However, because of over-investment into the program, the funds of the Roman empire were running dry. Along the same lines, the citizens of Rome were getting lazy because what they needed was being given directly to them. It is that phenomenon that eventually led to the destruction of what had built up to be the strongest government of the ancient world. The money used to appease the crowd was taken away from defensive funding, leaving Rome unprotected, says Bruce Bartlett. Since soldiers no longer needed the money to buy food, they stopped working. He also explains that the collapse of the empire resulted from "excessive taxation, inflation, and over-regulation." Many empires followed in the footsteps of Rome, like the Spanish, French, Soviet, and British governments - which all eventually collapsed due to welfare (Kirkland). It is true that the United states has picked up some of the same ideas. That leads to the question, are we on the road to destruction as well?.
Welfare in Rome was promoted for the same reasons that the idea is still pushed today. Christianity was a new concept in those times, and the citizens of the empire were jumping on the wagon. A big element of Christianity has always been taking care of the less fortunate. Paul J. Dean Christian mentions that "one of the marks of a Christian is the desire to help others." He continues by quoting a verse that gives a direct command to take care of others, and explains that if Christians don't follow this rule, then they are deceiving themselves into thinking they are something they are not. The idea of social welfare has been promoted because of these religious reasons, but non-religious people have embraced the idea as well, simply because it seems morally right. Thus, the social welfare system has been a big part of our government.
Recently, Thomas Piketty, a French economist, wrote a book titled Capital in the Twenty-First Century.
