How will you know when the USA has officially abandoned what made it great? See the list below and check off those actions that have occurred.

1. The Gov't will force financial institutions to take large sums of money from the treasury whether they want it or not.
2. When the first round of money "giving" doesn't work...do it again only bigger.
3. The Gov't purchases two failing business
4. The Gov't fires the CEO of one of the businesses, then installs their own "CEO".
   
5. The Gov't forces the other failing business into bankruptcy and tries to force the financial institutions "invested in" earlier to forgive the debt.
   
6. The Gov't then "helps" select the board of directors of the company in bankruptcy.
7. When one of the other major owners in the bankrupt company is the labor union.
8. And another owner is a foreign auto-maker that this Gov't likes because they know how to produce "environmentally freindly" vehicles.
9. When leadership has more sizzle than substance.
   
10. When the people of the country are so enamoured with the leadership they ignore the erosion of their freedom.

The slide has been quite and rationalized through a recession and America's pursuit of happiness. The pill of hapiness is easliy swallowed if it promises to keep you from fealing pain.
I say it only delays a more and deeper pain.