[Loser]

Originally posted by Aloofi:
Loser, I admire you, you are my hero of the week!
...
I will always remember the US as it was under Clinton. For me that was the Golden Age.

First, thank you. That thanks does mean something to me.

Second, you need not worry about a dictatorship of any sort in the U.S., not any time soon. I will not, can not happen because of a few very important features of the U.S. government.

While all U.S. citizens learn about the structure of the government, the reason for the maddening division of power is rarely dwelled upon. The manifold splintering of power in the U.S. government ensures that absolute control is difficult to grasp, and impossible to keep for very long.

The divided legislature keeps both population-type majorities and incumbent-type conspiracies at bay. The frequency of elections makes maintaining unpopular power impossible. The democratic manner of executive appointment is certain to keep isolated individuals from consistent power; anyone who has participated in Real Democracy knows that it is anarchical: it makes no better decisions, but its chaos keeps power from any one person.

Add to this the scarcity of actual members of the military, and you have a dictator's nightmare. He cannot hold power though the system. He cannot hold power though brutish means. And he cannot consistently manipulate the legislature to his ends.

I would like to suppose that your fixation on the Clinton Years is an issue of age. When I was younger I idealized the Reagan Terms. I see better now, but I would like to point out that Reagan won the Cold War, Clinton's best feature was his ineffectuality, and that he was 'cool' of course. Reagan could never have been cool.

In short, you do not need to worry about the U.S. Government: others are worrying for you and doing a better job of it. Everyone please take a few deep breaths, it is going to be okay.