In the 16th century England and Spain were both world powers, more or less on an

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

equal footing.

Spain made the decision to shift almost all taxes to the poor, exempting the rich from taxes. England went in another direction, and imposed taxes more equitably on all.

Spain began a long decline that it's never recovered from. England remained the dominant world power until the end of WWII, when the economic consequences of the Great Depression and then the World War pushed it down.

It looks as if this country is going to take the Spain route: tax the poor, the working classes, and the middle classes, while exempting the rich from paying their fair share. It's also going to expand its military budget, already larger than the entire rest of the world combined, based on a false assumption that our military is somehow deficient.

I've long known that this country started its decline in 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan. Every country that attains significant power has its day and eventual decline. But what Trump is instituting is going to mean that our decline will be swift and sure. His ramping up of the military budget will NOT keep us stronger for a longer time, but will instead insure that very quickly, much faster than anyone might have imagined, we'll go into a rapid decline and fall, and will spend at a minimum decades, and more likely centuries digging ourselves out from under.

It's possible you are hearing it first here.

[world wide wally]

1. The GOP does everything fucking wrong

And Trump is their PERFECT leader

[Ruy Lopez]

3. There are sane people in the GOP

But they don't include the Evangelical loons, Tea Party simpletons and their champion, Trump.

[world wide wally]

10. If there are sane ones... Why do they always vote in lockstep?

[Ruy Lopez]

2. I like the parallel, but the historicity is debatable

I think most historians link the decline of Spain to the influx of gold from Latin America.

Same curse afflicting the oil countries today where there is a large disincentive to work hard

because the oil plutocrats give everyone a nice living to gorge themselves in peace.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Yes, the decline of Spain is typically linked to

the influx of South American gold. But that linkage ignores the more profound and fundamental issue of taxes, and who paid them.

[Ruy Lopez]

6. See the Resource Curse and jeffrey Sachs

I think there is a case to be made for the greater weight of gold on the Spanish decline.

But I agree with you Trump's tax plans are mad and will harm the people and the economy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. I also don't think you can call England a 'world power' before the 18th century

You might date it to the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-14), when both Spain lost power, and England (becoming 'Britain' during it) gained it. Before then, England had relatively little power overseas - you might argue the American colonies were already important, but nothing like the scale of the Spanish ones. Certainly not in the 16th century.

[caroldansen]

4. It's not going to happen. Rest assured he will be stopped. All those demons will be stopped.

Watch and wait.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. I hope you are right,

but I have not faith he'll be stopped. Both the House and the Senate are in Republican hands. And even though several million more voted for Hillary Clinton than for Donald Trump, that little fact is almost entirely forgotten at this point. And so many who voted for Donald are still in his thrall.

[Javaman]

9. Time and time again, history shows, that when the gulf between the have-even-mores

and the have-even-less gets wide enough, collapse, revolution, uprising or change of government occurs.

[KingCharlemagne]

11. OTOH, Trump's depredeations may so sharpen the contradictions as to

hasten the onset of a socialist or communist revolution here. Not before massive repression, mind you. But when everything is said and done, the reality is that 1% of the American population controls 40% of its wealth and 10% controls 80% of its wealth. That's a lot of wealth for the bottom 90% to seize by force if necessary.