Although specifically about the US it's probably about all of us:

The truth has a unique sting, and an equally unique ability to heal the destruction wrought by dishonesty, fraud and lies. The truth hurts, because the daylight of truth demands changes that the self-serving and those in denial desperately wish to avoid. But there can be no healing or reconciliation without the truth, baldly stated and plainly spoken without artifice or spin. If we can finally be truthful with ourselves as a nation, then we must admit that our financial system is fundamentally based on lies, fraud, embezzlement, misinformation, perverse filters and incentives, shadow systems that mock transparency and regulation, class privilege and the systemic flouting of the rule of law. This is the truth that hurts because it reveals the financial system as one stupendous exploitative fraud; but it also reveals the complicity and irrelevance of our judicial system and the complete capture of the legislative and Executive processes of governance. There is a system of government in which rule of law is merely a propaganda screen, where financial and political Elites run the show and escape the consequences of their actions: it's called tyranny. The truth is that we live in a financial tyranny. There is no other truthful way to describe the U.S.

More at http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-truth-hurts-and-heals

EDIT: one of the comments under the original article talks about a "Kleptocracy". Good term!