Engineering has been in decline in the US because manufacturing has declined. Reasons are:
1) An excess population of lawyers, environmentalists and bureaucrats suing, harassing and regulating manufacturers into oblivion.
2) A lack of workers who have sufficient skills because of out lousy primary education system.
3) A Clinton administration that did everything it could to open up US markets to manufacturers in foreign countries that do not deserve out patronage.
These things can be reversed.
1) An excess population of lawyers, environmentalists and bureaucrats suing, harassing and regulating manufacturers into oblivion. This can be reversed? Does that mean we no longer have a concern for standards and we live and work in a 3rd world country? If we have standards then that is still a great expense over the wonderous technology of slave labor and sweatshops even if we have been conservative in maintaining those standards.
2) A lack of workers who have sufficient skills because of out lousy primary education system.
Considering the amount of money that goes into public education it is a terrible failure. It is by far one of the top problems in this country.