Fallows’ first point is that America has constantly feared “falling behind” for centuries. One particular quote I liked was “anything America is going through is not as bad as the Civil War”. This helped me realize that we are not only better off then the vast majority of the rich in other countries, but better off than our parents and ancestors. A lot of media is driven by fear and constant stories about China or other countries overtaking America is overstated and used to drive up ratings.

One continuing story line is how the U.S. education system is falling behind China and India. Fallows disputes this by showing that 17 of 20 of the world’s top universities are American and none are Chinese or Indian. More college students are coming to America to study than anywhere else, and either contributing to the American economy or to American influence in their home country. This is a vital comparative advantage that America must maintain as top university graduates start the best companies as is seen in the Silicon Valley, Boston and other places around the country.

When Fallows’ talks about California it shows America’s condition magnified. California is the center of American innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit but has more governmental and financial problems than every other state. Maybe political California can be an example for the whole nation, although I bet almost no one expects to see it soon.

Fallows and Zakaria both argue that government gridlock and shortsightedness is crippling the country and diverging our potential from our reality. America’s political system is becoming more corrupted and dated every year. The future success of America depends on us finding a new way forward with regards to politics. The scary part is that apathy over the system seems higher than ever. I believe that having Obama or a Republican elected in 2012 will do little to fix the broken system. Unfortunately it is a view that I think is shared by many people.

This article reminded me a lot of Postcards from Tomorrow Square, Reports from China in that the overall notion was that the US will be fine in the long run. However, I agree with Fallows that the US government structure needs change. His analysis on the breakup of the senate verse the overall populations of each state made me realize how much power these little states can have in accepting or rejecting new policies. I believe there needs to be some sort of change in this area because it gives these small populous states too much power to influence the nation. However, i agree with Fallows that in the long run, even with the flaws in America, it is up to us to make America successful into the future. I thought that the advice to make decisions by thinking about 75 years ahead is a great point and these long term decisions are probably the most important for our country to be successful in the future.

He uses infrastructure as an example of where we’re falling short, but I’m not sure that’s a good example. Fewer people are dying on America’s roads than on Chinese roads. Yes, it may well be that it’s because Americans are safer drivers. But with highway fatalities in America falling to the lowest level on record, how important is spending money on roads? Wouldn’t fewer people lose their lives if an 8.0 earthquake were to strike an American city than a Chinese city? It’s one thing to say our infrastructure gets a “D”, but quite another to say this is where we should allocate $2 trillion to get it up to adequacy with more urgent (or more urgent sounding to the American voters!) concerns amid a growing national debt.

I didn’t expect the cell phone coverage to be better in China. But how profitable are the cell phone companies there? How many people there have landline phone access? Are the people there more cell dependent due to lack of substitutes?

He talks about the US higher education system being the best in the world, which attracts foreigners. Having universities that attract foreigners is a good thing, but having inferior domestic students is not. America’s primary and secondary education is falling short and behind. When I was in elementary school, my parents hired a Russian math tutor, not because I had problems in math, but because math at my American public school wasn’t up to the Russian level. In fourth grade, If I didn’t complete all my assignments in a given week, my teacher would send home a note with a sad face on it saying that I didn’t complete some of my assignments, “Please try harder next time.” Great motivation. Persuading foreigners to stay here after completing their degrees may benefit America, but it’s no substitute for American students raising their game. Let’s generate more talent, not just absorb it.

Do politicians really want what’s best for America in the long run, or do they merely want to maintain power? Of course they want power, but I believe they also want what they think is best for the country. It’s hard enough to balance self-interest with one’s vision of America’s interest. It’s even more difficult for a politician promote what’s best for America when others are trying to promote a different vision of what’s best. Getting an overwhelming majority on the same page about a plan for America’s success is almost impossible. Politicians should look beyond the next election cycle. In fact, it may be better to have no such thing as re-election. You get one term to serve. Then you live with what you did or didn’t contribute and go back to your day job. US president looks pretty good on a resume.

One of my favorite lines from this reading was when Fallows quoted Nader, saying: “You’ve got to be very careful about thinking things can’t rebound. My favorite phrase is ‘America is a country that has more problems than it deserves, and more solutions than it applies.’ We don’t want to be Pollyannas, but we really should believe that we can turn things around.”

Although we live in a somewhat tumultuous time, optimism is good, rare, but good.

America is a resilient country, and because of its competitive nature feels as though it needs to best the rising superpowers. What we have learned about globalization is that this is bound to happen and that we should embrace it rather than get depressed by it. If China does well, we will do well because of the larger successes of the world’s economy.

I agree with Fallows when he writes that America is getting old and that change is needed — another great line is when he states America has, “a vital and self-renewing culture that attracts the world’s talent, and a governing system that increasingly looks like a joke.” The fears we have are not new (jobs, debt, military strength), however, unless something is done to influence our government, change may be hard to find. Fallows even lists “coup” as a fix-it strategy. Getting a jeremiad for today is no different than say 30 years ago, but if we embraced America’s change on the world scale — and how it interacts with China and India — perhaps the list of woes would be a bit shorter.

One point that seems obvious is that we have problems with our current government and the gridlock that has occurred in trying to get anything done. As a democracy (actually a republic), we are supposed to look out for the best interest of the country and the citizens that reside within. However, it seems like everyone complains about issues yet no one is offering solutions. Or if solutions to policies are at hand, the execution and implementation of it is woefully bureaucratic. There is so much in-fighting between the political parties that no one seems willing to say “Stop” and take a step back to assess the real issue at hand. I agree with others that we should agree to disagree but that there is common ground between the two parties in government; we as a country should be constructing a solution based on mutual interest.

Another point that James Fallows points out is that our national infrastructure system is in dire need of an overhaul. I have watched a documentary showing the state of the nation’s transportation and utility networks and the picture isn’t good. From an economic standpoint, having a good national infrastructure system is key to global competitiveness. Moving goods from one point to another quickly and efficiently is a competitive advantage. However, if you have traveled outside the U.S. to Europe or Asia, you can see how antiquated much of our infrastructure is. Yet no one has taken action to do something about it. We need a long term vision and plan to put our nation’s infrastructure system back on track as President Eisenhower did when he authorized construction of the National Highway System.

James Fallows also points out that education and innovation is our biggest advantage over the rest of the world. We as a society should be investing in what we are good at; instead we are subjecting these systems to budget cuts and decay. Education breeds innovation and from innovation comes entrepreneurship - a driving force in the economy. I am confident if we put resources towards research we could make faster headway into innovation that could help society as a whole - (i.e. a “Manhattan Project” for green technologies, alternative fuels, etc. ).

But overall, I think the most important problem for us as a nation is to stop looking at the short term and look towards the future. There’s an old adage that I believe in: “If you are always looking down at where your feet are, you’ll never know where you’re going.” I think that quote sums up where we are at the moment in our history. Many of our problems are things that can only be sorted out over the long term yet many solutions are implemented to pacify us for the short term. I agree with Fallows in that many companies look towards quarterly earnings; Senators and Congressman look towards the next election term. As a country we must, sooner rather than later, face the stark reality that we have to face the problems head-on. All of the solutions will be tough, there is no getting around that, but we must face them and take the first step towards the road of revitalization.

Other points that I took away –
1. Jeremiad. I didn’t think that the spirit of America and this cyclical history of dread and persistence could be wrapped into a blanket term. I feel like this is something I should have learned earlier being taught in a history class.
2. Originally I didn’t fully agree with the drive for immigration, but the context is much better in this article than Postcards from Tomorrow Square. I think now it is one of the few most important ways to continue on as a nation.
3. It’s funny to think of the bay area as ‘run-down’ but I have never been to anywhere outside of the country other than Europe – with all of the new modern architecture in China, I’m sure I’ll be better able to understand this comment.
4. Poor China being more dangerous than rich China. I’m surprised this hadn’t occurred to me yet, and I think it makes a lot of the fear today in China even more ridiculous. It’s interesting to think that the same amount of people, maybe even less, worried about China 40-50 years ago, when they had so much more to gain from actually engaging in war.

I enjoyed the various arguments he presented in why we will weather the storm. Our country had been in troubled times before and has managed to emerge stronger and more confident than before. I think the same will happen, but we must make changes. It’s important to note what Cullen Murphy stated, “If you go back and pick any decade in American history, you are guaranteed to find the exact same worries we have now.” I believe it’s this constant fear that we are behind that leads us striving to accomplish more.