Is America in decline?

Steven Walt says "no" but he is looking at the U.S. in the world, not as a nation that has lost its 'mojo', a nation that is rapidly becoming dysfunctional, a nation led by people who care only about winning elections rather than being good governors of the nation.  It is true, as he says, that we still have a lot of attributes to make other nations envious, but we, the citizens, have seen what we once were and that change in perception is really why so many of us feel that America is in decline.  

Look at our standing relative to other countries when it comes to education.  Where has our manufacturing base gone?  How many people have lost their homes?  When was it that banks became more important than people?  Why does a CEO of  a major company make so much more than the average worker?  Where has the middle class gone?  Why have we become so intolerant?  One could go on and on.  I'm lucky; I won't be here to see the final act.