The U.S. has done quite well. It has had a pretty stable government and incredible increases in prosperity and technology for 240 years.
No monarchy has lasted as long in the modern era.
The House of Saud in its present incarnation in Saudi Arabia only dates back to 1902.
The U.S. government was designed to overcome the problems with democracy of which you speak.
I do not know how much longer it will last.
We may be able to regain some control. If raiding the public treasury brings down the state in the modern era, it has not done so for 70 years. We may be able to avoid it for a considerable time yet.
The problem with monarchies in the modern age is they cannot stamp out opposition and have the benefits of technology at the same time. It was technological advances that brought down the monarchies.
I do not see a solution, but the Chinese are experimenting with a combination of Orwell, Brave New World, meritocracy, and oligopoly.
I wish I had 50 years to see how they and we do.
In this way, Trump could designate Rand Paul as Caesar, adopt him as his son, from which then he would assume the title Augustus. Btw, it should be noted in no way was the heir unilaterally selected. Almost every emperor came from the military, and it was the military that granted (implicit) approval. If not, there was a steady flow of assassinations that soon set the table right.
China is essentially modeling their current system of governance along these lines.
It's difficult to measure the stability of current republics vs ancient empires. For one, the current iteration of the US has only been extant since 1865. From there, it took less than 50 years for a raft of amendments and laws (eg Fed Res act) to be implemented that have created the environment today. As many observers have noted over the centuries, this course is essentially a one-way street. That is, there is no recovery.
Rather, the only solution is a re-set. How that comes about is a question of personality. Personally, I don't think Trump is willing to go there (witness the lack of prosecutions or any real hard-ball action against the deep state.) So, the situation will continue to deteriorate to the point where patriots will be fighting for their very lives against genocidal racists.
I think nationalists will ultimately prevail, both here and in Europe. But after the dust settles, I'm sure there will be serious concerns about ever allowing universal suffrage; the temptation is just too great. Even if there are strong moral codes against the process, satan's minions - those who seek power by appealing to the chaff - would eventually corrupt the body politic, just like they have today. And then, once they reach a tipping point where they are close to 50%, the gloves come off and wide-open lawlessness ensues.
To be honest, I had hope for Trump, but I've reached the conclusion it's not going to happen under his leadership. That means, buckle up and enjoy the ride.