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I actually read all of it, and I think you bring up some good points.
On one side, we could be getting struggling to advance as a country due to various factors--low test scores, recession, huge deficit, and unemployment, to name a few.
On the other, globalization may be taking the stage, rather than the nationalism we've become accustomed to. Former second and third world countries are advancing to a level near ours. We're no longer the country with the most steel mills or coal mines. The internet has brought the world together in an unprecedented way as well. Innovation need not take place in one lab at NASA when we can instantly transmit our data to another lab in the UK for them to add their research. If we don't have XXX particle excelerator, but the French do, why not work together and same some much needed money?
I suppose it's a little from column A and a little from column B. I'm an optimist so I'd like to think that we are no longer in the upper echelon because technology has brought mankind a bit closer together--rendering this echelon obsolete. The days of Big Steel or Big Cotton may be in the past, but there's no reason we can't continue to do what we do with our own sense of class, style, and pride. The 350Z is a fantastic car. It's fast, fuel effiecient, and nice looking. Why do I choose a Camaro/Mustang/Challenger? Because I'm an American and that's how we roll.
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