>Decadence has a nice ring but it doesn't help understand
>what is going on.
Yes it does. I think the US ruling class has entered a decadent phase, characterized by an inability to think beyond the next quarter's profit report or the next election cycle. Seduced by tax cuts, it's allowed the Bush admin to ravage the national finances and threaten the pillars of empire. It may not be irreversible, but it's a problem, and I think it's a fine way to begin to think about what's going on now.
Doug