The laws of economics win. They always do.

British scholar C. E. M. Joad, who studied collapses of the world's great empires, said that the declines all had several things in common: decadence, weariness, and irresponsibility. To that, British historian C. Northcote Parkinson added that collapses are usually marked by an overcentralized government, heavy taxes, and bureaucracy.

When people shirk individual responsibility and expect more from government, explained [English historian Edward] Gibbon, they fall prey to tyranny.

[Ancient Romans] no longer cared enough about their way of life to defend it -- and that's an unsustainable foundation for any society.

As one historian puts it, "[In ancient Rome] the multiplication of unproductive services such as the administrative bureacracy [and military spending] combined to place an intolerable strain on the producers of primary commodities."

Much has been written about how complicated the downfall of Rome was, but the recipe was actually pretty simple, and has since been replicated countless times: A great civilization arises. The state encroaches on freedom and demands more power. People take less responsibility for themselves and want more handouts from the government. Taxes go up to pay for the handouts. The size of government explodes and economic growth slows. The government seeks to divert the public's attention from what is really going on to "bread and circuses." Collapse, economic or otherwise, ensues.

In the end [of the Greek Empire], the virtues of Greek art, law, philosophy, and democracy could not save them from succumbing to that most primitive of the deadly sins: greed. They became their worst enemy.

Frugal gvoernment, frugal people; extravagant government, enslaved people.

The only way out is if, citizen by citizen, the public learns the lessons of history and convinces others that we are not immune to the laws of economics. We can still choose individual achievement, limited government, and low taxes--but we have to turn the corner now.

[America's founders] prized thrift--not just because they saw firsthand what extravagance can lead to, but because they understood that frugality wasn't just about saving money; it was also about saving freedom. If you think of debt as a tie that binds you to others, then it's not a stretch to believe that personal savings yields personal liberty.

It seems that many people have forgotten one of the basic principls of a republic: virtue. A large percentage of the population must be virtuous in order for a society to properly function. But virtue requires morality, and morality requires adherence to a religion and embraces charity as a pillar of its theology and recognizes a higher power than the government.

The government's incessant march toward removing all traces of religion and faith, along with its reluctance to help faith-based charity groups is no accident. It's because that leaves the government itself as the "charity" of last resort. Strip out religion and strip away morality, virtue, and eventually, personal charity. All that you have left is Washington, D.C.