I think we're missing the point. The biggest risk to The American Dream comes not from foreign 'outlaw' nations, nor from terrorist groups. It comes from the ever increasing concentration of wealth and power amongst fewer people.
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Sorry Tony, but since you mentioned history and China in the same breath, I thought it was worth reminding people that we could actually learn from their experience, and try and avoid the same path.

Hey, don't apologize to me. I come here to be enlightened, and occasionally evangelize my own viewpoints in the hopes that I cause others to think about something in a slightly different way. I'm not generally big on these political or ideological debates, but with so many people firing pot-shots at America recently, I just wanted to see where people really stood. It turns out a lot of them stand on shaky ground when they criticize America, though some have also produced sound, logical explanations of their views.

Anyway, your arguments are extremely well-formed, but I'm afraid you haven't changed my mind about any of this.... Because I already agree with everything you've said! But I do not attribute it to flaws in capitalist or democratic ideologies. I attribute it to the way our current two-party flavor of democracy has evolved, and to the inadequacies of particular individuals or groups of individuals who have held key leadership positions in our government. Our leadership does need some reforming, the taxes do need fixing, corporate America does need to be accountable... I never believed in trickle-down economics. I, like you, see these warning signs. Though I don't tend to have these kinds of statistics on hand at all times!