The US's Decent to 2nd World Status is Almost Complete

Let's go through the check list for the US:

• The US is a rich country but its wealth is concentrated in the hands of a very small elite while the rest of its citizens are poor, often desperately poor - CHECK
• The government almost exclusively makes policies for its own benefits and those of the very small elite - CHECK
• The judiciary has lost its independence - CHECK, although lower courts in the US still seem to have some independence all of their decisions eventually make it to SCOTUS, which is firmly in the pocket of the President
• The leader of the government is concentrating power in his own hands while those who are supposed to prevent that either ignore it or are being coopted in that effort - CHECK
• The media has been capture by the government and is no longer completely free - CHECK, this is not completely true for all media but all main stream media has been. There are other media which are free but they are just voices in the wilderness.
• The government has an in-house propaganda organization - CHECK, Fox would probably push back on that characterization of their relationship with the government but let's be real.
• The leader of the government is becoming more authoritarian - CHECK
• The leader of the government is using his office to enrich himself, his family and selected supporters - CHECK
• The leader of the government calls in the military to quell dissent - CHECK
• The country has little influence on international relations and is dependent on much bigger players for what influence it does have - HALF CHECK, the US is still the richest country in the world with the most powerful military but there is no doubt the trend is for countries to insulate themselves from what power it has left
• Elections, if they take place, are not free and fair - NOT YET CHECKED, we will have to wait until 2026 to see whether we can check this one off.