Yes they do, we deserve the government we have because "we the people" have acted like clueless sheeple for decades and in our pettiness, tribalism, apathy and desire to be lied to have allowed it become what it is.
Enjoy the final act of FUBAR Theater America, you earned it.
You're guite salvagable as superpower that can be best trusted not to oppress others unnecessarily.

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While I applaud your optimism, it appears that we've long forgotten the hobnail boots that got us to "superpower" status and are now fully comfortable in our silk slippers while we stroll down the path trodden by numerous other Empires on the back slope.
The instability of the American Political System is just a symptom of the final stages, severe economic woes and large scale social unrest come next. I just hope we don't take the rest of the world down with us when we finally give up the Imperial Ghost.
"
History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up." --
Voltaire
there's hope this current gov shutdown will be the last one that stretches out as long as this one does.
the views i posted in this thread, are simple common sense.
if your government top leaders have become too self-interested to care for the rest of the nation, it is simply time to replace them at the very next elections where that is possible, and replace them with people who have demonstrated clear plans that a child could understand would clean up the mess in the country.
and hint, talking like i did in this thread, is part of that simple thinking that is obviously effective, and will thus attract many voters.
I think you're missing the obvious, our "
top government leaders" are a product of the growing mistrust that the citizenry has for the established order which has the effect of vaporizing what's commonly known as "moderate" (moderates are moderate because they have a significant degree of trust in the established order).
When the citizens don't trust their institutions they look for leaders that promise them ever more radical change, The effects of this attitude have been brought into sharp relief during the last two Administrations in the U.S., first Obama with his whole "
hope and change" schtick (when actually he was pretty much just a steward of the status quo) and now with Trump and his whole "
fuck the establishment" posture. The radicalization of both camps in the political crime family duo just leads to further escalation in the bitterness, infighting and distrust that already exists.
So I believe that the net result will be government "
shut downs" will become even more common than they are now and grow longer in average length, which of course will lead to further unrest among the citizenry and ever increasing degrees of bitterness, lashing out and of course radicalization.