Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon and marching his legion on Rome did not destroy the Roman Republic all by himself. The erosion of the republic and rise of the Empire occurred over decades, if not centuries, and built upon many little cuts and changes, often touted as necessary and proper, needed and good, that all added up to ending “government by the people” and replacing it with one Ruler above the law. These folks were later known as Caesars, who pretended (fake news) to rule with a Senate of the people’s choice but really ruled as dictators. But the infrastructure of the “highway to hell” or Empire erected on the death of the Republic was built inch by inch.
Arguably the final nail in the coffin of the Republic was hammered in by Julius’ uncle, Gaius Marius. Marius himself was a tremendously successful politician of the Republic. He was elected Counsel by the people a record five times. Clearly Marius was a clever politician and beneficiary of having a Republic. In fact, Marius arguably viewed himself as a savior of the Republic while creating the situation that ended it.
The Roman Republic had been very successful militarily, expanding its borders and seizing the riches of other peoples, often making those people slaves to serve the Republic. As life became easier for Romans, as the hard work of farming and other occupations essential to life became swamped with the number of slaves imported, life also became disrupted. Former small farmers could not compete with huge slave plantations and were gobbled up by the aristocracy. Though provided by the state with “bread and circuses,” to keep the displaced people entertained and compliant, the loss of landed citizens decayed the armed forces of the Republic. For hundreds of years the Roman Army was made of land-owning farmers who provided their own weapons and responded when the Republic needed an armed force. In fact, only landed men could be part of the army originally. As this backbone of the Republic disappeared, Rome suffered from a dearth of soldiers.
Marius made a radical decision in about 107 BC to recruit landless citizens (proletarii) and pay them himself, rather than relying on property owners. This “professionalized” the formerly citizen-soldier Roman army but fatally shifted soldiers’ loyalty from the Senate to their generals, creating personal armies. This led to civil wars between generals competing for power. Ultimately this led to the Roman Republic’s collapse and the rise of an empire by enabling ambitious commanders with forces loyal to their paymaster first and the tattered remains of the false and floundering Republic a distant second, if at all.
Recently Mr. Trump announced a non-taxable payment of $1,776 to approximately 1.45 million active-duty and some reserve component service members (at a cost of about $2.3 billion). Mr. Trump has framed this payment as a “thank you” to military personnel, linked to the 250th anniversary of the U.S. announced in a White House speech.
The money is actually, factually, reallocated from previously approved housing allowance funds within the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” This means it is paid by the Senate and the House as in a Republic. However, Mr. Trump attempts to frame it as though the payment is coming directly from tariff revenue generated for the army by Mr. Trump himself. This spin is not merely the disingenuous product of a mind contaminated by a lifelong love of money, but a dangerous resonance of the Gaius Marius switch of army loyalty from the Republic and the Senate, to a Commander in Chief personally.
Mr. Trump has a right to his love of money. I have the right to disdain him for it. Many more Americans today, like their Roman forefathers, seem to be embracing the view being rich is the best life, or “he who dies with the most toys wins” philosophy. In part the collapse of the Roman Republic came as success, riches, and slaves poured into that nation. The Founding Fathers of America were familiar with the Roman example and many taught that our Constitution would succeed only for a moral people who embraced other values as higher than love of money.
John Adams famously said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” The lesson of history was clear to many Founders: a virtuous citizenry with strong moral character is essential for a self-governing republic to survive and thrive. The success of the Constitution and the rule of law relies on a public morality and law-abiding citizens to function properly. Many of the founding generation believed that without moral citizens human passions like greed and ambition would easily break the strongest laws. After all Rome, too, had a Constitution.
Though most of the people I meet and work with remain decent, there is a growing disdain for any but the rich, and a love of bling and shiny gold painted doo-dads that is metastasizing. Like Rome, once the people lose fidelity to the higher values of self-rule, consent of the governed and no taxation without representation, among others, the Republic for which it stands crumbles with accelerating velocity.
A cynic might contrast the “tax free $1776” Christmas thank you as the ultimate betrayal of the principles of 1776—when civilian farmers laid down their plows and took up their muskets to overthrow a King who claimed to be above the law. But far more odious is the betrayal of Jesus, whose birth is celebrated at this dark time of year for bringing light. After all, it was Jesus who taught that, “it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.”
The same cynic might think the “$1776” payment rather than an honest “thank you” for creating the American Republic, is a bribe for a vote for Gaius Marius at the next election. A truly dark cynic might laugh at the delicious irony that the American republic was derailed by a bribe dressed up as a celebration of the birth of that same republic.
An optimist would look to see a rising tsunami of true American patriots refusing the bribe and donating the money to pay off the national debt or to charity, saying, “No Kings, No Caesars,” I am an American. I stand with the Founders, I support the Republic.
Kary Love, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a Michigan attorney who has defended nuclear resisters and many others in court for decades.
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