During the Cold War, the Soviets and Americans fought to be the best at everything. From the “space race” to economies, education and technology, the feeling in both countries was that the loser would be wiped out. Since the end of the Cold War, the desire to be the best no longer fuels such determination. As a result, over the past two decades, Americans have become increasingly aware and fearful of decline. There is a lively debate about the current state of America, both compared to where it was 40 years ago and compared to other countries. Some, like New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, claim there's a "fire in the basement" and we don't even know it's there. These “declinists” believe that America has a serious problem and that its stature is steadily declining in various categories such as technology, education and the economy. On the other side of the debate are people like Alan Dowd who believe America is still a world leader and in great shape. While I recognize that America is still clinging to its leadership role, as Americans there are many reasons to be pessimistic about the future of this great country. In a 2006 Time magazine article titled "Are We Losing Our Edge," Michael D. Lemonick lays out a number of reasons to be skeptical about America's future. Among his various reasons, he cites three specific reasons why experts in business and academia warn about issues specifically related to science and technology. He claims that the federal government has not invested enough in research and development, that big companies are more concerned about quick money than time spent researching the next big thing, and that the "quality of teaching in mathematics and science is essential.” ..... middle of paper ....... The Cold War was certainly a frightening time in American history, but it produced great results such as NASA and medical and scientific breakthroughs. We must feel the same sense of urgency to push us toward unprecedented exploration and innovation. Otherwise, we will quickly find ourselves facing even worse economic difficulties than today. Works Cited Herr, Phillip. U.S. POSTAL SERVICE Extensive restructuring is needed to address deteriorating finances. Representative number GAO-09-790. United States Government Accountability Office. July 30, 2009. Web accessed March 18, 2011. Obama, Barack. “State of the Union Address.” Address. United States Capitol, Washington DC, January 25, 2011. The White House. Accessed on the web on March 18. 2011. .