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The truth: America is not #1 anymore


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Ken Layne wrote a great article on Political Machine recently. He wrote about America's current position in the world, and how we should deal with it. Instead of blurting out patriotic slogans and ignoring reality, we need to focus on moving this nation foward by reforming education, health-care, etc. Here's an excerpt:

"Option A: Admit it, and come up with some real programs to at least stop America's decline, if not reverse it. Here are a few programs that made America the greatest country in the world from World War II until the 1970s, when everything began its sad plunge: the G.I. Bill, the WPA and the Apollo program.

Option B: Just lie like crazy, do some photo ops with dumb poor people, and act like it's offensive to even mention that America's got a serious case of Decline and Fall.

Option B will get you elected, at least."
Liberal007

28 responses // The truth: America is not #1 anymore

  • Option A please.
    CarolynGillis
  • http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/GDP_...
    I'm sorry. but this is just wrong. Two arguments (aimed at two audiences):

    For the liberals:

    Question: Why should we be so hyper-nationalistic as to even care about nation ranking? Are we all not brothers?

    For the conservatives:

    Real Clear Fact of the Day: America still leads most tabulations of GDP per Person. And, by far, the largest GDP in the world (excluding the EU --which isn't a nation) DOUBLE THAT OF CHINA!

    We're very rich, and that's a good thing.
    petervan
  • Yup very rich indeed.
    Millions with zero health care coverage.
    Millions living in poverty.
    Millions with piss poor education.
    Millions with inadequate housing.
    Millions about to lose their homes.
    Millions in jail for petty offenses.

    A constitution which the sitting president refers to as a "goddamed piece of paper"

    How about fairness, equality, and the same law for everyone? I wish you well.
    recommended by  stephenthomson
    AntiFacistCanuck
    1 response to this
  • We haven't been number one for a LONG time. Most of the people that argue that we are still the best country in the world just haven't been anywhere else.
    NcSchu
  • This health care argument is horrible. I do NOT want to pay for health care of someone else. I want to deal with me and my family not someone else's smoked out lungs. Find a better solution. Everyone health care is only something that is plausible in Care Bear Land, and as far as I can see I don't see any talking bears with kindergarten stickers on their tummies.

    As for America falling. It's going to fall. We are just going to have to hope that when it does fall we are not killed in the process.

    Enron is a perfect mimic of what is going on right now. They told everyone (and everyone believed them, though) that they were fine and that they were making this much money here and there. This lie of them making this much money bloomed and they were put on the Fortune 500 and were praised. They were bleeding money. Their lies did nothing but make it worse. America is in the same boat. Telling everyone everything is fine while bleeding out what we need to live is not going to be pretty when there's nothing left to bleed.

    I'm glad that I'm not at all angry with any one country that if I so wanted to I'd just get up and leave and live there. But I like Texas and Texas is the only state that was it's own Nation for a while and I think that if worse came to worse it could do it again.
    J_Jammer
    1 response to this
  • If it has not yet lost its spot at number 1 it is well on its way to losing it. America is in decline it seems and people are just ignoring the facts... Something needs to be done and the author makes some good points. Ladies and gentlemen we are not perfect, and its time to elect someone who will work to get us back on top instead of just lying to us and saying we are already there...
    MoMoney
  • Maybe being #1 should account for more things besides GDP and military, like the pride in being American, helping those in need, and understanding the true value and greatness of the Constitution and how people fought for this country. These are things that should make America #1, not manipulating the system, being power hungry, and ignoring the benefits of diplomacy.
    middle_east
    1 response to this
  • I'm not proud to be an American, I'm proud to be a Californian. Ever since they annexed us 162 years ago they've been treating California like Jabba The Hutt treats Princess Leia.
    Dmitri_Molotov
    2 responses to this
  • poor educational system, poorhouse debt levels, low production & manufacturing (outsourcing & lack of innovation), horrible mainstream media avenues, cultural wars & racism, decrease in true democracy and freedom.....shall i go on?
    ultrasur1
  • how un-american of that guy to write such a thing. WE'RE #1, WE'RE #1. (atleast if we keep saying that maybe we can convince ourselves that we are somehow better off than people in say, canada, france, the uk, ireland, germany, australia, spain, italy, new zealand, etc...)
    diabolical44
  • Man, I like being American. I'm proud to be American. You know how much we have to pay for oil in Germany? Make a guess. How much money is taken in taxes? Sure we lost a few liberties from the Patriot Act (for now), and health care is optional at the moment. But if you haven't traveled outside America, you have no idea how good we have it there. Voice dissent, protest, and change things. Atleast you can.

    Denken Sie nach Hartz IV Kinder und Generation Doof. Probieren Sie einmal eine andere Sprache. Es ist wirklich nicht so einfach.
    drewsuf721
  • I think we lost the #1 spot around the year 2000.
    huntre
  • Our education system does suck...
    Logos51891
    1 response to this
  • is it possible that the new "top" countries...

    (i really hate the concept of "#1" anyways, especially with complex things like nations and their peoples....it really degrades everyone...i find it vulgar actually. that's why i never got into communism, the constant reference to the "masses" was so vulgar.)

    anyways, is it possible that America is still number 1 due to China, India, Dubai...branching out from us? I've visited China and Dubai within the past three years and really see their locales as hyper-intense versions of American economics. Cosmic amphetamine usage, most likely.
    patrickteque
  • Good job clayjj05!

    Hey everybody that idolizes the EU, try going there and making a living. See what happens to your hard-earned money.
    Saber2011
    1 response to this
  • This better serve as a wake up call. America may still be rich, but it is poor in so many other senses.
    OfficiallyVish
  • sad to say but When it come's to arresting sick people for using safe and effective medicine such as cannabis, we're still Number 1.
    Enjoy_Cannabis
  • Okay I think I'm going with clay on this one. If America's not "#1" then its still pretty high up there. Granted, our education system is definitely going downhill and our kids are significantly more ignorant than Europeans, but these are more personal issues. You learn what you want to learn and you're ignorant only if you choose to be. Our problems in this area are cultural issues and every family should be able to solve them for themselves. We don't need to reform the whole education system to teach our kids to value learning and awareness.
    magnusdeus
  • America has been to concerned about being the number one nation of the world. Why won't it be more concerned about the people that are living in the nation?
    Dubdice23
  • AMERICA FUCK YEAH!
    -love your country, fear your government. get away from the *(*&*& numbers and know your history. not the one taught in school these days. but the truth. america is a great country, but the people in power our running their own agendas. its time to change the reality of government, and to stop self-imposing an image of being the best, biggest, and richest. and remember, its all bullshit.
    egvalencia
  • how is it bullshit? we are the best and the richest.

    You been to the hood, they have flat screens and running water. Go to Burma where they dont have shit
    clayjj05

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