Try averaging the decline rate from 1972 to the present. That might give you a better picture.

Rainsong, we are importing 14.25 million barrels a day, or 5.2 billion barrels a year at an average price of about $60 a barrel this year.This is a real national security problem and economic drain on our economy. Even President Bush says so, because we are importing 68% of the oil we use, and its just silly to say otherwise.
Bob Ebersole

rainsong, you are looking at only the last two years. You're missing the long-term trend. I refer you to this graph:

http://www.theoildrum.com/uploads/44/cera_figure_1.jpg

Since the early 70s there have been a few good years, but the long-term trend in America has been 2% [edit] yearly decline.

America now produces 50% what it did at peak. To get back up to the peak, we'd need to find a lot of fresh Saudi Arabias on American soil. As a practical matter this isn't ever going to happen.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec5_7.pdf

1972 (C+C):
Lower 48: 9.4 mbpd
Total US: 9.6 mbpd

2006 (C+C):
Lower 48: 4.5 mbpd (down 53%)
Total US: 5.1 mbpd (down 47%)

Lower 48 production showed a recent rebound primarily because of the ongoing recovery from hurricane damage to production and transportation infrastructure. Also, Total Liquids somewhat distorts the US production situation, because of the increasing contribution from refinery gains.

In any case, since 1972, the Lower 48 has shown a long term decline rate of 2.2% per year, the total US, 1.9% per year.

Based on the HL plot, the US is about 85% depleted (conventional C+C).

In order for our crude oil imports to just stay flat, we have to reduce our crude oil consumption at the same volumetric rate (bpd) that our domestic crude oil production declines.

Rainsong,
It would also be reasonable to see what kind of effort and cost was required to get this 2.5mb out of the ground as compared with 1948 or so, when we first swung through this level of production, or even what it costs compared to last year. Are we pumping a lot more water/gas to maintain pressure? Are our maintenance costs for countless smaller wells becoming a much stronger fraction of the production expense? The flow is certainly the critical number that gets all the attention, but the state we are in is also illustrated by how hard we have to scrabble now to keep from slipping down the slippery wall of this pit.

Bob