Septimus Severus

The 100s AD were a good time to be a Roman (unless you were a Christian.) For most people in that empire, times were good. Rome enforced peace with liberty throughout its realm. Prosperity reigned everywhere because the government did not exercise large amounts of influence in the economy relative to other societies at the time. Roman citizens often did not suffer from a heavy tax burden but had the freedom to make economic choices. From the 100s BC until almost 200 AD, Rome enjoyed a society where class distinctions did not inhibit the material movement of most citizens.

It is true that Rome did lose its republican government in the century before the birth of Christ, removing the right of the people to choose the government. For most of the first century AD Rome's political leadership ruled in turmoil. Only in the 100s did this stablilize. Despite these problems, the economic freedom of Romans continued.

Economic freedom is vital to the strength and resilience of the economy. People must enjoy the freedom to make choices with their money. When the government restricts these freedoms through taxation or burdensome regulation, it reduces the dynamic nature of the system. Emperor Septimus Severus in the late 100s and early 200s AD chose to drastically reduce Roman economic freedoms. He raises taxes considerably and passed restrictive laws. Just as the modern United States, Rome constructed public works and maintained a welfare state. Often these issues went beyond practical necessity and became political debates. Septimus Severus passed laws enforcing an idea that those in the lower class must stay in their status, restricting their opportunities to better themselves.

Modern America faces these same problems. Hillary Clinton and Congressional Democrats make a political issue out of President Bush refusing to let the government pay for middle class children to have health insurance. Not poor as the local and national media insist, but middle class! Poor children already receive insurance coverage. Only through much higher taxes will an initiative such as this become law. Local liberals want to pass laws that will increase the power of the government to harass and dispossess people of property if some other individual for whatever reason shows disapproval over how it looks.

Lower taxes and sound protections for property are two major pillars of a dynamic economy. Liberals around the country fear an economy left to its own devices and seek to introduce restrictive planning. As in 200s AD Rome or the Soviet Union, excessive planning only ensures that the poor stay poor.

How did Rome fare after Septimus Severus? For the next hundred years it experienced economic decline and political turmoil. Emperors rose and fell, trade dropped, and the stage was set for even more restrictions on liberty and the final fall of Rome. Citizens lost their faith in their country because opportunity declined. In Rome at its height and the United States today, any citizen enjoyed the opportunity to better themselves provided they were willing to work and make good choices. We need to band together to make sure we do not elect our own Septimus Severus Clinton in 2008.