From Lord Acton:
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This is a familiar quote, but it yields a conclusion many Americans would rather not reach. By the standards of military capabilities and underlying economic power, the U.S. government is the most powerful in history. The unconnected dot: the government is itself corrupt, and like the one ring in The Lord of the Rings, it corrupts those in the government who wield its power. While the government may not yet be absolutely corrupt, if history is any guide, that is the direction it is heading. And if history is any guide, sooner or later comes its downfall.
