By Matt Underwood The American empire has entered its final act. This feels like a heavy statement, a judgment call on a nation that has, for better or worse, shaped the modern world. It’s difficult to ignore the rumblings, the sense that something fundamental is shifting. The narratives being spun, the media landscape itself, seems to be driving this perspective. The sheer volume of analysis, commentary, and criticism feels overwhelming. This isn’t just about politics, it’s about the very fabric of American society. The challenges are not just political. They’re economic and cultural too. And the core of it is the wealth and power that is concentrated in the hands of so few.
The root of the problems seems to be connected to the exploitation of labor, the endless pursuit of tax breaks for the wealthy, and the increasing disparity between the haves and have-nots. The old, familiar playbook of “trickle-down” economics, the belief that wealth concentrated at the top will somehow benefit everyone, has failed. The system is rigged. It’s a sad state of affairs where campaigning in the United States is ridiculously expensive, pushing politicians to rely on corporate donors and big money. The consequences are clear: politicians beholden to corporate interests, not to the needs of the people. This is how the system is designed to work.
There’s a sense that we are running out of time. We need to confront the issues and take action. The solutions are readily available and they involve raising taxes on the wealthy, reintroducing wealth taxes, reining in stock buybacks, and eliminating the income cap on social security. Investing in universal healthcare and childcare is an imperative for a better society. The ideas are not radical, they are fundamental to creating a more equitable society. At the same time, we need to attack monopolies and limit the control that private equity firms have over industries. This is about dismantling the structures that concentrate wealth and power.
The constant critique of the Trump years also seems to be focused on him as being a symptom, not the cause. The problems predate his presidency, and extend beyond him. There’s a danger in oversimplifying complex issues and putting it all on one individual. The challenges facing America have been decades in the making. And there is an argument that Trump revealed the underlying issues rather than created them. He exposed the fractures, the divisions, and the disillusionment that have been simmering beneath the surface.
The decline of the American empire is not inevitable. It requires a lot of hard work. To make real change, it is important to question the doomerism and pessimism. The same people who say we can’t fix things are the ones who are creating the problems. They benefit from it. They have created an atmosphere of hopelessness that serves their interests. They want to distract us from the real causes. We must fight back and push for a future that benefits everyone. The author argues that even if the empire crumbles, the core principles can still be put into practice. There’s a silver lining for humanity, but late-stage capitalism has to fail. This is something that is extractive and warps governing. It can’t be sustained anymore.
It is important to remember America has always had challenges. The country has survived a civil war, two world wars, the Great Depression, and desegregation. It can survive Trump too. The biggest problems are the unbridled capitalism and the economic inequality. We are being torn down by the wealthy class to ensure they get theirs now. The right-wing apologetics and those who are covering for them should be ashamed of the low quality stuff they produce. This is more of an anti-democratic agenda. They want to make you hopeless and apathetic. If the states end, it will kill millions of the most vulnerable people. It’s the job of the American people to make sure that doesn’t happen.
We must get involved. We must take action. We must vet our candidates and hold them accountable. The fight to save America, to create a more just and equitable society, is not over. It is just beginning.