If America's problems were a conspiracy, the solution would be simple - expose the leaders and disband the conspirators. But it isn't that simple. America's problems are the result of millions of American citizens acting spontaneously in what they think is their best short-term self interest. If it is a conspiracy, it is a natural, leaderless one where short-term self interest destroys long-term national stability.
In 1777, Thomas Paine (American Crisis, No. 4) said, "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it". Less well know is this quote from Irishman John Philpot Curran in 1790, "It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt". (for other quotes see Freedom Keys) Think about that for a minute.
Indolent means "wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy". Its' opposite is diligent, meaning "characterized by steady, earnest, energetic effort". A cultural shift from indolence to diligence or from diligence to indolence is the sum of millions of individual decisions made throughout every day of every year. Our national identity and culture is defined by individual actions, not government decree. As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and he is us".
What government can and does do is create incentives and penalties that influence individual decisions and actions. Those incentives and penalties are applied to individual citizens by low level government workers in millions of daily interactions between government and citizens. As long as those incentives and penalties are applied to all citizens equally, we have the rule of law. When the rich and powerful get preferential treatment, we have corruption.
The rule of law promotes diligence. Corruption promotes indolence. To determine which prevails in your community, look at the municipal services in the richest and poorest neighborhoods. If they are the same, you live under the rule of law. If not, you are ruled by corruption.
