Basically what I'm saying is, we can elect a government that serves our own interest if we cared to.
If it does get ugly, and the government/military turns on its citizens then the US as we know it will be dead or on life support. Probably, in such a scenario, people won't go quietly into that night.
In theory, I'm still waiting to see it in practice. The Bernie Sanders situation from last election was a decent illustration of how legitimate the election process is, and they took care of him before the gloves even came off. (Trump was far trickier but as it turns out he's more of the same, if not worse.)
Not to also mention that government's and militaries need people to supply it, and if their suppliers are now on the list of enemy combatants then such governments and militaries won't have the same leverage/power as those that are not combating it suppliers.
That said, if you're holding the wealth, it's not too hard to keep the shop running (people happy) so long as you don't get bored, reckless and feckless.