OK, so things have been going to hell in America for more than 224 years. What else is new? It has its compensations. I can't buy a slave for $20 or land for pennies on the hectare any more, but if I catch the clap from a slave's descendant in a back alley I can get a course of penicillin for $3 at WalMart. And watch violent movies in HDTV with surround sound, and shoot guns any one of which would have settled the issue right fast at Concord Bridge, or watch naked female cello players play Vivaldi on YouTube. And look at what is for free today, like ET. Fiat currency has never been worth a shit. The trick is to stay one step ahead of inexorable inflation by buying durable toys. How much will you give for a screwable gynecoid when it hits the market? The marvels of modern money chasing its tail.