The Non-Decline Of America

by Stuart Shapiro

As President Obama takes his second oath of office, the canard still exists that he is presiding over the decline of this great country.  E.J. Dionne points out that nothing could be further from the truth:

Preserving America’s influence abroad depends on first restoring economic growth, upward mobility, fiscal stability and enhanced social solidarity at home. This will require a somewhat leaner defense budget for a time, but the idea that Obama will slash it indiscriminately is absurd.

The declinists are wrong because they underestimate the resilience of the American economy, the magnetism of our culture, the continuing appeal of the democratic idea and the difficulties our competitors, particularly China, confront.

President Obama has done a great deal for our standing in the world over the past four years.  Whether he has reversed the eight years of damage that preceded him is hard to say, but we are headed in the right direction.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.