I have been giving a bit more thought to this stuff. I am not sure that we are not on the edge of complete and utter disaster. I am suggesting this because I am not convinced that we are not only due but it might be fair.
For instance, we live in a Democracy and everybody (at least in theory) votes. Those votes decide our wishes and desires and they count. So, lets think on that one and how things work.
Our elected class has accomplished a number of things.
Drug Companies have managed to get congress to pass a law that our own government is forbidden to negotiate prices
We have now been fighting the same war for 16 years and there is no sense it will ever end as its unwinnable
We (gov) has 'loaned', literally, trillions to students to get educated and charged them approximately double the normal interest rate
Our current government has reduced health care expenditures by close to a trillion dollars
Political advertisers need not tell anybody who they are (congress has consistently been unable to fix this, either side)
Our government actually passed a law so that anybody holding somebody's information is not responsible for that information
Banks can no longer be sued by groups of victims.
We continue with ethanol even thought its not good for engines, it continues to be subsidized, is bad for the environment, and it is responsible for rising food prices - worldwide
Our system of education sucks and our students spend less time being instructed that virtually schooling in the entire rest of the world.
Our healthcare costs over 2 times what the rest of the world pays and is not all that good
We have elected a leader that thinks that Nazis are "good people"
We have a two party political system where both parties are interested, apparently and only, in winning and little else
We have a war on drugs upon which we have spent a trillion dollars, that is ineffectual, doesn't work and solutions that do work (Portugal is an example)
We have a problem with guns. Examination of virtually all other industrialized nations control their guns but not us! We are held in thrall by the NRA which is funded by the gun manufacturers and our government has no power over this organization because that organization threatens our elected class and they knuckle under (little lack of integrity, backbone, honesty and all the rest of it here?)
The above list can be easily added to by just about anybody who is reading this. My point is that its the citizens of this country who have brought this on us. They have been bamboozled by all sorts. I suspect the worst is the simple fact that religions can now preach politics and not get called on it. In the good old days any religion preaching politics lost their tax exception, no more. Its still against the law but politics have overruled the law. I am not sure what the fix is to stop the bamboozle but somebody better figure out one. Huge numbers of voters not only are bamboozled but are stalwart in their right to believe non factual baloney. In other words large numbers of American citizens seeem to actually be proud of the simple fact that they believe flat out lies and, as far as I can tell, people actually think this is a right! So, we have a voting public which seems to be ignorant (and proud of it), deluded (and in denial), or just can't be bothered (close to 50% in that category).
So, basically, we are not, by just about any standard, a citizenry that has no any real honor, integrity, or even the capacity to act in our own best interest. We are, in other words, not a real deserving group. I am not sure what happens to such a population but, as far as I can see, whatever does happen its not gonna be real good unless we change our ways and it doesn't look like that's gonna happen real soon (except, hopefully, how we treat females of the race).
I would also point out that there are places on earth where their leaders and government actually serve the people. The nations of north Europe, for instance. Norway, for instance, is rated the happiest nation on earth. Norway is one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world with a total tax burden of roughly 45% of GDP– almost twice the US. VAT here is a whopping 25%. Personal income tax rates border 55%. Corporate profits tax ranges from 28% to as high as 78%. In spite of that the people of Norway like their government, leaders, etc. We, on the other hand, we distrust our gov, despise our congress, etc. Think about it (kinda depressing).
