We had it great, but destroyed it.

I read this article and came to a realization.

The predicted end of the United States has already happened.  It's just that no one told the old girl she's dead yet.

I'm not kidding.  The nation I once admired is long gone.  It's been effectively gone for years.

We don't compromise anymore.  Great things used to be done in this nation by compromise.  Now, it's all gridlock and last second deals that hold us paralyzed until the 11th hour.

We are a nation of people who love to hate, who seek a new demon in every group that is different from "us".  Once we passed the Civil Rights Act.  Now, it's considered "cool" to hate anyone who disagrees with you, or who is different, be they gay, black, Mexican, female, or whatever.

We built a massive interstate system, and now can't even pass a bill to keep it in working order without weeks of partisan gridlock.

Every issue, no matter how large or small, is a political crisis.  Things that were supported by one side are opposed by that same side as soon as the *other* side is in the majority.  Politicians support things only so long as they get them elected.

People defend those who say or do vile things, and condemn others for the same thing, based on party affiliation.

There was a time when people realized we were all Americans first, and our differences came second.  Now, if you disagree you are "un-American".  Prominent politicians refer to some as "real Americans", shoving off those who are of a different ideology as not "real Americans".  

Congress is so dysfunctional that "compromise" is considered political suicide.  

I've been following politics since 2001, and more closely since 2003.  And I've lived in places as diverse as Florida, Missouri, New Mexico, Hawaii, Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia.  Personally, I'm beyond disgusted with things now.  I'm convinced we are effectively done as a nation.  We're over…through…we had a good run, but our time is up.

Obama didn't wreck it.  George W. Bush didn't, either.  It wasn't Nancy Pelosi, or John Boehner, or Bill Frist, or the Clintons.

It was us.  We wrecked it.  We did it in a worse way than even the Civil War.  We are in a state that I genuinely believe if we were invaded we'd get our asses kicked rather than pull together and work as one to defeat a common enemy.  

I frankly think we've already done ourselves in.  We'll exist as a nation, but any greatness we once had is long gone.  It's all downhill from here.  After all, anything anyone tries to do about it will just be labeled "fascist", or "socialist", and the "other side" will just oppose it because it's not their idea.  

I have zero faith that it will ever get any better.  None.  Zip.

I hate being this pessimistic, but I don't see any improvement in site.  Look at it this way…"liberals" hated Bush, and would have done anything to get rid of him.  "Conservatives" hate Obama, and will do anything to get rid of him…and it's worse now than when Bush was in office.  The next Republican will be, in turn, hated even worse by "liberals", who will work even harder to oppose anything he does.  Then the next Democrat will face even more intense opposition and hatred, and so on, and so forth.  They tried to impeach Clinton for no good reason, claim to this day that Bush is a war criminal, and people still claim Obama wasn't even born here.

It will never get better, so get used to it.  We're fooling ourselves if we think it will ever get better.  We screwed it up, and what we have to pass on to the future generations is a burned out shell of what was once a great nation.

The world won't really end on 12/21/2012, but the United States of America is effectively over as of 3/14/2012.  We just won't admit it…yet.