The 10 Worst Things About the Worst Decade Ever

The 10 Worst Things About the Worst Decade Ever
THOMAS DWORZAK / MAGNUM for TIME

Hurricane Katrina, 2005
When natural disaster struck the U.S., the physical dimensions were not as gigantic as the Indian Ocean tsunami, but the psychological effect was tremendous. The city of New Orleans, so integral to America's self-image, drowned when its levees gave way. And the almost callous ineffectiveness of all levels of government in responding to the calamity further eroded the myth of American exceptionalism.

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