Rome and America, A Comparative Analysis

[Illuminatus]

Because theres no more land we can just grab

Never say never. I hear there's oil in the Western Sahara.

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

Oh Believe me there are plenty of land we can grab.We're just polite
Atleast now we are.We could have much more land but America is a good nation filled with ggod people well several not all.And it can help those in need just like we're helping Iraq right now.

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

Does this mean that I won the debate or what?

 

[Antoninus Verus]

Does this mean that I won the debate or what?

Or maybe people just got tired of debating you. There is no "win" or "loss" to a debate.

 

[Illuminatus]

Does this mean that I won the debate or what?

I'll give you an F for spelling, grammar, and open-mindedness, if that's what you want. Like Antoninus said, there's no winner in a debate. Perhaps people simply tired of having the same points tossed at them repeatedly?

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

I could really care a less for what grade you give me.I'm not at school so I don't haft to be Grammatically correct.And yes I know that's a word why don't you go a look that up.
By the way.I'm an A&B student so.F is stupid to give me.Then again it's stupid to be given one on here anyway. SO THERE!

 

[Antoninus Verus]

I'm not at school so I don't haft to be Grammatically correct.

Your right, but you look mighty stupid if you dont atleast TRY to put forth your ideas in a coherant manner

By the way.I'm an A&B student so.F is stupid to give me.

And we care......why?

Then again it's stupid to be given one on here anyway.

Do you want some cheese with that whine? No one is forcing you to be here

SO THERE!

Need I even comment?

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

I didn't mean me being hear I said it's stupid to give me a grade for this.No one is forcing you to be here either.Do you think that I actually care what you think if you do you're under the false inpression that I care.Because guess what I don't.

 

[arielette]

Pat Buchanan has written some interesting stuff talking about how US has become an imperialistic nation, and less the republic it was designed to be.

Rome I believe was once a republic before it's Imperial age - so maybe thats another parallel?

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

I think your thinking of Greece.Greece was a Republic.

 

[Illuminatus]

I think your thinking of Greece.Greece was a Republic.

As was Rome, from 510 BC until the establishment of the Roman Empire. (Sometime in between 44 and 27 BC)

 

[Antoninus Verus]

I think your thinking of Greece.Greece was a Republic.

Greece was a monarchy then changed to a democracy, a TRUE democracy. People would gather to vote on EVERYTHING

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

WE do about most stuff here.Everyone agreed in the original 13 colonies to have the surpreme court by the Prez.

 

[spinningwheelgirl]

WE do about most stuff here.

The "democracy" in the United States is nothing like democracy in Athans. In that mature democracy of Athans it was the citizens who made the laws of the land, not elected officals like in the United States. Although I have come to understand that when people in the US vote for the president and so forth they also vote on certian issues. It is the elected officals in general who make the laws. Needless to say the type of democracy in Athans would not work in the US since there are too many people to meet in one place to vote on laws. The country would have to be divided up into much smaller city states or something. As well not every where in Greece was a demoncracy, Sparta certainly was not.

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

yes we do that's why the Bush VS. Kerry election was so drawn out.

 

[eaglex]

On second thought ,Yes I believe America is like Rome. Let's hope it doesn't end up like Rome.

 

[Antoninus Verus]

yes we do that's why the Bush VS. Kerry election was so drawn out.

We have a Representitive Democracy. We cant gather the population to vote on things like new roads or tax reform, so we elect people with similar views to go and vote FOR us. Athens had a TRUE democracy, where the entire city (The men, women were not allowed to vote) would gather and vote on everything from the price of figs to the building of new roads to war. Votes were counted most commonly by stones, you would place a white pebble in one urn for yes, or a black pebble in annother urn for no.

People in a city in the US vote on local and state-wide things, but not country-wide issues. The presidential election is not decided by the popular vote (Which is kinda dumb). The election wasnt drawn out, it just seemed like it because each one was campagining so hard

 

[Highland Watchman]

Oh well... at least you guys know more of where the different parties stand... You have two sides on the spectrum, and you have to pick which of the two is the lesser of the two evils. It's not like Canada, where one crook in politics is just like every other crook... where no matter who you vote for, you will pretty much end up with the same lies, the same corruption, and the same lobby groups that run the political system.

Is America like Rome? I would think in many ways yes, and in some ways, it is not. Whether you would call it an imperial power or not, there are definite similarities. Pax Americanus was mentioned earlier, but not really given the name to it. And, just as in Rome, there were those who were extremely zealous for Rome and are blind to its weakness as an empire, just as there were those that wanted to change the system, and those that did not wish to be part of this empire.

At the same time, though, there were also various differences between the two, which some have been mentioned here already. This is good, because I would be deeply surprised if there were no differences - as every nation and empire that has ever existed has had differences that have made them unique.

Is America on its way down? Well, we can look at the quality of education, the quality of life, and the apparent moral decline and think that the possibility is definitely there. On the other hand, seeing how I do not know the future, but only patterns from the past and personal conjecture and reflection on the little bit that I DO know... I can not say for certain.

 

[reformedfan]

yup.

 

[Pentecostal Boy]

The reason the popular vote doesn't win is because the 13 givernors of the 13 original states decided that.