Monday, January 12, 2009

Romulus Strikes Again!

First, a history lesson.

Romulus Augustus

His deposition in 476 is used to mark the end of the Western Roman Empire, the fall of ancient Rome, and the beginning of the Middle Ages in Europe.

Now, a look to today.

Speeding? You'll pay higher 'taxes'

One department, in Romulus, issued 12,040 tickets in 2007 -- a 136% increase since 2002 -- despite a population of just 25,000, according to the newspaper's analysis. Detroit Metropolitan Airport sits within the city and is accessed by two interstate highways. Romulus unmarked patrol cars regularly ticket drivers exiting to the airport or accelerating away from it.

I'm sure we'll be fine once the budgets are balanced, public debt is reduced, the arrogance of our leaders is tempered, and we manage to somehow end the forever wars though.

The budget should be balanced. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt. - Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stag,

I'm sure we'll be fine once...

The die is cast. We have crossed the RubiCON.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alea_iacta_est

Stagflationary Mark said...

mab,

January 12, 2009
‘JACTA ALEA EST!’
http://www.floridashipper.com/news/article.asp?sid=26136&ltype=editorial

Despite all the reasons why it is not a sound economic plan, the EU is about to make it a violation of international law for any willing employee in Britain to work one minute more than 48 hours in a week. The die is cast. Prepare for the era of the worker.

Snake eyes, again?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_eyes

In gambling, snake eyes is the outcome of rolling the dice in a game of craps and getting only one pip on each die. The pair of pips resembles a pair of eyes, which is appended to the term 'snake' because of the long-standing association of this word with treachery and betrayal. The dictionary of etymology traces that use of the term back to 1929,[1] although it may be traced all the way back to the ancient Roman dice games, where 'Dogs' represented two ones. They referred to this as "the dog throw". In modern parlance, it refers to such a roll in any game involving dice.

Ancient Rome AND 1929? Wow. Baby needs new shoes!

Hey, that reminds me. I never want to forget that era when we all still believed in the prosperity.

November 30, 2006
Baby Needs New Shoes and a $4,000 DVD Scrapbook
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07E5DA113EF933A05752C1A9609C8B63

Let the outsourcing begin. In the last four years, the videography industry has given birth to at least three American companies that specialize in high-end sentimental shorts of children.

The videos weave personal interviews, existing photos, professionally shot footage, titles and hand-picked music into A&E-style minidocumentaries.

Prices range from $50 for 25 video birth announcements from Moments to Remember in Denver, to $15,000 for an original documentary from First Year Films in New York, shot over the course of a baby's first year.

It's too soon to gauge whether paying for the director's cut of baby's first months will catch on in neighborhoods where thousand-dollar strollers and designer diaper bags are already routine.


Good times, good times.