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Guest Post: America Isn't The Greatest Country Anymore

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Via Lance Roberts of Street Talk Live,

This weekend I had my first opportunity to watch "Newsroom," an HBO series, and I was struck by the opening sequence of the show as Jeff Daniels, aka Will McAvoy, discusses why America WAS the greatest country in the world - but no longer is.   Here are the stats as he breaks them down:

The U.S. is:

  • 7th in literacy
  • 27th in math 
  • 22nd in science
  • 49th in life expectancy
  • 178th in infant mortality
  • 3rd in median household income
  • 4th in labor force
  • 4th in exports

But here are some other stats where the U.S. ranks as well:

  • 19th is State success
  • 3rd in oil production
  • 12th in prosperity
  • 22nd in freedom of the press
  • 2nd in child poverty
  • 30th in nocturnal safety
  • 3rd in "liking" the United Sates (behind Japan and Kenya)
  • 11th in "happiness"
  • 22nd in freedom from corruption
  • 24th in "perceived" honesty
  • 39th in income inequality
  • 4th in employees "faking" illness
  • 3rd in human development
  • 10th in economic freedom
  • 17th in credit "worthiness"
  • 4th in global competitiveness
  • 47th in infant survival
  • 38th in trade freedom
  • 8th in researchers
  • 12th in thriving population
  • 34th in the Children's index
  • 61st in monetary freedom
  • and, most depressingly, 50th in erection length.

You get the idea.  The rise of economic strength was built on the backs of hard working Americans who built stuff from skyscrapers to railroads.  We farmed, we produced and we raised families.   The pride of "built in America" was the flag that we waved.  

America just voted for a continuation of dependency.  Dependency on government for handouts from food stamps to welfare.  Dependency on the graciousness of our neighbors to continue loaning us money to support excess spending.  America has become a debtor nation and the cancer of debt has eroded our economic prosperity.

Debt-GDP-RealCulprit-103012

Can America be great again?  Absolutely.  America has an indomitable spirit and a will to succeed unmatched my any on this planet.  It just requires a spark to bring us together as a country to make the sacrifices necessary to return America to its former greatness.  However, it requires great leaders that will fight for moral values, stand up for what is right, strike down the wrong laws for the right reasons, fight for those in poverty, care about our neighbors and put our money where our mouth is.  

Yet it is great leadership that has been missing.  Each leader has followed the same path of profligate spending and reckless disregard of the long term economic drain for short term economic gains.  The country needs a leader that is willing to take the risks of failure to achieve success.  A leader that is willing to fall to earth while reaching for the stars.  A leader willing to accept the responsibility for his successes as well as his failures.  Our Forefathers were great leaders.  We have forgotten what great leadership meant.  We have opted for mediocrity and self-indulgence and we have reaped the harvest that we have sewn.  

It's not too late for America.  Will McAvoy is right: "The first step in solving any problem is recognizing that there is one.  America is not the greatest country in the world anymore."   We must acknowledge the program.  We must choose to return to begin the long road to recovery by becoming an informed and educated electorate.  We must begin making the right choices, sacrifices and demanding the same from our leadership.   I have hope.

Warning:  Video has strong language

 

 

 

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Mon, 11/12/2012 - 17:28 | 2974015 Liquid Courage
Liquid Courage's picture

America has an indomitable spirit and a will to succeed unmatched my [sic] any on this planet.

Well, you can't really measure that, can you? But on second thought, a glance at Lance Armstrong or your Women's Soccer team does tend to confirm the notion. If we can't win fair and square ... cheat. That's the reputation you've earned yourselves.  I know (most of) you don't give a damn what folks in other realms think of you ... and that's just the problem. Even while trying to take a good hard look at yourselves, you can't quit the bullshit.

U S A ! ... U S A !

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 17:43 | 2974069 elwu
elwu's picture

"Can America be great again?  Absolutely."

Sure. America just needs to get rid of the 'socialism for the finance industry hardship for the rest' system which rulez the USA since two dozen or so years.

Start with indiscriminately imprisioning the complete 1st level management of all 'tbtf' banks. The is no innocent person in this basic population.

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 18:31 | 2974210 dolph9
dolph9's picture

Ok I think slowly you guys are getting there, but you can't yet take the final step.  The propaganda is too thick.

 

There is NO hope for America.  None,  Zero.  We are completely, totally finished as a functioning construct, as a society.  There will be totalitarianism or civil war during our lifetimes, count on it.  It WILL happen here.

I am 100% convinced of this, and believe it enough to try to convince you of the same.  It's incredibly liberating when you realize this because then you can focus on stuff that matters and ignore the bullshit.

And you you know what, that's ok.  People throughout history have had to deal with this.  But somehow Americans thought they could avoid it.  We're special!  We're different!

Well guess what people you are no different.  You are no special.  You are only a little better off, thanks to the petrodollar system, than the other 6.7 billion people roaming this planet.

And when this system ends and America begins its descent, it will dawn on you that you actually don't have it that much better than everybody else.  And there will be NOTHING you can do to change it.  No politician that you can vote for, no place that you can escape to, no group that you can join.  The only thing that you can do about it is accept it and prepare.

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 18:52 | 2974300 Mitch Comestein
Mitch Comestein's picture

The educational numbers are scewed.  America tests every dumbshit and genious in the land.  Other countries only test the college bound types and toss out the dumbshits.

 

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 19:19 | 2974408 mercy
mercy's picture

"50th in erection length"

That got a rise out of me.

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 21:12 | 2974659 dark pools of soros
dark pools of soros's picture

need to see more of that sophomore's softness

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 22:08 | 2974829 Godfrey
Godfrey's picture

It's rightly so that AMERICA may not be so great anymore, but the UNITED STATES (the nation) is still the greatest superpower on the planet.

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 23:20 | 2975006 Gulfcoastcommentary
Gulfcoastcommentary's picture

I worry most about the non-white portion of the population who are not doing very well in school nor culturally.  50% of black and latino kids flunk out of school.  As a result drop-outs have few prospects for decent employment other than the US military.   

3rd world descendants will tend to "fall" for "populist" messages and politicians as can be readily seen.

This bottom quartile will remain the ticking time bomb.  Unfortunately, I don't know what to recommend except pro-growth policies that try to bring back manufacturing jobs from Asia. See "Pro-Growth Policies Are The Only Way Out" http://gulfcoastcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/10/pro-growth-policies-are-...

and an agenda that never was: "An Agenda for Romney's first 100 days and Beyond"  http://gulfcoastcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/10/mitt-romneys-first-100-d...

Good luck!

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 23:22 | 2975017 Billy Shears
Billy Shears's picture

Still, alot of that scene is bull. What I submit is that what made America the greatest country (a long time ago) was when it knew TO MIND ITS OWN F**KING BUSINESS! This single principle alone can go along way to making America great again.

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 02:28 | 2975308 BlackholeDivestment
BlackholeDivestment's picture

Oh, now I get the joke, finally we get somebody that is not a WASP and can sting like a Bee but, now we are all slaves. Ouch, that stings like a Scorpion, I think I'm gonna blackout. LMAO Etendre's abound. Why does this Scorpion have long hair? LMAO. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGiy8q6jWg0 

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+9&version=KJ21

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 04:28 | 2975415 ceteris_paribus
ceteris_paribus's picture

Haha. I dont believe on advanced economy since they are facing structural problems.. too much leverage, declining in competitiveness and ageing population in some countries. So, be prepared for stabilization era for long term in advanced country.. 

http://ratexindo.blogspot.com/#!/2012/05/welcome-to-stabilization-era.html

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 04:28 | 2975416 ceteris_paribus
ceteris_paribus's picture

Haha. I dont believe on advanced economy since they are facing structural problems.. too much leverage, declining in competitiveness and ageing population in some countries. So, be prepared for stabilization era for long term in advanced country.. 

http://ratexindo.blogspot.com/#!/2012/05/welcome-to-stabilization-era.html

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 06:32 | 2975470 PaperBear
PaperBear's picture

“61st in monetary freedom”

Thank you, non-federal non-reserve for the monetary slavery.

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 21:32 | 2978344 Mediocritas
Mediocritas's picture

An appeal to better leadership is a step in the wrong direction. Wanting to be enthralled to "leaders" is exactly what causes a populace to fall down in the first place. Just like a plant, most problems manifest and are fixed at the roots because that's the primary point of contact with pathogens and nutrients. You don't fix things by focusing on the tip of the highest leaf.

Hundreds of millions of people have to change their behaviors / personalities. The problem is in the roots. There is no quick fix.

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