Wannabe reformer to preside over collapse of system:

The crisis in the US is different, and let's face it, it always boils down to economics: the problem in the US is the crushing debt burden, both public and private, which will require some painful changes; the USSR, on the other hand, was a "developing" country at best, over reliant on the export of natural resources for income given that they had no industries that were competitive outside their sphere of influence.

Somewhat ironically, a crash (collapse of foreign debt financing, fall of the housing and/or derivate/hedge fund market) has the potential to leave the US better off in the long run in a number of ways - the military budget benefits a microscopic number of people at extreme cost to everyone else, and overconsumption contributes to very unhappy lives. The USSR / Russia had no such potential.

you are the media you consume.