Can the US Stay Ahead?

I often find tales of the US' reduced dominance to be a little overplayed, but thought this article in USNews to be interesting, despite the hyped title. I'll let you read the article, but I found some numbers at the end of the article very interesting:

Estimated amount U.S. companies spend annually on R&D: $194 Billion

Estimated amount U.S. companies spend annually on tort litigation: $205 Billion

Percent of engineering Ph.D's awarded in the United States that go to foreign-born students: 56

Number of the world's Top 25 information-technology companies based in the U.S.: 6

Number of the world's Top 25 information-technology companies based in Asia: 14

U.S. trade balance in high-tech manufactured goods, 1990: $33 Billion

U.S. trade balance in high-tech manufactured goods, 2004: -24 Billion