Terence Corcoran: Is this the end of America?

The world is beginning to notice DC's grip is weakening. Here's a clear-eyed assessment from the Financial Post of what we can expect from Obama's hyper-ambitious agenda:

Reform of health care, environmental policy, education, energy, banking, regulation — every nook and cranny of the U.S. economy has been put on alert for major change. Expansion of government spending, plunging the U.S. into unprecedented deficits, is without parallel. In economic policy, through regulation and control of energy output, financial services and monetary expansion, the U.S. government has embarked on a fundamental reshaping of America. It is designed, in short, to bring on the end of America.

Of course -- that's the whole point of revolution and reconstruction -- you destroy the old and rebuild according to your own inspired vision. But as the author warns, sometimes the revolution you ignite isn't the revolution you expect, and unforeseen consequences mock your brilliant scheme.

This observation from the field of organization science hints at one of the surprises possibly awaiting us:

Major changes, however, occur when a system reaches a 'far-from-equilibrium' state, much like the condition of intense conflict and antagonism that precedes a war. When the intensity of the fluctuations reaches a level of disorder that the system is unable to suppress, it will become highly unstable and unable to continue unaffected.

At this stage, known as 'bifurcation point,' it may disintegrate and become extinct or, like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, become completely reorganized. When the latter occurs, some of the fundamental aspects will be preserved, even though the system will be completely restructured. The preservation of some key features establishes 'points of self-reference,' constants which are crucial to its continued existence. Self-reference provides a code that allows a system to retain its essential identity while undergoing even catastrophic change.

Have we arrived at such a "bifurcation point," when the still-distinct components of America break away in order to survive?

Maybe a better question is, Will Obama bring us to that point?