Gibbon Revisited

JJ writes about today’s cartoon:

Just wanted to drop you a line to say how big a kick I got out of your latest comic (Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire). I study ancient history at the University of Chicago, and I can’t tell you how often I hear right-wingers erroneously assign right-wing pet causes as the cause of the Roman Empire’s fall (such as, the Roman Empire fell because the government took away all the citizens weapons, etc). What’s particularly ironic about all this that most scholars currently believe that the (Western) Empire fell because the central executive lost too much of its governing authority to wealthy landowners, who were exempt from most taxes and treated their properties as personal fiefdoms. Consequently, the executive was unable to respond quickly and efficiently to the various crises that confronted the empire in the 4th and 5th century, while the Eastern Empire, where the wealthy were taxed and their power held in check, remained solvent for another millennium. Hmmm….the wealthy exempt from taxes and afforded too much power in the governing of the state? Why does that sound familiar? Keep fighting the good fight, Ted. Its extremely reassuring to know you’re out there.

Thanks, though I can’t honestly say whether I make much of a difference. Another salient point to JJ’s email: many scholars believe that the rise and collapse of Chinese dynasties can be traced to tax collections. At the beginning of a new dynasty, when the central imperial government was powerful, it imposed high taxes, mostly on those who had the money to pay them: the wealthy. But as each dynasty matured, local rulers and businesspeople cut deals with the emperor to exempt themselves from taxes or reduce them substantially. Since the revenues had to come from somewhere, they raised taxes on the poor, who rebelled and eventually overthrew that dynasty. The lesson is that a central government should literally have no personal relationship with local pols or business types save to cash their IRS checks if they want to remain in power.

It Ain’t Paul Wellstone…

…but Rep. Matsui’s death comes at a damned convenient time at a time when Republicans are starting down the road towards eliminating the Social Security system. Any Ukrainian waiters at the House cafeteria?