By Nicholas Weist
The United States of America; particularly is known, basically worldwide, as the wealthiest and most powerful nation. Unfortunately, the country falls short in crucial areas such as education, healthcare, and infant mortality, making it inferior to all sorts of other countries. It’s time for Americans to face this truth. We are not the greatest country in the world anymore. As a society, we have many shortcomings that need recognition, and it kind of is sort of essential that we focus on the areas that need the most improvements to kind of create a better nation for all.
According to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States ranks 17th in literacy, 27th in math, and 20th in science in a major way. Additionally, a report by the CIA ranks the US as 48th in life expectancy and 173rd in infant mortality. The United States also spends much more on its defense than the next nine countries combined. The United States leads the world in only three categories, most of which are negative. These of which are the number of incarcerated citizens per capita, the number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending. These statistics show that we generally are not performing as well as we should be in important areas, and we have some major work to do in this country.
Falling behind in areas like education and infant mortality can have serious consequences for our society and our future in a kind of big way. A less educated population can impede economic growth and innovation, and it could lead to social unrest and inequality, as people essentially are left behind while others thrive. The consequences of not addressing these issues could be detrimental to our nation’s future in a major way. However, if we address these issues, there is still hope. I believe that the United States could become the greatest country in the world again.
In order to do this, we as a nation need to prioritize essential services like education and create much more policies that are centered on the people rather than politics. We also need to reduce our defense spending and reallocate those funds to areas that need more attention. Now this won’t happen overnight, but we can start by contacting our generally local state and senate representatives and speaking up about our concerns not only in Congress but also on blogs, texts, social media, etc.
In conclusion, the United States is falling short in important areas, and this is detrimental to our society and our nation’s future in a major way. We need to recognize our shortcomings as a society and work together to prioritize areas that need the most improvement, such as education, healthcare, and infant mortality. We have the power to create a better future for our country by recognizing our shortcomings and taking action to address them. It is essential that we come together to build a brighter future for the United States, one in which we are not only the wealthiest and most powerful nation, but also a leader in education, healthcare, and the well-being of all our citizens.
Nicholas Weist is a student at Fillmore Central High School. He is one of 17 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 24th year.
Gerald J. Boyum says
The teen author is to be commended for tackling the topic of America’s greatness- not very many good articles from our mainstream media doing “investigative journalism”, probably because doing so just might reveal that Trump was on the right track to a certain extent?
When I first read this article, I was reminded of the parable about several blind men who attempted to describe an elephant by touching different parts of a creature that they’d never seen. Of course, each one’s description was different!
In the referenced article, human development was used to rank greatness of countries. It is an important element of greatness, but it’s not comprehensive in describing the whole “elephant” which can easily result in wrong conclusions. I would recommend “Methodology: How the 2022 Best Countries Were Ranked”, and reported by U.S. News Staff, Sep 27, 2022. Attributes such as Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Power, Social Purpose, and Quality of Life were described and included. In this case, America was ranked #4.
It should also be noted that America is #1 in military power with China ranked #2. As has been the case many times before, the #2 power has challenged the #1 nation many times in their efforts to become #1. Cutting defense spending in this situation would be ceding power to influence world geopolitics with possible disastrous consequences for America and the world.
It appears that the Human Development Index (HDI) was used as a source for the article’s conclusion. It used four key metrics: life expectancy at birth to assess a long and healthy life, expected years of schooling, to assess knowledge of the young generation, average years of schooling to access knowledge of the older generation, and gross national income per capita to assess the standard of living.
Using the data provided, the US would not be ranked in the top 10, but let’s go further to see if we can isolate causes which are essential in developing solutions. If we take out Democratic-ruled cities (New York, Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and where Indian Reservations are located; how would the data be changed? Also, our education system has been dominated by “progressive education” since the 1960’s and earlier which was developed by John Dewey, a socialist/atheist! He spent some time in the Soviet Union and tried his education program/philosophy on Russian children; however, Stalin cancelled it immediately after seeing the results! Now, in many cases, we have indoctrination instead of education- teaching students what to think versus how to think.
American became a great nation not just because it had a wealth of natural resources or a population of intellectuals. It became great because we as a country adhered to eternal rules of order and right which God had ordained and others that were derived from Biblical/Christian principles:
1. One Nation Under God, the Ultimate Authority. Our Founding Fathers developed this nation as a nation founded by Christian/Biblical principles derived from the Laws of Nature’s God who created the universe and everything in it, including us humans. This was the bedrock foundation of our country. All belief systems have a starting point or foundation that must be accepted by faith. For us Christians and Jews, it is God as He has revealed Himself and His plan for our salvation in the Bible, His Creation, and the life and teaching of Jesus who lived and died to pay the ultimate price for humanities sins. The Founding Fathers appealed to God for justification for breaking away from England whose king was acting like a tyrant and depriving the colonists of their God-given rights.
2. Unalienable Rights. The next founding principle was the God-given, inalienable dignity and right to life for every American citizen. As a nation “we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men (humans) were endowed with certain inalienable rights, the first of which are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The dignity of us humans is foundational in our political system. From these principles, the Founders developed the political philosophy of government, the moral standards that were used to develop our laws (just as rules determine the nature of a game, laws determine the nature of a country or society), and how we should behave towards one and another.
3. Culture of Self-Government. The British colonies established institutions of self-government with community participation in creation and upholding of laws was extensive. However, the threat of losing their grip on self-government due to British attempts to establish control without giving them representation in Parliament in making laws that would affect the colonies drove the colonies to declare independence after attempts at negotiations failed.
4. Constitution and Rule of Law. The Founding Fathers codified the principles of self-government to serve future generations. They wrote the Constitution which was ratified by the States’ representatives of The People. The Constitution, as the Supreme Law of the Land, is the glue that defines our government and binds us under a single system with many parts. The Rule of Law comes from “all men are created equal (in the image of God and are equally subject to His Law and judgement). This is where “equality under the law” is derived from, and equality is a spiritual measure, not a material one.
5. Individual Liberty. Liberty is a God-given Right. “…they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,”. Rights are neither given or redefined by government; its primary role is to protect those rights and defend us against enemies, foreign and domestic, who would take our Liberty. The government must maintain a strong and effective military defense against enemies abroad and provide strong and effective education and legal systems to defend against internal enemies.
6. Limited Government. When government expands beyond its rightful guardian of our God-given liberty (which given the flawed nature of man, it has a tendency to do just that- power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely), individuals are no longer free to pursue happiness, but instead become slaves to a government that is intrusive and oppressive. Limited government is also required to give each state the right to pursue its own course within the Union.
7. American Dream. The strength of our country comes from millions of freeborn, self-governing and self-sufficient people who have taken the protection our unique government provides and created the most wealthy and prosperous nation in human history. Our attachment to rule of law and defense of private property allows growth of an expansive middle-class.
8. Inclusive Economic Institutions. They support the material aspirations of most of the populations. They:
– Feature secure property rights,
– An unbiased system of law (rule of law),
– Feature a provision of public services that provide a level playing field in which people can exchange and contract.
– Ensure that people realize most of the gains from their own efforts.
– Provide knowledge them to develop those skills through education, and if necessary, to start their own businesses and invest in plant and equipment to grow their businesses. (Why Nations Fail, The Origin of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglue and James A. Robinson)
9. Military Power. Given the corrupt nature of man, including national leaders, it is critical for nations to have the capability of defending their sovereignty and at least have the means to be influential and earn respect among the many nations of the world. So, what are the important elements of a Powerful Nation? (9 Important Elements That Makes a Nation Superbly Powerful by Sohini Pradhan)
a. Geography. Location, climate, topography, and boundary are important.
b. Boundaries. Boundary disputes and conflict has been a major problem in securing harmonious relations between two countries. If boundaries are well-defined and clearly marked, they can be a significant factor in a nation’s power. A nation without a coast or good warm water harbor can hardly become a sea power. This is partially what has driven Putin to attack Ukraine besides their natural resources.
c. Population. It plays a crucial role in the power of a country. Mussolini: ”Let us be frank with ourselves. What are 40 million Italians compared with 90 million Germans and 200 million Slavs”. However, this is why the ability to form alliances is important as the Russians are finding out after attacking Ukraine. The U.S. and other NATO countries are honoring their agreements made to defend Ukraine’s borders and sovereignty if the Ukrainians would give up their nuclear weapons in their country after the Soviet Union collapse. It should also be noted that the Russian Federation was also a signatory of that agreement. So much for written agreements!
d. Economic Development. The level of economic development and effective economic organization has remained a factor of pivotal importance for a nation’s power. It supplements military power and provides a basis for welfare and prosperity of the people.
e. National Morale. National morale is based on the willingness to sacrifice and put the nation’s welfare above their own personal welfare.
f. Leadership. The quality and wisdom of leaders are invaluable elements of power. Other factors can remain irrelevant if they are not used effectively and efficiently. Political and military leadership can be an important part of the source of power. Political leadership determines how resources are allocated between military and civilian programs. Military leadership then decides where to deplore and how to use the military resources for the most effectiveness in deterrence and use if deterrence fails. A country’s standing as a military power will also determine what alliances are formed which is a major element of military leadership and power.
g. Political Power. A well-organized political power also serves as an element of power. Lack of effective and well-organized government can seriously limit the power of a state. Contemporary experiences reveal that democratic governments serve as a better ingredient of power than dictatorial ones.
h. Military Preparedness. It remains a crucial element of national power. According to an ancient Chinese saying, “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.”
Apparently, America is still perceived as a great nation judging by the numbers of who are willing to risk life and limb to get into this country. We should ensure that we elect leaders who seem to understand how and why America became great. Unfortunately, we have corrupt politicians who are putting political power and personal gain above what is best for America and Americans, much of news media which is functioning as a propaganda ministry for one political party instead of being a watchdog for the American people, and others (socialist utopians?) who are doing their best to degrade (fundamentally transform American?). Vote for leaders who will bring us back on track to greatness!