The end of Western Civilization, or the end of an era?

I make a lot of comparisons of America with Rome.  Rome was a republic.  America is still mostly a republic.

As Rome moved forward in time, it became an empire, with an emperor.  Is that in America's future?

It does appear that way.  The trend is toward more and more centralized government dominated by Washington DC.  The federal republic is being slowly degraded over time, as the government in that quasi city-state continues to amass power unto itself.

The framers of the Constitution were right about not trusting politicians.  The checks and balances were written into the document because of this basic distrust.  If "we the people" could trust politicians, then why have any checks and balances at all?

These checks and balances are still there, but there doesn't seem to be the will to use those powers.  If those powers aren't going to be used, then they will be lost.  An end to the Republican era, but what about the civilization that remains?

It seems that the military is still in good shape.  It would be difficult to beat the United States in a war.  Even if that happened, it would be a Pyrrhic Victory.  As long as this holds, and nobody can really win a war, the United States will still exist as an civilization.  But what it will be like is another matter altogether.

Republic or empire?