Episode 160, The Long, Slow, Ruin of America

Adam Smith said long ago, "There is a great deal of ruin in a nation." He was talking about the British Empire, during the American revolution.
As for America's ruination, however slowly it unfolds, it has been a very painful process, and it claims an ever larger pool of victims with each passing year.
What are the milestones that have marked our journey towards ruin?
What are the big trends that are shaping our decline?
How fast is our ruination happening? Is the pace steady, slowing, or quickening?
When will it all fall in?  When will we say the ruination is complete?
Is ruin inevitable for America? Or is there something that might stop it from happening?
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Pete Ferron