UncleJimmy,
I don't think there's any indication of America slipping at all. Are we in a better shape today than during the Vietnam era? How about compared compared to the McCarthyism era? How about the Great Depression? I think we are.
For any negative indicator you might choose, there is a positive. For example, you might point out that the US' GDP is a smaller percentage of world GDP than it was 50 years ago. That is true. I could then counter with pointing out that there is a strong cultural exportation of American cultural products (i,e, music, Hollywood, etc) and that is historically a sign of a strong nation. We could do this over and over. Witness the emergence of the techno-American military, for example.
I think that if one looks at the totality of events in America that would indicate it's strength and the quality of our way of life, things are getting better - not worse.
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