Acting counter to a lesser rule about bothering with pieces with titles that end with a question mark it is hard to resist Victor Hanson. I usually learn something interesting from him about history that isn't Egyptian.
Victor Hanson is historian and writes a lot about social issues. Comparing and contrasting as historians do and as the writer is professor we anticipate his piece to read logically arranged and somewhat academically. let's see what he says about the U.S. being next. I say, "no, some other nation is next, but let's hear your points anyway."
1 Civilizations decline because
1.1) too much consumption not enough production
1.2) debased currency
1.3) corruption
Mr. Hanson avers the U.S. is steeped in these three terminal conditions and adds two more.
1.4) unwillingness to pay taxes
1.5) end of the rule of law
2 About those not paying taxes, Mr. Hanson describes how it is that people slide by corruption, complacency, and by ideologic sympathisers providing the cover.
2.1 Sharpton
2.2 Clinton Foundation
2.3 MSNBC
2.3.1 Toure Neblett
2.3.2 Melissa Harris-Perry
2.4 Lois Lerner
2.5 George Soros
3 Laws are politicized as the tax system is.
3.1 Obama -- immigration law ceased to exist
3.2 Affordable Care Act implementation
3.3 EPA bypasses Congress by fiat
3.4 Obama -- Iran agreement bypassing Congress by E.O.
4 Prosecutors have never been more ideologically-driven than they are now.
4.1 Bob Menendez (D) disagrees with Cuba and Iran receives federal indictments from 2006-2013
4.2 Marilyn Mosby Baltimore State Attorney appeased crowd charging 6 policemen for short term gain by distorting law
Conclusion: Increasingly the degree to which a law is enforced or whether a person is indicted depends on political considerations. When citizens do not pay taxes, or choose not to and expect to get by then society unwinds. When law becomes negotiable then civilization collapses.
Victor Hanson does not disappoint. He is interesting and he does read academically, and logically and clearly, he is historian. Looking back over it the whole thing is review. That's why it is so agreeable all the way through. We lived it and discussed it at length. It's interesting to see it summed up like this and briefly set against ancient culture and it is a good read but honestly I must say there is nothing here that is new.
