Rome And United States: Somethings Never Change

On October 23, 415 A.D. Valentinian III was proclaimed Caesar. He became emperor at the age of six years.The rest is history. Soon Rome would be sacked multiple times by many of the same peoples who the Romans had sacked in the prior 1000 years.George W Bush became President of the United States in 2001. He was fifty-five years of age.In 2001 he declared " War on Terror". He invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 because of 9/11 which was carried out largely by Saudi nationals who happened to be hiding in Afghanistan. Iraq was a war of choice with no compelling reasons. And so? Some leaders are truly six years of age and act their age. But some leaders are fifty-five years of age but behave as though they were six years of age.

Money And Power Has Its Limits

In 193 A.D. Didius Julianus out bid the former emperors family and bought the position of Caesar from the Praetorian Guard .Pertanix was the former Emperor who wanted a strong fiscal policy and hard currency. The Praetorian Guard killed Pertanix because citizens didn't want belt tightening.Didius Julianus offered more money to every member of the Praetorian guard and so was proclaimed Emperor. He promptly devalued the Roman currency to pre Pertanix values.Fiat currency versus hard currency was the issue. But the Praetorian Guard who were paid in hard currency were insulted by the immediate devaluation by Didius Julianus.So the Praetorian Guard immediately kills Didius Julianus in spite. DJ ruled for three months. So here we all our some two thousand years later still dealing with the outcome of fiat money and debt and the impact on citizens of Rome and for that matter the greater empire.Takeaway? It's always about money. No matter what any one says.Also the military runs the political show.One thing to look forward to is the greed and arrogance eventually consumes the politicians and the military to the point they start killing each other. Now I can't wait for that. P.S. The military will win in the run. As recounted above the armed forces allow the politicians to make policy but the real policy is pay the armed forces and they will let the politicians go through the motions of having power...until the money runs out.