Is the USA still a democratic republic?

[angus]

who's gonna be the barbarians from the north to get rid of the USA.

From the East.  Ours will come from the East.  It will be a crushing indebtedness to them, rather than gunpowder (which was provided by the East many centuries ago), which defeats us.

[angus]

it's really weird that people worry about a still developing state

No one worries about it.  To the extent that the comparison to Rome is valid, the whole point is precisely that we don't worry about it.  We just keep getting fatter and assume that others are worrying about it for us.  (And no we're not looking to debate whether the comparison is valid.  The presupposition being as it is, you have to find parallels.  It's rather like saying that if Jerry Seinfeld is Hank Hill, then obviously Kramer is Boomhauer.  The only thing left to argue about is whether Elaine is Bill or Dale.  I'd say Dale, and George is Bill, but I know that there are those on this forum who disagree.  Whether or not all 90s comedies followed the same formula is another debate.  Here, we're just assuming that they did and all we're doing is filling in the blanks.)

[angus]

^Why would Kramer be Boomhauer? Dale seems like a more apt comparison.

Kramer is the sage.  Well, that's what I always perceived.  Boomhauer is also the sage.  Nothing elucidates quite like a Boomhauer soliloquy.  Dale is, of course, the conspiracy theorist, and I suppose that you can find some of the conspiracy theorist in Kramer.  Maybe the juxtaposition isn't perfect.