America In Decline?

There is a point-counterpoint cover story in my most recent issue of Time magazine featuring essays by Fareed Zakaria, who asks  "Are America's Best Days Behind Us?", and David Von Drehle, who cautions, "Don't Bet Against the United States".

Since Zakaria is one of my favorite writers/analysts, and I have no idea who Drehle is, I must admit to the possibility of bias. Although, I think it easy to find Zakaria's arguments persuasive when he claims that our economic successes to date came about because of  "policies and developments that came from decisions made in the 1950s and '60s: the interstate highway system, massive funding for science and technology, a public education system that was the envy of the world and generous immigration policies". Likewise, when he gives statistics: our "15-year olds rank 17th in the world in science and 25th in math. Our infrastructure is ranked 23rd in the world, well behind that of every other major advanced economy. American health numbers are stunning for a rich country: 27th in life expectancy, 18th in diabetes and first in obesity." He points to areas we are still No. 1: "We have the most guns. We have the most crime among rich countries, and the most debt in the world."

He has an immigrant's love for America and her exceptionalism but notes that political debate "excludes the largest drivers of the long-term deficit - Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare." He states that, "the federal government spends $4 on elderly people for every $1 it spends on those under 18."That means we are not investing in our future."  He knows this all too well. "The tragedy is that Washington knows this. For all the partisan polarization there, most Republicans know that we have to invest in some key areas, and most Democrats know that we have to cut entitlement spending."

He states his belief that 'the Constitution was one of the wonders of the world - in the 18th century, yet notes if anyone speaks of our political shortcomings they are subject to charges of "being unpatriotic, because we have the perfect system of government, handed to us by demigods who walked the earth in the late 18th century and who serve as models for us today and forever."

I confess a certain amount of pessimism. Battle lines are being drawn. The Tea Party's war cry is "take our country back!" And they will punish any Republican they elected who attempts any compromise. Maybe sanity will make a comeback before too much damage is done. Maybe not.