OK folks I'm going to come out and make the politically incorrect statement that America has the best system of government and economics there is. It's not a fluke that we are the biggest economic and military power. The Soviets tried to match us with a weaker economy and failed miserably because the economy couldn't sustain their military spending. A strong economy enables strong miltary spending and research. Not spending on military would make an even stronger economy in the short run, but in the long run threats like Hitler, Saddam, Al-quida and the Soviet union could not be dealt with.

Other countries are close and some small countries are even statistically better, but their systems deal with a smaller more homogenous population and therefore more likely to be statistical flukes. Amongst large developed countries the US has the greatest per capita purchasing power. Now I think we could make our system better, but I get real impatient with those that site our obvious faults as a reason to throw out the whole system or treat it as criminal.

Despite all the lies and propaganda from both political parties and biased media, Americans generally are able to make free and educated electoral decisions. Our system of checks and balances insures a more stable form of government than those countries that lurch from one extreme to another in an institution smashing pendulum that prevents slow and steady improvement. As long as we maintain free markets, free speech, and free elections the US will continue to lead the world economically until others become as commited to those principles as we are. Britain is close and suffers primarily from being more limited in resources. A united Europe could be equivalent, but France has clearly shown that those principles are not what it is championing. China is a potential powerhouse clearly capable of surpassing the US if they ever truly get their act together.

Fortunately the best and the brightest still see the US for what it is and continue to migrate here. We may continue to grow fast enough to balance the tremendous human potential of 1 billion chinese. Our diversity is also an asset China lacks.

Regards,
Mark