>>The Romans might disagree with that statement. ;)
LOL. The corruption and debauchery of those Romans isn't yet matched in the US, though some are trying their best to excel! But economically the US is streets ahead- e.g. the US$ for now remains the most important reserve currency for the entire solar system. And the Romans never had nukes, aircraft carriers or a Second Amendment. ;-)
"... They ne'er cared for us
yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses
crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to
support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act
established against the rich, and provide more
piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain
the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and
there's all the love they bear us."
-- Shakespeare: Coriolanus, Act 1, scene 1
