Is This the End?

All great civilizations eventually lose their power and grandeur, and.then they collapse.

Ancient Egypt. Ancient Rome and Greece. China. The Mongols. All eventually lost their power to other, more powerful, civilizations.

The US, it seems, it just the latest in a long line of world powers that is on the verge of becoming a once-great nation. Already some are calling Germany, not the United States, the leader of the free world. China's economy is now the second greatest in the world. The US has a tremendous deficit as it continues to spend more than it takes in. We have trade deficits with every country with which we trade. Our country has never in recent history been more divided politically, economically and racially. 

The current administration is doing everything possible to undo the legacy of former President Barack Obama. The latest attacks are on the environment -- rolling back protections to keep our air and water clean, to shrink the size of several national monuments, to allow the shooting of hibernating bears, and to allow mighty hunters to bring into the United States the heads, feet and other body parts of elephants from Zambia and Zimbabwe. With elephants facing extinction due to the insatiable Asian demand for ivory trinkets, this action will further the decline of an already shrinking population of elephants. Why? So Drumpf's kids, Donny Jr. and Eric, can pursue their sick passion for killing endangered animals?

Roy Moore, who is running for US Senate from Alabama, is a well-known (albeit unconvicted) pedophile who preyed on teenage girls when he was in his 30s. Yet his supporters remain steadfast in their desire to see him elected. Like-minded people voted for Drumpf despite his long history of sexual assaults on unwilling women and girls. Many of his supporters call themselves 'conservative Christians,' something they most certainly are not. Their words and actions couldn't be more unchristian.

The much-touted Republican tax reform bill, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, not only will add trillions to the national debt, but it will actually raise taxes on Americans earning less than $70,000 per year. Who gets the tax cuts? Who else but corporations and the very wealthy.

Overspending on the military, government corruption and political instability, ineffective and inconsistent leadership, and the loss of traditional values have been cited as some of the reasons for the collapse of the Roman empire. Drumpf is proposing a huge increase in military spending. His administration is the most corrupt in recent history. His 'leadership is ineffective and inconsistent. And traditional American values have largely been replaced by a 'me first, whites only' mentality. Urban crime is rampant, and gun violence grows more common by the day. 

The rich get richer. The poor and middle classes struggle just to survive. The environment is under attack by those who want to use it for profit regardless of the damage done. The voice of the 'little guy' is ignored. Voters blindly follow their party allegiance and often vote against their best interests. Millions of Americans feel unheard and powerless.

I have little hope -- baring a major uprising and demand that elected officials actually listen to their constituents -- that America will not continue its decline. I'm just glad I won't be around to live my life in what until now has been a great country and a beacon to the world.