Barring significant change in direction, the U.S. will be on the downward path, and one wonders if the decline might not be even more precipitous. It is not merely due to bigger, stronger government but to the decline in reliance on traditional sources of meaning—faith, family, relationships. We are satiated by the luxury technology provides us but at the expense of meaning. And when meaning goes, malaise (a risky word to use, I know) dominates. Like an individual with depression loses motivation to participate in life, so a culture in malaise does the same thing.
Look at Europe. Having rejected real values and traded them for comfort and the nanny state they have lost the will to live. As a result in 20 years Islam will be the dominant belief system.
Population growth is a measure of a cultures economic success as well as its faith in the future. I would argue that with the 40+ year campaign of post modernism and its constant deconstruction of any and all institutions that the public (those that listen to them) start to believe that all life is futile. If futility is your starting point, chances are pretty good that you won’t be having a large family. With our country, we have been using illegal immigration to offset the drop in fertility. This, as the Europeans know, is a problem. Funny thing is the illegal alien produces offspring at double the rate of native born Americans. Guess they have a positive attitude towards the future. From an objective point of view, who do you think is happier, the post modern intellectual, or the illegal alien who cherishes the Catholic Church? You can choose to see life as futile or fanstastic (half empty/half full) the only difference seemingly is one is happy, the other not.