"U.S. Leads in Nobels, Trails in Alleyway Sex: Caroline Baum By Caroline Baum - Feb 23, 2011 4:00 PM PT Bloomberg Opinion Caroline Baum Before you sell the house, auction the family heirlooms, gather up the kids and book passage on a boat to anywhere to escape the decline of the American Empire, take a deep breath. Things arenât as bad as some would have you believe. Perhaps youâve read articles or seen statistics that claim the U.S. is among the worst of the worst when it comes to things like income inequality, life expectancy and student performance in math and science. If thatâs the case, you have to wonder why so many folks are risking life and limb to get in. The U.S. happens to be the No. 3 destination for asylum seekers, according to NationMaster.com, an online database that aggregates statistics from the CIA World Factbook, United Nations and World Bank among others. Not surprisingly, the U.S. ranks first in the number of immigrants. (We are a nation of immigrants.) What about other indicators that challenge the notion the U.S. is going the way of empires past?"..... continued http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...alleyway-sex-commentary-by-caroline-baum.html