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The eurozone has been growing at an impressive clip, about the same pace per capita as the United States since 2000. It takes in half the world's foreign investment, boasts strong labor productivity, and posted a $30 billion trade surplus in the first ten months of 2007. In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index, European countries occupy seven of the top ten slots. Europe has its problems -- high unemployment, rigid labor markets -- but it also has advantages, including more efficient and fiscally sustainable health-care and pension systems. All in all, Europe presents the most significant short-term challenge to the United States in the economic realm.

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The United States' potential advantages today are in large part a product of immigration. Without immigration, the United States' GDP growth over the last quarter century would have been the same as Europe's. (...) In short, the United States' potential new burst of productivity, its edge in nanotechnology and biotechnology, its ability to invent the future -- all rest on its immigration policies. (...) Immigration also gives the United States a quality rare for a rich country -- dynamism. (...)

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[The United States] have developed a highly dysfunctional politics. What was an antiquated and overly rigid political system to begin with (now about 225 years old) has been captured by money, special interests, a sensationalist media, and ideological attack groups. The result is ceaseless, virulent debate about trivia -- politics as theater -- and very little substance, compromise, or action. A can-do country is now saddled with a do-nothing political process, designed for partisan battle rather than problem solving.

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ORIGINAL: kittinSol

Interesting, Level, but really! You could have edited it for us and saved us some of the history lesson  - the article's a tad longish.

I could have, but I have to jump in the shower, and prepare for a massage .

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ORIGINAL: kittinSol

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[The United States] have developed a highly dysfunctional politics. What was an antiquated and overly rigid political system to begin with (now about 225 years old) has been captured by money, special interests, a sensationalist media, and ideological attack groups. The result is ceaseless, virulent debate about trivia -- politics as theater -- and very little substance, compromise, or action. A can-do country is now saddled with a do-nothing political process, designed for partisan battle rather than problem solving.

Off the cuff, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty: America has much to gain by putting an end with this 'nombrilistic' obsession with her own power.

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY
I prefer gridlock over a streamlined, well-oiled and activist government. So did the founders.

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ORIGINAL: kdsub


We are most likely the only great power that had the true capability for total world domination...yet chose not to use that power.

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You will have 3 major blocs.

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ORIGINAL: kittinSol

Interesting, Level, but really! You could have edited it for us and saved us some of the history lesson  - the article's a tad longish.

Anyway...

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The eurozone has been growing at an impressive clip, about the same pace per capita as the United States since 2000. It takes in half the world's foreign investment, boasts strong labor productivity, and posted a $30 billion trade surplus in the first ten months of 2007. In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index, European countries occupy seven of the top ten slots. Europe has its problems -- high unemployment, rigid labor markets -- but it also has advantages, including more efficient and fiscally sustainable health-care and pension systems. All in all, Europe presents the most significant short-term challenge to the United States in the economic realm.

The one big advantage the USA have over Europe is its demographics, but this is something Europe can remedy with a steady influx of blood renewing immigrants.

Which leads to this:

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The United States' potential advantages today are in large part a product of immigration. Without immigration, the United States' GDP growth over the last quarter century would have been the same as Europe's. (...) In short, the United States' potential new burst of productivity, its edge in nanotechnology and biotechnology, its ability to invent the future -- all rest on its immigration policies. (...) Immigration also gives the United States a quality rare for a rich country -- dynamism. (...)

Yep. America's greatest strength is the diversity of its people. Who would have known. And one of its greatest weaknesses?

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[The United States] have developed a highly dysfunctional politics. What was an antiquated and overly rigid political system to begin with (now about 225 years old) has been captured by money, special interests, a sensationalist media, and ideological attack groups. The result is ceaseless, virulent debate about trivia -- politics as theater -- and very little substance, compromise, or action. A can-do country is now saddled with a do-nothing political process, designed for partisan battle rather than problem solving.

Something that's frequently confirmed by the skirmishes on these very forum boards. I wonder how long it will take before some of the more virulent posters come and attack the above as some liberal conspiracy to destroy all that's pure and beautiful about the American political system.

Off the cuff, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty: America has much to gain by putting an end with this 'nombrilistic' obsession with her own power.