CLICK BELOW TO REDISCOVER HUMANITY
A DECADE+ OF STORYTELLING POWERED BY THE BEST WRITERS ON THE PLANET

Let’s Hear it for Rome

Why Rome?  Well, let’s take a look.  I know that many today know little of the histories of prior civilizations, including Rome.  Heavens, many of the younger generations don’t even know when the Civil war was fought or what it was about, they know nothing about the world wars or the great depression.  In a recent street interview, some didn’t know what Washington, D.C. was, who Robert E. Lee was, and one thought Joe Biden was a baseball player.  However, these same people feel free to destroy property belonging to us all, burn and loot private property and blindly follow socialist/terrorist organizations like BLM and ANTIFA.  But, I digress.  Let us roll the time back to 80 B.C. in Rome.

The time when Julius Ceaser was a young man and Marcus Tullius Cicero was just sharpening his oratory, philosophy, and knowledge of the law.  A time when Rome was well into its internal rot.

Only those born in Rome could vote.  Other Italians, and of course those in areas conquered had no voting rights.  However, they were heavily taxed.  Those were the middle class of the time.  They were farmers, merchants, shippers, and owned vineyards.  The power people in Rome taxed these people unmercifully.  The power people, the senators, consuls, tribunes, and super-wealthy skimmed the taxes for their own coffers and used the balance to spread over the other Roman Citizens to buy votes.  Those getting the dole were known as the mob.  During the day they lolled about eating and drinking copious quantities of wine, all supplied by the government.  At night they roamed the streets defacing statues and monuments, writing graffiti on buildings and defecating in streets, alleys, and on the sides of buildings (think San Francisco of today).  The more that government gave to the mob, the more the mob demanded and so the more government raised taxes on the middle class.  Then gradually the middle class said enough and started pushing back with localized mini-wars against the local officials and tax collectors.  These actions were known as “class wars”.

All these conditions, along with a string of very greedy and dishonest elected officials finally brought the Roman civilization to its bitter end.

So, now we fast forward back to today’s world and what do we have?  Dishonest and greedy politicians that care for nothing except to stay in power.  To do that they continually increase the government dole to those that choose to not work, many of whom are not even in the country legally, but are often allowed to vote.  We have allowed our children to be dumbed down in school, and the radical socialist elements to control our higher education institutions.

We have rioters taking control of city streets, defacing our flag, tearing down statues and monuments that are public property, and burning and looting private property.  The local authorities, to try appeasing the rioters, are moving to defund our police, or to totally disband them.  One can only wonder where that will lead.

So, if these current conditions don’t sound familiar, go back and re-read the first three paragraphs of this post again.  As I sit in awe at these events I can only wonder when the next phase will begin.  That phase being when the put upon will begin to push back against those that are fostering this internal rot on our republic.

Ken Vincent
Ken Vincenthttp://sbpra.com/KennethVincent/
KEN is a 46 year veteran hotelier and entrepreneur. Formerly owned two hotels, an advertising agency, a wholesale tour company, a POS company, a leasing company, and a hotel management company. The hotels included chain owned, franchises, and independents. They ranged in type from small luxury inns, to limited service properties, to large convention hotels and resorts. After retiring he authored a book, “So Many Hotels, So Little Time” in which he relates what life is like behind the scenes for a hotel manager. Ken operated more that 100 hotels and resorts in the US and Caribbean and formed eight companies. He is a firm believer that senior management should share their knowledge and experience with the next generation of management.

DO YOU HAVE THE "WRITE" STUFF? If you’re ready to share your wisdom of experience, we’re ready to share it with our massive global audience – by giving you the opportunity to become a published Contributor on our award-winning Site with (your own byline). And who knows? – it may be your first step in discovering your “hidden Hemmingway”. LEARN MORE HERE


13 CONVERSATIONS

    • Aldo: It doesn’t seem that “everyone’s common sense” can be relied on. If it could we wouldn’t have these mobs burning and looting and elected officials supporting the actions.

  1. Interesting to read this, as I’m finding myself fascinated by our early American history, thanks to diving into historical facts to feed my obsession with Hamilton. The fascinating part, for me, is that none of this is new. The infighting, back-stabbing and divisive positions were as nasty as they could be back in the day. The intense polarity due to economic or cultural factors calmed down for a few years, but never really went away. Enter the Civil War which, it seems, we’re still fighting. I’m not sure I can articulate this well, but what I see is the only outcome that our enormous diversity and “freedom for all” can yield – chaos. That said, there are ways to deal with chaos – which I think has to start with a very open mind and open dialogue. The question I have to ask myself it, what can I do?

    • You are right, Lynn. Political strife is nothing new, in the old days it even lead to duels. The biggest difference between then and now are the size of the $ signs and the amount of power involved. One of the missing links in today’s world is the fact that “freedom” has to be linked to “responsibility”. Without responsibility freedoms become weapons and chaos results.

    • Thanks, Darlene. Our schools need to drop the social studies and get back to the basics of what education should be. The three “R’s” and history and geography. I was in communication with a retired college professor not long ago. He expressed the opinion that the youth of today had no need for knowing where the Mississippi River was, or anything about the Civil War. They could always find that information on the web. They needed education relating to only three subjects, technology, the advantages of socialism, and the strength of Islam.

      After some lengthy debate I finally got him to admit that any college professor today that didn’t support that position would be quietly dismissed from the staff and no other institution would touch him/her.

  2. Dear Ken, as I read your piece on the issues of all that is happening in our current event these days, and then read the comments of those having read your piece, nothing of what’s wrong today is left unsaid. The comment by Michael Barns points to the schools, where as I have said so often, many do not know history! As is evident through this well written piece by you. Just recently watched the documentary on Ulysses S. Grant who “ was so instrumental in freeing slaves of the south, yet uneducated, destructive, spoiled youths (all races) destroy what they have no knowledge of! It makes me sick, and God will prevail in all of this. My only question that I ask everyday is “ where are the leaders who see this wrong and nothing is done? Like a small child, you let them have their own way in the wrong and do nothing, you allow the disrespect, wrong doing, and bad behavior to continue. Great piece. God bless you and yours.

    • Lynn: Too many of the “leaders” of today are only interested in getting re-elected and retaining their position of wealth, fame, and power. The welfare of our children are not on their list of important items, nor is the well being of our country. I am among those that do not care if one comes into office rich. I am more concerned about those that don’t, but leave public service rich. That rather says it all.

  3. Interesting piece. thank you. I would say it starts with the school and what they…purvey.

    But as my smart kids point out, our generation allowed this. We abandoned our kids to schools that fail by most measures to teach reading, riting, rythmatic. But they are great at socialization into a particular political ideology. Starts from the very beginning.

    And as parents, we’re often afraid to speak up. I know I was because I feared my children would be punished for my differing of thought from the teachers. Knowing enough teachers, they’ve told me that teachers, without a doubt, have favorites and not as favorites. And this is often influenced by the relationship with the parents.

    so, what to do? I hve no idea. i did my best to instill values at home and seem to have done well. Only time will tell.

    • Michael: Yes, as parents we too often sit on the sidelines and abandon our children to the wiles of trecherous people in schools, youth organizations, and even in some churches. You are amoung the minority that taught values at home.

  4. Well written thoughts my friend based on historical facts. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” as it has been said and aptly demonstrated throughout human history. The bad seeds ultimately germinate to destroy others and then themselves.

TAKE STROLL INSIDE 360° NATION

TIME FOR A "JUST BE." MOMENT?

ENJOY OUR FREE EVENTS

BECAUSE WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER