LOOKS LIKE WE ARE COOKED

I found this recent article from the NY Times, to be informative yet, quite disturbing.  It paints a bleak picture (at least in my mind) regarding our nation's ability to EVER compete in the world economy in anything other than as a secondary fiddler.
It's not something any of us want to hear but, after reading it, I can be comfortable in my belief that, if not immediately, very soon, we will be on our deathbed as a world power.  
It's even more frustrating that our inept politicians continue to ride our nation, faster and faster to the abyss.  They are our Nero and we are their Rome.  
I should warn you that the article is not only a long one but, it doesn't have a happy ending.  What it gave me was a very clear example of the inevitable, we are facing as our culture degrades along with our economic muscle.