
          Our leaders preach compassion and hope, but betray their words with lies and broken promises.  They pay lip service to the Constitution, but break their oaths of office with impunity.  They seek equality for all, but pass laws that do not apply to themselves.  They empathize with the poor, while treating themselves as royalty.  They place personal aggrandizement ahead of the good of the country.
          Sadly, we have an electorate that is mired in ignorance and motivated solely by self-interest.  For too many, a candidate’s character doesn’t matter.  A prime example is the continuing popularity of Hillary Clinton, in spite of growing evidence that she is the most mendacious, unethical, and corrupt public figure on today’s political stage.  Yet, we should not expect Obama’s Justice Department to prosecute her or congressional committees to overcome her stonewalling.  Nor should we expect her party to abandon her; she will be the Democratic nominee for President, no matter what.
          The sad state of American politics is but one sign of the disintegration of our democracy.  Are we going the way of the Roman Empire?