Quote:
Originally Posted by Crawford
The EU economy is now about 70% of the U.S. economy. The EU economy used to be larger.
The GDP per capita ratio is approaching 2:1.
I spent about 1/3 of my life in (West, then Western) Germany, 2/3 in U.S. The countries used to have pretty similar levels of household prosperity. Now it's an aching gap, where, returning home, you feel like the Beverly Hillbillies at an Appalachian reunion. I have cousins who are MDs in Germany, who would make much more working as garbage men in NYC. Hell, they'd make much more as garbage men in Cleveland.
The U.S. can't build anything, has the most f---ked up politics in the developed world, is a health calamity, and is the global mecca for weirdos and nuts, but still does a pretty good job of making people prosperous.
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That’s a bit of a scary statement sounds a boast from the late Roman Republic. I like money prosperity & success should be rewarded but in my view The Unites States of America is the successor of the Roman Republic and we need to not forget the lessons of history. Augustus was a good leader holding all military power while letting the democratic institutions govern non frontier provinces it was generally a peaceful & prosperous time after the civil wars. The 5 good emperors and Pax Romana was another good time but a lot of the post republican leaders were mediocre at best and s**tshows at worst and there was no recourse. The level of people thinking dictatorship might not in the be so bad in the US should be terrifying.
Mike Duncan wrote a great book centered from the rise and assassination of the Gracchi to the collapse of the republican army system. The republic was built on the citizen soldier/farmer but as wars dragged men further from their homes for longer periods if they didn’t sack and plunder they often came back to foreclosure.
The rise of Gaius Marius the breakdown traditional republican army was when a Gallic Tribe with Germanic allies went on a rampage along the northern Mediterranean coast and army after army of Romans was crushed. Enlistment was part of your civic duty but by this time the bar had been lowered to eliminating almost all property qualifications. Romans armed themselves traditionally though a military industrial complex grew up around the Punic Wars supplying the state with arms and armor to continue to fight Hannibal.
Gaius Marius won great acclaim after beating a client who kept bribing his way out of charges of bribery & the legions seemed to drag their feet catching him. Marius got his second in command Sulla after cornering but never catching Jagurtha to sit for peace talks with his cousin who killed Jagurtha for rule of modern day Algeria.
Anyways the Kimbry were defeating legion after legion and Marius who shared none of the fame of the victory with Sulla opened up recruitment to all men. Many the sons and grandsons of farmers who were forced to sell their lands and become impoverished in the cities. This professional army was trained and led to victory against an army who seemed invincible. He birthed the professional Roman Army loyal to its leader who brought it victory & riches rather than to the senate.
Marius went a little senile in his old age and started a war with his younger protege over who would lead the new eastern war Marius lost the appointment and killed a few enemies and declared Sulla an enemy of the state. Sulla after winning in modern Turkey came back to fight the old wily Marius but Marius died as plans to fight were being made many of his successors who survived Sullas sack of Rome and “prescriptions” you like that guys wife and his villa “Hey Sulla he’s a Marian supporter” it was nasty.
The final collapse of the Sullan constitution leads to gridlock and the Triumvirate along with the death of the republic.
I’m not saying we’re Rome 50bc but that path is open to us if all that matters in America is money and the power to acquire more money. It’s a tough deal operating with a constant nation debt has become an avenue for gridlock while a national reinvestment is going to be more and more expensive the longer we wait. It’s above my pay grade but we can make things here we just make more outsourcing and the extra profits drive up stock prices which benefit ruthless decision making. The stagnation of the US middle class which hasn’t made any more money since the 80’s with the exception of 2022 adjusted for inflation is potentially libel to give the whole system the middle finger.
I’ll quote Mike Duncan from his Revolutions podcasts about the French Revolution & and advice to his home country. He says to the rich you can keep making a F**k ton of money in the future by giving up a little now. There are other reforms like our military spending and offshore tax loopholes that can help pay to rebuild infrastructure that will benefit commerce as a whole, though with the right leadership.
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