Abstract
The view that Western society in general, and the United States in particular, are in rapid decline may be a matter for debate. Gathering support for that position would require perhaps 90 minutes' research at a public library, or a five-minute scan of the daily paper. A dozen references to violent crime, gang activity, official corruption, drug abuse, financial disasters, crises in health care, and more could easily be found in that time. My favorite bit of evidence, however, is an often-cited national poll.