“Is this the beginning or even the middle of the decline of America?” – Dontomasso

I guess that would depend on how far away is the bottom. I prefer the term decay rather than decline. It has a little more bite; the smell of something rotting. If you take a high-level view of human society there are some factors to consider. Humans have varying degrees of "survival of the fittest", which is manifested by greed, aggression and the need for power. Our society places a high value on the individual and achievement, which usually comes at the expense of others. Along with that comes disrespect, malice and deceit. The virtues of compassion and charity are losing ground. For society to work there has to be rules that benefit the whole. People take offense if their individual “rights” are infringed upon.

LaLousiane cited the Roman Empire’s demise. Maybe that has to happen to our society. Government corruption, unethical business practices, disrespect for fellow humans, all contribute to the decay. These are all evident in our society. The primary social group is the family. That institution has definitely decayed. Go to a family restaurant and observe the mother, father, son and daughter staring at and thumbing their smartphones. Is that a healthy social group?