By David Hurtado
The year is 476 A.D., and the Western Roman Empire has collapsed beneath the barbarian hordes. Rome, which once stood as the apex of glory in the known world, has been extinguished.
But Rome was not the first great empire to come to an end, nor will it be the last. From the Macedonian Empire to the Han Dynasty, no civilization has withstood the test of time. Each great empire, no matter its power and accomplishments, was ultimately buried under the sands of time.
All throughout history, each empire has been built upon the same foundation; force. And as the saying goes, “those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” The United States on the other hand, is a different kind of empire, if it can be considered an empire at all. We are an empire of ideals.
This country was founded upon the idea that each and every individual is endowed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not because of God or words printed on paper, but because we are human beings. Sadly, the beliefs and values which Americans once guarded so closely have become undone.
More than two centuries ago, Alexander Tytler, a Scottish writer and historian, made a profound observation on the nature of Democracies.
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy.”
History has given to America all of these lessons from centuries past, but for some reason we think we know better. Rome fell from glory for the same reasons we stand on the brink of ruin; corruption of the senate, endless warfare and a crumbling economy. But most of all, the Roman people were no longer devoted to their country.
The United States is being dismantled before our very eyes, and no one is doing anything to stop it. As long as there’s money in the bank account, food on the table and a television to watch, people are content to be asleep. While we squander in the darkness, fumbling in ignorance, America as it was intended is receding.
Albert Einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. According to the Huffington Post, the last time Congress passed a budget was in 2009. So why are they still in office?
My fellow Americans, it is time to admit that most of our elected officials are corrupt blood sucking leeches. Democrat or Republican, none of those rats have the best interests of the nation at heart. Politicians from both parties crave one thing and one thing only; absolute power.
And the fact that we keep voting for them tells them no one gives a damn anymore. When we the people stop holding the federal government accountable, we get Pelosi and Bush. “We won’t know what’s in the bill until we pass it” and “I’ve abandoned free market principles to save the free market system,” are two of the most arrogant sentences I’ve ever heard.
If a politician is going to vote on a bill without even bothering to read it, or abandon the principles our nation was founded on, they don’t belong in office. They belong in a jail cell.
Our government does not care about the average citizen, only those who can benefit them financially or vote for them in elections. Our whole system is a fraud, yet you still have fools arguing and bickering over why their party is better. If you open your eyes, you will see that none of them are good; they are all corrupt.
This is why laws like NDAA and the Patriot Act were passed, while CIPA and PIPA were almost passed. We can’t remove our hands from each other’s necks for even the briefest of moments to stand together against all that threatens the United States. Like the Roman people before us, Americans are no longer devoted to their country.
I say enough is enough, it’s time we reminded the federal government they are servants of the people. We cannot undo the past, but we can create a better future for ourselves and our children; the American Dream. We’ve read this in our school books as children, now is the time to embrace those ideals, and stand up against the weight of tyranny.
I know this will not be easy; the deck is stacked against us. But take heart, for we are not the first to stand against such odds. 238 years ago, farmers and shopkeepers, printers and blacksmiths fought against an almighty empire. They wished to affirm to the world that freedom, tolerance and justice are more than words, they are rights endowed to us at birth that no human has the authority to deny.
As George Washington said long ago before the Battle of Long Island,
“The time is now near at hand, which must probably determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. […] We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer, or die”
It’s time to restore the republic.
Contact David Hurtado, staff reporter, at dhurtado@jccc.edu.