[Porsche-O-Phile]

I agree with Supe although I'd add (to his point #2) that we no longer have a democracy. We have a plutocratic semi-representative bureaucracy. Anyone who honestly thinks that government today is any longer accountable to the people is simply nuts. MAYBE there's still time to rein it in and get it back to the "accountable-to-the-people" model intended by the founding fathers, but I doubt it. I think this is now a runaway train and we will continue to see government seize rights from the citizenry at increasingly alarming pace in the coming months/years. This return and rise of tyrrany will only ultimately end one way, and we all know what that is.

The question is: how bad and tyrannical will the people allow things to get before they demand change and (more importantly) take the actions required to make it happen? Jury's out on that one (no pun) but I'm guessing on the order of decades, not years. People today are far too apathetic.