The empirical data is here, there, everywhere. It's what and how the facts are processed that is the issue. 
A poster earlier left the "snooze" sign. Remember the title: "While America Slept"? Or the earlier: "While England Slept"?
Complacency is the bane of affluence and the best weapon of the opportunist. It is said that a dog's doing the triple turn before lying down is a defense against snakes. The USofA simply turned its back.