I spent a decade working in the then Soviet Union. These weren't good years either....1980 until the overthrow of Gorbachev. To say the least, it was a nation going through a political change not seen on this planet since the fall of Rome. Well that might be extreme but let us say for the Russian people (speaking⁰ collectively) it was an absolutely incredible thing. By the way, you conservatives out there, Reagan didn't do it. It was our willingness to spend them into oblivion that did it. They knew "star wars" was a pie in the sky but they had to compete, it was their nature - they too had a military industrial complex and it was their government populated by Great Patriotic War vets.. well you get the idea.
We here have a shadow government of political-industrial complex types trying to run the government. The propaganda ministry is in place with Fox and the Wall Street Journal. The Industry is always in place - and if you need proof look at Halliburton electrocuting a dozen soldiers in Iraq due to faulty construction wiring and then getting a bonus for construction work done on time - and the last little peg in this three - cornered stool (get the cute reference to Napoleon there?) is the uber-rich who are supporting the idiots in the Tea Party in the wild-eyed effort to rid us of liberalism.
I was there the last time there was a disorderly transfer of power to someone who shouldn't have been on the winning end of things (why did Gorbachev spend his ending years in New Jersey????). I see it again.