Is America Still On Top

1820 Words8 Pages
Is America Still On Top? Where does American stand today in relation to the rest of the world? What does this mean exactly? Are we still a superpower or are we being left in the dust as other countries pass us by? It’s no longer just about competing with the business down the street, but internationally, and on the internet. As with any industrialized nation, we have our strengths and weaknesses. The important thing is to recognize these strengths and weaknesses in order to know what needs to be done to stay competitive in the global market. The old saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” doesn’t apply when you’re trying to maintain your position at the top of the world. Our country needs to place more emphasis on education and technology and quit spending so much money on defense. Our government, in my opinion, is very wasteful and needs to learn to control their money better. Every time one of their ‘friends’ needs a bailout they run to the ATM. But that’s okay because they’ll just cut the education budget to make up for it. America will soon be over if the United States doesn’t get their priorities in order. We need to quit resting on the laurels of those who got us where we are today and achieve our own successes. In Bob Herbert’s essay “A Fire in the Basement,” he reminds us how Harry Truman, in 1946, “embarked on the greatest renewal and reconstruction program the world has ever known” (401). World War II had ended and the soldiers came home, got married and started families. New schools and houses were built to accommodate this new generation of people. Highways aided in development of the suburbs, which became the new hot spot to live, away from the noisy cities. So began a progression that continued for decades. Herbert tells us, “All along the way there were astonishing strides in medicine and other disciplines, and technological advances
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