All posts by 811089

How the US is repeating history- are we leading towards the same fate as Rome? Elizabeth Musick & Lauren Judd

Looking at the facts

Whether you believe that the saying “history repeats itself” is true or not, you really have to understand history and look at the facts. Truth be told, the US isn’t perfect. But are we entering the point of no return? Just like in Ancient Rome, disagreements are taking over. The government is spiraling out of control, just like the plebeians and patricians. Here is how…

 

Government Shutdown

The plebeians and patricians were the two main classes of the Rome. The differences between the plebeians and patricians caused the downfall of the Roman Empire. They couldn’t compromise or work together. Sound familiar? The US’s two main parties- Republicans and Democrats, are on the verge of repeating history. Could a civil war be in the future?

Republicans and Democrats have been fighting and disagreeing, and the consequences are showing. For instance, the Government shutdown. This year we have had the longest government shutdown in history. If the Republicans and Democrats agreed sooner, it would have been shorter. But the differences between the two parties contrast greatly and the impacts are immense. To illustrate, the Government Shutdown has lead to 800,000 federal employees left without their paychecks. Also, national parks had no one to look after them. Trees in the Joshua State Park died during the shutdown, and there are many more environmental impacts. The environment and federal employee’s jobs are not the only ones suffering from the shutdown. Everyone is affected because the FDA is forced to cut back on their duties. Also, the Smithsonian Museum and National Zoo’s have been closed. The inability of the Republicans and Democrats to agree is clearly having a large toll on the United States, just like it did to Ancient Rome.

 

Where Should Money be Spent?

Could the cause of the United States’ downfall be money-related? It looks that way. The Senate, Congress, and President can’t come to an agreement on where money should be spent. Money gives us power and using it the wrong way could end in a catastrophe. In ancient Rome the patricians had all the money and power but the plebeians were not happy with how they were treated. The Republicans and Democrats both have the money and power but they can’t agree on where it should go. We are at a standstill and one party has already gone to the extreme, as explained in the following paragraph.

 

National Emergency

Following the longest government shutdown in history, neither the republicans nor democrats have moved an inch to compromise. When the plebeians and patricians couldn’t compromise, a civil war broke out. Could that happen to us now? Well, the president called a national emergency which means he does not need to agree with the other party. However, I believe this made things worse because it makes the opposing party angry. We are following the same path to destruction that Ancient Rome fell on.

 

2020 Election

With the 2020 election coming up, Democrats & Republicans are still arguing on who’s right and wrong. From taxes to border security, the continuous arguments are everlasting. Both parties love to argue which is not what we need. Many american citizens say we should come together and unify ourselves for the benefit of the country. Others say argue to there is a winner. In Ancient Rome, they were a republic and had consuls or leaders, that had authority. In the USA, we have leaders also to make decisions for us.

 

Laws

Many people often argue what punishment should be. Life in prison, life with/without  parole and other punishments like this, people have trouble agreeing on. The Democrats want to abolish the death penalty as they believe it is too harsh and everyone should have a second chance. Republicans however, say that under certain situations the death penalty should be allowed like for a mass murderer and serious crimes like that. Their explanation for that is because murders over the years have gone up, that is the best possible solution, so hopefully people who want to commit those crimes will know the punishment  and rethink “huh, maybe that isn’t a good idea.” In Ancient Rome, many people didn’t agree on the laws. They said they were too strict and unfair. For example, being crazy at night and loud could result in getting beaten or thrown off a cliff. Many Plebeians and Patricians didn’t agree on those rules. Just like the Democrats and the Republicans don’t agree.

 

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/01/09/us/politics/longest-government-shutdown.html

 

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/15/17979224/2018-midterm-elections-candidates-issues-health-care-immigration

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/government-shutdown-explained-777734/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2019/01/14/government-shutdown-2019-the-real-impact–cost/#662378803b96

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/02/trumps-emergency-declaration-is-a-test-for-republicans/582856/

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/many-us-are-concerned-lawmakers-react-trump-s-national-emergency-n972611

http://www.duhaime.org/LawMuseum/LawArticle-1569/The-Extremely-Cruel-Edges-of-Roman-Justice-circa-0-AD.aspx