It's the US $ economy stupid

[David Gentle]

> It's the biggest concentration of natural resources, people and
> technology on earth. However, so was Rome.
I saw a documentry that suggested that the main reasons for Rome to maintain it's vast Empire was to
gain funds to pay for the welfare of the Romans actually living in Rome. Perhaps one lesson we can
learn from history is that paying out excessive welfare brings about the need for empire and should
thus be avoided? Or maybe history has whatever lessons we want to see in it?

David Gentle