[12thr0wit]

I'd agree easily that China and India are at least a big of a threat to the US position as top economy. There's nothing, other than inertia and maybe cultural influences, maintaining the status quo. I say maybe, because I don't know a lot about Indian and Chinese culture.

I feel that there's not a lot of concern here about the possibility of falling behind, because we're all entertained to a degree where we just don't care. So many people are always entertained by television, radio, music, sports, infotainment, and as a result they barely take their education, families, and work seriously, let alone global balance.

If we lost the 24/7 entertainment, we'd see a shift in perception and an increase in competitiveness and motivation.