Back briefly, if I may, to the failure of Schwinn.

I don't see it as much as a symbol of the decline of the USA, but more as an evolution. One company fails, others step in to fill the void and hopefully do better. Specialized and Trek were on the upswing as Schwinn was failing, and presumably were run better.

Sure, there is greed in business. There always has been. I think Schwinn failed more by their lethargy and gross stupidity than by greed. By the third generation the drive of Ignaz and Frank W. had disappeared. This happens frequently in family businesses.

Not an American business, but look at the failure of SunTour. They started out innovating and got complacent. They also got run over by Shimano, so that by the time their patents expired they were in deep trouble.

It can happen anywhere.