By:  Tyler Lin, Anthony Tran

Today in class we were learning about the economy in Rome.

 

That lead my partner and I to wonder if the United States of America has the same issues that the Roman Empire had.  

 

Rome’s economy was a big reason as to why the empire eventually fell, but will that be a reason America could possibly fall?… just as Rome did.

 

We are here to tell you that AMERICA IS NOT like Rome. Here is why.

 

America Is NOT The Next Roman Empire.

A big part of the fall in Rome is due to the the economic difference between the rich and the poor.  The patricians(upper class) were getting more rich while the plebeians(lower class) where becoming more poor.  

 

Furthermore, the middle in Rome was not in good condition because they were crashing into the ground;in other words they were becoming more independent.  

 

Another reason the economic difference was a factor in the down fall of Rome was because the plebeians were not happy that the patricians had more land then them and that they were making more money; in turn this would lead into a civil war between the classes. Finally the economy in Rome was declining.

 

The Rich Get Richer

Looking at the economic difference between the rich and poor in the US we can get a better understanding if the US is becoming more like Rome.  We would know if the economic is like the Roman Empire.

 

The top 1% Americans make a average of $250,000 a year; on the other hand the bottom 50% combine makes less than the top 1%.  

The top 1% of American are taxed 24.7% in a study done in 2014; in the same study people making around $75,00 are taxed 19.7%.

In another study people making $19,000 a year- pay around 11% of income taxes. Which makes up the bottom 10%.

According into “financial samurai” the top 1% work less hours than people making $20,00. However they get paid more, get more benefits, and have more personal time.  On the other hand people making $20,000 work upward of 100 hours a week.

 

Investigator states, “The middle class makes around $40,500 and $122,000 a year”

The middle class is also taxed around 20%.

Which means that people that are in the middle class system and make about $60,000 a year have to  pay $12,000 of tax that same year.

The Hard Fact

 

With all this said it is our belief that the U.S. is not like Rome economical, because their economy is for stable and constant. We believe this because of the laws set in place to make the system fair and equal, also people that make more money tend to work harder earlier on and later in life they are repaid with more money and less work hours.

On the other hand people that work longer typically wasted most of their early life and were not benefited later in life. Which means that people that work longer is typically people that aren’t  as wealthy as people that work shorter days and shorter weeks. People that used their time in there earlier years are more likely to have a better job.