[MarvinStinson]

Edward Gibbon, the renowned historian who wrote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, described six attributes that Rome embodied at its end:

first, an overwhelming love of show and luxury;

second, a widening gap between the rich and the poor;

third, an obsession with sports and a freakishness in the arts, masquerading as creativity and originality;

fourth, a decline in morals, increase in divorce and decline in the institution of the family;

fifth, economic deterioration resulting from debasement of the currency, inflation, excessive taxation, and overregulation;

and sixth, an increased desire by the citizenry to live off the state.

[lulu16]

Great book. I pick it up and every now and then to enjoy his writing and research.