Interest Rates and Bonds and Risk

1.) Consider this opinion:  “Interest rates have been generally declining for the past 30 years, and are near historical lows in the U.S.  Therefore, there is nowhere for interest rates to go but up, which means you’d have to be nuts to invest in bonds!”  What do you think? 

2.) Consider the statement “U.S. government bonds have been downgraded by the rating agencies in recent years due to an increased level of risk brought on by our growing federal debt burden.  Therefore, there is no such thing as a “risk-free” rate of interest.”  What do you think?

These are two separate questions. 200 words maximum per question please.