Martin Armstrong: What Destroyed Rome was its Unfunded Government Employee Pensions

HISTORY IS A CATALOGUE OF SOLUTIONS. However, it is also a catalogue of things not to do. Far too many people just ignore the past and assume there is nothing worthwhile even exploring. This is why history repeats, largely because of the arrogance of mankind in assuming he is better than all those who preceded him. I have been often asked why I came to see the world through an eternal battle between Private and Public interests (People v Government). Effectively, aside from the fact that we invented the combustion engine, discovered radio waves that also enabled the development of computers, there is little else that is really a modern invention. Right down to the form of government we have, which is a Republic based upon Rome rather than a Democracy based upon Athens, this is not a modern invention. A Republic is where we elect representatives to go run government. In a Democracy, every citizen has the right to propose laws and sits in judgment over the affairs of the state. Rome had its Senate as does Washington.

*Note: John Lydus placed Diocletian’s(284-305AD) troop strength at 389,704 for the army and 45,562 for the navy.

You probably even think that to get a government pension, you had to work for 20 years is a another modern socialistic benefit based upon Marx. Actually, that would be wrong. It was a Roman tradition that was used to entice people to sign up for the military just as today people work for government to eliminate any real risk or responsibility. For whatever reason, that ancient tradition of 20 years of service remained an expected benefit if you were to work for government that has been handed down through the centuries. However, the socialists have simply ignored the lessons of the past and adopted the VERY SAME pension programs that truly contributed to the Decline and Fall of Rome? Economically, it was precisely what we see today in our own society. Today, what has emerged as the government employees v the people such as in Greece, the same trend has infecting everywhere. Greece is merely a test run for what we will soon face in virtually all governments – UNFUNDED ENTITLEMENTS.

The above chart illustrates the growth in the Roman Military from about 700BC through the fall of Western Europe in 476AD and showing the decline that became dominant in the East under what is known as the Byzantine Empire. This created the same problem we face today - UNFUNDED PENSIONS AND ENTITLEMENTS. It seems to be inevitable that government promises the moon, but never delivers. It may shock most readers to even assume that such data exists. In reality, there is far more data available on the rise and fall of Rome than there is during many medieval governments. The Romans were great secretaries and much of the early writings of many contemporary historians have survived. (more)