Has it declined? Or was giving the vote to the boobocracy behind the apparent decline?

Yes, a friend had some old "American Mercury" magazines and I have been reading H. L. Mencken.

An adv. in today's (June 3, 2009) online Santa Fe New Mexican-

"Receive trusted, up-to-the-minute neighborhood information directly from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and Health Dept."

I guess that this is one way to cut expenses in a recession.