EU-Digest special report: What has happened to the American Dream?

by Rick Morren

As I read through a copy of the morning paper on my return to the US my fear about an America “out of balance” was only being re-enforced by some of the stories covered in the paper. Except for one upbeat story about the super bowl in Miami, most of the stories were one of “gloom and doom”.

Education: “The United States is falling behind when it comes to international education rankings, as recent studies show that other nations in the developed world have more effective education systems.  In a study conducted by UNICEF that took the averages from five different international education studies, the researchers ranked the United States No. 18 out of 24 nations in terms of the relative effectiveness of its educational system.  Another prominent study, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, shows a steady decline in the performance of American students from grades 4 to 12 in comparison to their peers in other countries.  In both studies, Finland, Australia, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands and the United Kingdom beat the United States, while the Asian nations of South Korea, Japan and Singapore ranked first through third, respectively.”

The US Budget:  “President George W. Bush said on Saturday that his upcoming budget proposal would emphasize restraint on domestic spending while putting defense and war costs for Iraq and Afghanistan as the top priority. "Cutting the deficit during a time of war requires us to restrain spending in other areas," Bush said in his weekly radio address. He did not discuss any of the numbers in the budget, nor did he specify the non-defense areas where he would curb spending. However, he said some "wasteful spending" could be cut by getting rid of "earmarks" -- or special interest projects. Budget cuts are expected in the area of education, social security, health-care and welfare programs. The National Debt is an eye-popping $8 trillion gross and it has continued to increase an average of $1.50 billion per day since September 29, 2006! The trade deficit with China in 2000 was $83.8 billion. At the end of 2006, it had soared to $213.5 billion, a 155 percent change in just six years

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan: “An administration official has said that the US president will request a total of $245 billion to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through late 2008. That will include a $100 billion request for the wars for the rest of the current fiscal year that ends on September 30 and $145 billion for next year. Including $70 billion that Congress has already approved, the total of $170 billion for this fiscal year would mark the highest spending level so far for the two wars. This expenditure will have each American contribute about $800 or more out of his own pocket for the war efforts.

Health Insurance: “Low- and middle-income patients are using their credit cards with alarming frequency to cover medical treatment they otherwise could not afford. People with health insurance are also being drained by health care costs to the point where the use of their credit card seems the only option. Health care providers who want upfront collection of co-pays and deductibles are actually encouraging patients to use credit cards as legalized loan sharks close in on those who are broke and desperately ill. Some 20 percent of low- and middle-income families with credit card debt say they have used their cards to cover major medical expenses.”

The environment: “Despite a strongly worded global warming report from the worlds top climate scientists, the Bush administration expressed continued opposition Friday to mandatory reductions in heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman warned against "unintended consequences" — including job losses — that he said might result if the government requires economy-wide caps on carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.

Illegal immigrants: “Whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure,’’ President Bush told members of Congress last week. He was speaking of their votes in the past concerning U.S. involvement in Iraq — but also on another issue, illegal immigration, Bush seemed to be suggesting that Congress should vote for failure. Clearly, action needs to be taken concerning immigration reform. But it should not be a vote for failure, in effect granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. Instead, lawmakers should enact reforms intended to make US borders more secure.

Tourism: “European and other foreign tourists are shying away from the U.S. - travel to America is down 17 percent since 2000. Whether the problems foreign travelers face in the United States are real or perceived they are costly, according to the report titled "A Blueprint to Discover America." In addition to lost spending, the decline has resulted in nearly $16 billion in lost tax revenue since 2000 and deprives the economy of 194,200 jobs annually, it stated.”

US image abroad:  “The global image of the US has significantly deteriorated over the past 12 months, as the chaos in Iraq has deepened. And in 18 of the countries that were involved in previous polls, the slide in America's standing has steepened. Overall, this new opinion poll sampled the views of 26,000 people in 25 countries.  Three in every four of those questioned disapproved of how the US government was dealing with the crisis in Iraq.  The poll did not just deal with Iraq. It also asked questions about the US handling of Guantanamo detainees; the Israel-Hezbollah war; Iran's nuclear program; global warming; and North Korea's nuclear program.  In every case, a majority of those questioned disapproved of America's handling of the issue concerned.  America's soft power - its ability to influence people in other countries by the force of example and by the perceived legitimacy of its policies - is weakening.

This depressing picture from one day of news in the local press reflects only on some of the many deep seated problems the US is facing today.  Are there still enough politicians around who have the courage to stick out their neck to tackle these issues?  The time is now. We need the US back on the world stage as the respected and admired role model it used to be. 

February 4, 2007