THE DECLINE OF A SUPERPOWER: IS THE U.S. BECOMING A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY?

Bridges are crumbling, schools are closing and basic services are being cut, as the many unemployed give up hope

Also in this week's issue: The Maclean's magazine 2010 annual professional schools rankings-our guide to the best: - law - business - medical - engineering

TORONTO, Sept. 9 /CNW/ - The signs of decline are almost everywhere: In some communities, street lights are being turned off to save money or paved roads are being converted back to gravel. In others, libraries are being closed or privatized, trash collection, snow removal or bus services are being cut back. In one Ohio county, the law enforcement staff has been cut so harshly that one squad car covers 1,900 sq. kilometres, the force has no patrol units and doesn't even respond to property crimes. The result? Citizens are starting to take the law into their own hands.

As the U.S. unemployment rate sits at a dismal 9.6 per cent and one in 10 homeowners are behind on their mortgage payments, the American underclass is growing-as is anxiety about a possible double-dip recession and worsening unemployment. Washington bureau chief Luiza Ch. Savage uncovers what's really happening south of the border.

Maclean's 2010 professional schools rankings

Our fourth annual guide to Canada's best professional schools, on newsstands today, features 21 pages of in-depth, need-to-know information about how to land a coveted spot at the top graduate schools across the country. Exclusive rankings and articles give prospective students the inside story on law, business, medical and engineering schools-where to go, the hottest programs, the biggest pitfalls. PLUS:

• Today's red hot engineers: building financial markets, robots, stem cells and green scenes
• Late-blooming entrepreneurs head back to business school; breakfast M.B.A., anyone?
• Med schools reassess science requirements as Canadians head to Grenada and beyond for their degrees
• Business schools leverage Canada's financial savvy to attract top talent
• Exclusive law rankings tell the tale: getting in has never been harder

About Maclean's

Maclean's is Canada's only national weekly current affairs magazine. Maclean's enlightens, engages and entertains 2.4-million readers with strong investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading journalists in the fields of international affairs, social issues, national politics, business and culture.

Visit www.macleans.ca.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Louise Leger, [phone], [email protected]