of forecasting the future from the past doesn't really work. This is my actual fear; that nothing constructive can be done until things get so bad that the overall governmental systems of the US (and the West in general) can be flushed down the toilet and replaced with something capable of addressing the issues without having to pander to voters, lobbyists, and public opinion. Clearly whatever replaces the modern Western governmental model would have to be relatively authoritarian, but this would seem to be a small price to pay if its what it takes to avoid planetary ecological and societal collapse. Is that Marie Antoinet(ta) of "let them eat cake" fame? Really, authoritarianism will simply be another huge step backward and add to the problems. What's needed is a) improved democracy (eg. get rid of the "representative" bit, they're too easy to corrupt). b) some "truth-in-advertising" laws for politicians and "so-called news" media. c) reduce (toward eliminate) the whole concept of nation-state. We are one species on one spaceship. Get used to it. There's reasons why when the US / British elites promote "spreading democracy" abroad, the only model acceptable to them is a representative system, and the less democratic the better. It's only 300 years since the British colonists used to shoot Australian aborigines on sight as vermin. Let us NOT go back there. "We are one species on one spaceship. Get used to it." Posted by lengould We've really always been this, but the world is too large