If USA and Washington is Rome, who plays Nero?

Are we watching the collapse of out nation? No, I really mean the collapse of our nation. We now have a nation that once again had a bridge collapse and has the worst infrastructure in the developed world. Our trains go 1/3 the speed of trains in Japan and Europe with daily delays, and our water and sewage system is crumbling.  Our electrical grids fail at an alarming rate, and new technology can't get to customers due to a lack of a grid they can get on. Our unemployment rate is still too high, the poor and the elderly are getting squeezed by austerity measures imposed by Congress. The gap between the CEO pay and regular workers' pay is the highest it's ever been, and the top 10% of earners now own 60% of America's wealth. So, really, is America going the way of Roman Empire? It sure looks like it, and if so, I have no doubt that Boehner, McConnell, and the entire Tea Party will fiddle while the country burns. But, when History is written, who gets the starring Nero role?