I agree America began decaying some time ago, but I don't believe the analogy to death is apt. It is more like a slow descent into schizophrenia. What are the symptoms of schizophrenia? - Delusion (we are the greatest country in the world) - Hallucinations (red scare and threat to american nuclear hegemony) - Disorganized thinking & speech (cold war politics and the pivot to asia) - Disorganized or abnormal motor behavior (what crisis has america actually solved recently?) - Negative Symptoms (collapse of the social safety net and a crisis of social mobility and healthcare) I think it is clear how America will act in its authoritarian period. Any individual pursuit of liberty will be denied unless sanctioned by authority or financed by extreme personal wealth. All others will be marginalized and rendered destitute unless they fit in the corporate picture. Young people don't see much hope. A lack of hope turns into fear. Fear leads to anger, and we all know where that will end up.