In ancient times the monuments rulers constructed to mark their authority, legacy, and (ultimately) their vanity were actual monuments, notable in some combination for their size, architectural ingenuity, and ornate design. Think of Djedefre's pyramid, Trajan's column, Justinian's Hagia Sophia.
The commensurate constructions of today's rulers are not of such tangible stone, though every bit as large and lasting. The modern obelisks are massive social programs that are just as overwhelming, just as burdensome to the populace upon whose backs they are constructed, and just as permanent. Think in this turn of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, and now Barack Obama's health-care "reform."
The only real difference between the ancient and modern is that the latter is still taxing the resources of the public--and will be for quite sometime.
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