Objectively, the overall condition of the world is inarguably improving, especially for the poorest, as clearly described in the last chapter of "The Skeptical Environmentalist". However, for the U.S., it's also true that "entropy increases." All empires end, and ours appears to have passed the turning point worried about by D'Toqueville, in which the majority learns it can (temporarily) vote itself benefits to be paid for by the minority.
Objectively, the overall condition of the world is inarguably improving, especially for the poorest, as clearly described in the last chapter of "The Skeptical Environmentalist". However, for the U.S., it's also true that "entropy increases." All empires end, and ours appears to have passed the turning point worried about by D'Toqueville, in which the majority learns it can (temporarily) vote itself benefits to be paid for by the minority.