I was thinking the same thing. I'm thinking waste, secrecy,corruption, and uncritical media are good signs. The DNC Wikileaks definitely forced me to open my eyes.

Why do you need to pinpoint an exact time, unless you're a historian?

A totalitarian government is one that operates with an entitlement to any aspect of its subjects' lives, as opposed to merely preventing citizens' rights from being infringed and other collective action. As such, USG has been a totalitarian regime for well over a century.