Reply #23: Yes and No.

[progressoid]

In terms of national standards (health, wealth, etc), I think we peaked in the late 80's - 90's. Today's generation will see a lower standard of living than their predecessor.

Unemploy/underemployment, wages, death of the middle class. Yeah, that all sucks the big one. But I don't expect to return to the depression era just yet. And even if there is an economic collapse, we have a better infrastructure in place that will hold things together (or the Chinese, the Saudis and Hugo Chavez can bail us out).

The big brother problems...it wasn't too long ago that certain groups of US citizens were treated like enemies in their own country (Blacks, Japanese, Native Americans, etc). Now it's happening to some of us. We'll rectify it.

The planet may already be beyond saving...sort of. Civilized societies on the planet?...that's another story. It's defiantly going to get worse, but it won't become a sci-fi movie barren wasteland either. The planet will survive. If we could get people to stop squirting out babies for a while that would help.

For a usually pessimistic person, I'm hopeful (uh oh there's that word) that we and the upcoming new leadership will make a difference and turn this around. If not, I know how to brew alcohol and can drink myself into oblivion.