What Happened To America's Sense Of Pride And Self-Esteem?

When I was growing up in the 1940's, our country had a self-assuredness---a sense of can-do and pride.  

We continue to proclaim we are the best, but I feel we are really starting to realize (at least silently) that it's no longer true.  What we have definitely lost is our sense of pride.

There should be a feeling of shame that our infrastructure is crumbling.  Our roads are in tatters, our electrical grids are antiquated, are bridges are crumbling.  I'm saddened and shamed that our country, during my lifetime, has declined so noticeably.  But, what may be worse is that there seems no will to do anything about it---and no sense of shame that we can't or won't fix the mess.

What happened to the American sense of pride that once existed?  Has it become ok to live in squalor?  Third-world.  Let's get used to it.