Yet Another Vacation Piece

A post I think is worth revisiting is reprinted here from February of last year, 2008.

Moritori Te Salutant
Surely everyone recognizes the motto supposedly intoned by the gladiators, who incidentally were usually slaves, when they entered the Coliseum? 'Course, I learned 'salutamus', (we salute you).

I've just been puzzling through a few analyses of the disaster we are now in, that, like the one I cited yesterday from Molly Ivins, foresaw what was about to happen. The comparison I came across that really stood out was about the bubble economy Spain developed after it hit gold in this American continent.

When Africa was the main source of gold and silver, you see, traders prospered. This Brave New World was discovered, and suddenly Spain was mining precious metals less expensively because they simply took over the primitive cultures here instead of dealing with established owners of the resources in Africa. That left Africa in the lurch as to trade, so slaves became the substitute for gold.

Back in the 1st century, farmers in Africa used slaves as workers. The first Europeans to expand this practice and transform it into an international and extensive trade (in terms of volume) were the Portuguese in the 16th century. This was the beginning of what is called the Atlantic slave trade. In the 17th century, slaves, or black gold, even replaced gold as the most important and valuable export merchandise.

Are you feeling like the new black gold? because what is replacing the manufactured goods that in the industrial age made the U.S. prosperous? Look in the mirror.

There is more at the original post.