Quote for today: America as Byzantium

       My friend David Mize has sent me this excerpt from Sir Steven Runciman’s prolific writings on the Byzantine Empire. This one belongs in the category of Santayana’s warning that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

        "The finances reflected the disorder. Taxation was high but varied and irregular. Wealth was unevenly distributed. Many millionaires could still be found, but there were whole provinces sunk in poverty. Moreover, the Empire had long been suffering from an adverse trade-balance. Already imports exceeded exports, and the position was never righted."