"A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within. The essential causes of Rome's decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggle, her failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, her consuming wars."

- Will Durant, The Story Of Civilization III, Epilogue, 1944

A number of sources list this as a quote, but it is a synthesis of the Epilogue "Why Rome Fell". It is valid then as well as now. America as we know it won't collapse, but Americans have been unusually successful in dealing with "bureaucratic despotism". They will be successful again. Bankruptcy of another experiment in bureaucratic despotism will prompt a refreshing turn to reform of bullying politics.

The election was a big day for the implacable forces of big bureaucracy, main stream media and big unions. There is no change from before the election.

Hoye/Brown - originally published March 2009

Cartoon from 1934

This cartoon was published by the Chicago Tribune in 1934.
Look carefully at the plan of action in the lower left corner.
Remember the adage:
"Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it."

Couldn't find it in my old Webster's dictionary so I Googled it and discovered it is a recently "coined" new word found on T-shirts on eBay:

Read this one over slowly and absorb the facts that are within this definition! I love this word and believe that it will become a recognized English word. Finally, a word to describe our current political situation...

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"The king has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent Swarms of Officers to harass our People and eat out their substance."

- U.S. Declaration of Independence