But I don't understand what good it does to stand at a distance and say "see I told you so"
No good...No bad.
Entropy. Be it in nature or social-political areas is unavoidable. All systems break down...and build back up.
Awareness.
You've read in your history classes about great Empires of the past and how they crumble. Sometimes a quick death on the sword or other times a slow painful demise due to some internal virus. Is this the moment in time when history books ( data crystals, chips? ) will target the moment the mighty U.S. of A. descended and gave way to say...China, Euro-Union, or a future Neo-Islamic or Unified Mid-East power? Who's to say. But we are living in a pivotal moment in history.
Rich get richer, poor get poorer. Story repeats itself for thousands of years. Left hand blames the Right hand and the Right hand blames the Left hand...all the while the body is dying and neither hand is doing anything to help preserve the life in which the body gives. Then you have all the individual fingers with their interests, trying to grab power and control from the big apple pie.
Democracy and Liberty are dying and NBA walk outs and missing wives are the story of the day.
Try to change or protest the system and they lock you up. Watch what you say, how you say, where you say...or you will be labled.
What can you do now? Nothing. There was time to patch it up...maybe to U.S.A. ver. 9.0, but sometimes the virus just forces you to go with a new machine.
With the current path the U.S. is taking, and the way other nations are emerging and growing, things will only get more tense and violent...because one day that new regime will go to far and common folk will be forced to rise up. Maybe one day when SUVs and NFL football is no longer available...seems to be the priorities of the day.
Perhaps.
Perhaps not.