After reading David Brooks’ After reading David Brooks’ column, I’m feeling optimistic about America.
If we can fix immigration and welcome the most talented and dynamic people, we have a great future ahead.
Throughout history, crossroad nations have always been the most prosperous nations.
We may end up with a bifurcated economy in America.
The future is great for those who are internationally connected and those who are entrepreneurial in a global economy.
Those who cling on to the past glory of mid-century America will have problems.
In fact, the U.S. is well situated to be the crossroads nation. It is well situated to be the center of global networks and to nurture the right kinds of networks. Building that America means doing everything possible to thicken connections: finance research to attract scientists; improve infrastructure to ease travel; fix immigration to funnel talent; reform taxes to attract superstars; make study abroad a rite of passage for college students; take advantage of the millions of veterans who have served overseas.
The nation with the thickest and most expansive networks will define the age. There’s no reason to be pessimistic about that.
If we let the entrepreneurs If we let the entrepreneurs steer the country instead of the Congress and the Fed, I think we’ll be fine, but I don’t see that happening.
briansd1
November 9, 2010 @
3:56 PM
Here is the link to Here is the link to Anne-Marie Slaughter’s paper. Very interesting article.
We’re going the way of We’re going the way of Britain: bickering, polarized parties, bitterly fighting for their piece of the pie, climbing over the mud-covered bodies of our fellow countrymen in the process. Economic learnings from America’s years of prosperity – such as the fact that progressive tax rates benefit the nation as a whole – are discarded, in favor of uneducated opinion yelled louder and louder on cable “news” shows. We’ll forget that leaders like the much-heralded Reagan presided over some of the highest taxes in our history, as well as the fact that the tax cuts Bush created have been in place for almost ten years now, with no jobs created as a result. Instead, “tax cuts create jobs” will be our slogan, no matter how false it is.
Corrupt self-interests like the Koch brothers will continue to erode at the foundations of our country to satisfy their own greed, destroying natural habitats like Alaska and the Gulf under the banner of “protecting jobs”. Meanwhile, the masses will continue to be placated by reality TV and the “someday I’ll be rich” dream, when in fact 99.99% of the population will never, ever, ever obtain the wealth of someone like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. We’ll ignore that it’s more likely for a black man from the Bronx to become a doctor than an NBA player. Where’s the glory in saving lives?
All this will continue unless those of us that care actually get of our butts and do something about it. Typing a reply to a little-read poll on a San Diego RE blog doesn’t count. We need real activism, non-profit support, and patriotism. Otherwise, we get this:
The Colo DA who refused to press charges here should have properly referred the case to the Colo AG’s office for review. He clearly has a conflict of interest.
I don’t think this would have been allowed to happen in CA.
poorgradstudent
November 9, 2010 @
4:08 PM
Short term, long term, or Short term, long term, or medium term?
Short term? Bright. By most measures things are better in 2010 than they were in 2009. We’re in a (slow, painful) recovery. By mid-to-late 2011 enough jobs will have returned that things will “feel” a lot better.
Medium Term? In between. In the medium term we’ll see the short term correction upwards clash with some long term economic challenges. Low skill manufacturing jobs are gone for good. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to scoop up real estate in Detroit or Cleveland.
Long Term? Probably ok. The US still leads in a lot of areas, especially if we keep funding basic research. As bad as our low skill manufacturing has gotten, we still export a lot of high tech, precision manufactured goods. We’re likely to become more energy independent as solar technology improves and hybrid/electric cars move away from combustion. The US has a huge advantage in food production. Our population is fairly educated.
Other challenges: The growing gap between the rich and poor may create social unrest. At some point long term issues of rising health care, education, and national defense costs will need to be addressed to reign in the federal deficit. As less of the population identifies as Christian and Atheism continues growing, there’s likely to be further social conflicts between the rational and spiritual.
America enjoyed five decades of prosperity partially based on the fact that two world wars destroyed Europe’s infrastructure. 1950-2000 likely will be viewed as the “high water mark” of America’s economic dominance, but I don’t really see Europe or China passing us in the next ten or twenty years either.
November 9, 2010 @ 12:26 PM
After reading David Brooks’
After reading David Brooks’ column, I’m feeling optimistic about America.
If we can fix immigration and welcome the most talented and dynamic people, we have a great future ahead.
Throughout history, crossroad nations have always been the most prosperous nations.
We may end up with a bifurcated economy in America.
The future is great for those who are internationally connected and those who are entrepreneurial in a global economy.
Those who cling on to the past glory of mid-century America will have problems.
November 9, 2010 @ 3:08 PM
If we let the entrepreneurs
If we let the entrepreneurs steer the country instead of the Congress and the Fed, I think we’ll be fine, but I don’t see that happening.
November 9, 2010 @ 3:56 PM
Here is the link to
Here is the link to Anne-Marie Slaughter’s paper. Very interesting article.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63722/anne-marie-slaughter/americas-edge
Full article:
http://www.educ.msu.edu/epfp/meet/10_08_09files/America%27s%20Edge%20Foreign%20Affairs.pdf
November 9, 2010 @ 4:20 PM
We’re going the way of
We’re going the way of Britain: bickering, polarized parties, bitterly fighting for their piece of the pie, climbing over the mud-covered bodies of our fellow countrymen in the process. Economic learnings from America’s years of prosperity – such as the fact that progressive tax rates benefit the nation as a whole – are discarded, in favor of uneducated opinion yelled louder and louder on cable “news” shows. We’ll forget that leaders like the much-heralded Reagan presided over some of the highest taxes in our history, as well as the fact that the tax cuts Bush created have been in place for almost ten years now, with no jobs created as a result. Instead, “tax cuts create jobs” will be our slogan, no matter how false it is.
Corrupt self-interests like the Koch brothers will continue to erode at the foundations of our country to satisfy their own greed, destroying natural habitats like Alaska and the Gulf under the banner of “protecting jobs”. Meanwhile, the masses will continue to be placated by reality TV and the “someday I’ll be rich” dream, when in fact 99.99% of the population will never, ever, ever obtain the wealth of someone like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. We’ll ignore that it’s more likely for a black man from the Bronx to become a doctor than an NBA player. Where’s the glory in saving lives?
All this will continue unless those of us that care actually get of our butts and do something about it. Typing a reply to a little-read poll on a San Diego RE blog doesn’t count. We need real activism, non-profit support, and patriotism. Otherwise, we get this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/martin-erzinger-morgan-stanley-hit-and-run-_n_780294.html
November 9, 2010 @ 4:44 PM
permabear wrote: . . . We
[quote=permabear] . . . We need real activism, non-profit support, and patriotism. Otherwise, we get this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/martin-erzinger-morgan-stanley-hit-and-run-_n_780294.html%5B/quote%5D
The Colo DA who refused to press charges here should have properly referred the case to the Colo AG’s office for review. He clearly has a conflict of interest.
I don’t think this would have been allowed to happen in CA.
November 9, 2010 @ 4:08 PM
Short term, long term, or
Short term, long term, or medium term?
Short term? Bright. By most measures things are better in 2010 than they were in 2009. We’re in a (slow, painful) recovery. By mid-to-late 2011 enough jobs will have returned that things will “feel” a lot better.
Medium Term? In between. In the medium term we’ll see the short term correction upwards clash with some long term economic challenges. Low skill manufacturing jobs are gone for good. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to scoop up real estate in Detroit or Cleveland.
Long Term? Probably ok. The US still leads in a lot of areas, especially if we keep funding basic research. As bad as our low skill manufacturing has gotten, we still export a lot of high tech, precision manufactured goods. We’re likely to become more energy independent as solar technology improves and hybrid/electric cars move away from combustion. The US has a huge advantage in food production. Our population is fairly educated.
Other challenges: The growing gap between the rich and poor may create social unrest. At some point long term issues of rising health care, education, and national defense costs will need to be addressed to reign in the federal deficit. As less of the population identifies as Christian and Atheism continues growing, there’s likely to be further social conflicts between the rational and spiritual.
America enjoyed five decades of prosperity partially based on the fact that two world wars destroyed Europe’s infrastructure. 1950-2000 likely will be viewed as the “high water mark” of America’s economic dominance, but I don’t really see Europe or China passing us in the next ten or twenty years either.