The American Way of Life is CONSUMING

(more than our share of natural resources; more than we need of consumer goods; more than is good for us of just about anything).

It is driven by advertising which tells us that every American needs a house, two cars and a huge flat screen TV. Throw in the curse of patriotism ("Greatest country in the world!"), and the parallels with the Roman Empire's decline become obvious.

British filmmaker Adam Curtis's 2002 BBC documentary The Century of the Self lays out how it happened. Highly recommended.