WEBJan 12, 2021 · What Ails Us? Thomas Koenig. 01/12/2021. (AP Photo) “ The loss of faith in America, its promises, and its constitutional and democratic ideals augurs not only American decline, but American collapse.”. M any leading thinkers have begun correctly to refer to our present era as “decadent.”. Anomie and alienation reign, and when considered ...