Individuals have have the choice to decide whether or not they ought to (ought meaning must do) do an act they consider good.

Doing good is a personal decision. Although doing good is generally considered an altruistic act, it isn’t something an individual ought to do.

There has to be a balance between state and the federal government. If the federal government becomes irrelevant, then states may want to secede from the union, which could cause a civil war. The last Civil War in the United States devastated the country. It would be a far better solution to work out a balance between the state and federal government rather than tearing the country apart again.

I think your topic is very relevant. To try to draw an exact parallel between the Roman Empire and the US is irrelevant. I think Banno is referring to general factors that plagued the Roman Empire and are plaguing the United States today. When I translated a Latin paragraph about a senator lamenting Rome’s woes, I remembered a Congressional member making similar complaints. What makes any country decline is overtaxation among citizens who eventually will harbor increasing resentment that eventually spills over into unrest. That factor is on Banno’s list. Another factor on Banno’s list includes militarism. Rome involved itself in countless military conflicts. Sounds familiar? These conflicts costs money. Guess who pays? The overburdened taxpayer. When Rome went into battle, naturally trade suffered. What about our tariffs and the effect on our trade today? In addition, food shortages happened in Rome because its leadership had a corrupt official mismanage food distribution. As we are all aware, decisions made by our government often fall on corrupt officials. Of course this can affect our food supply if government officials don’t manage decisions related to the food industry and our farmers. Think about crop shortages. Whether related to the weather or trade issues, farmers suffer when their crops fail or trade issues affect their ability to sell what they have worked hard to grow for consumption. Decisions made by our government haven’t always effectively address this issue. Another factor on Banno’s list also affected both Rome and still influences our economy. When our currency is devalued, it affects our economy. These factors are intertwined with one another and change the course of any country’s future. Other empires experienced the affects of these factors. We are no different. How the United States will transform as a result will eventually unfold. Who knows? According to Alvin Toffler’s prediction in his book, The Third Wave, states may break up and form their own separate countries. As such, the future remains to be seen and should be, at the very least, interesting.

I agree with you about economic conditions of parents can determing the outcome of a child’s ability to function and succeed in society. Originally, the function of colleges and universities was to prepare students for professional fields (physicians, engineers etc.) Although this level of education provided studies designed to teach students to think, you are also correct, this is no longer the case. To perform successfully in society, students need to have the ability to think at a higher level to make well informed decisions. Individuals can make positive changes as a collective group if they work with those who share their common beliefs ( which should be determined before they decide to work with a collective unit). To do justice to themselves, individuals should think about the collective unit they wish to join instead of “joining the group because everyone else is.” To abdicate their thinking to a group is merely giving up their freedom to make well thought out choices.