Excerpts:

Our 250th birthday party seemed to me as divisive, troubled and angst-ridden as America itself.

The evacuation of crowds from the Washington Mall because of extreme weather captured the moment: President Trump tries to defy and deny natural forces of climate change even as they shape our lives. Under Trump, America is doubling down on fossil fuels and allowing China to dominate green energy technologies that will be central to the 21st-century economy. Myopia squared and not a good omen.

In that sense, our unsettled birthday makes me ponder the fates of some places I’ve visited over the years.

So I wonder: Can the United States hold on? Will the United States still be vibrant on our 500th birthday? Or will we go the way of Byzantium and the Abbasids?

Our vulnerabilities are obvious, with two-thirds of Americans saying we’re “pretty seriously off on the wrong track.”

I worry in particular that we are undermining the tripartite approach that has made the United States dominant, starting with heavy investments in human capital such as education. The United States was a world leader in mass education in the 19th and 20th centuries, but we now rank ninth in reading, 16th in science and 34th in math, according to the PISA global ranking of student test scores.

Human capital is also about our health and well-being, and that likewise is discouraging: The United States now ranks 61st in life expectancy globally, according to the World Bank.

A second prong of America’s growth path was the welcome we (inconsistently and imperfectly) at times offered immigrants. When my father was on a ship in New York Harbor, arriving as a refugee in 1952, a Boston woman next to him on the deck welcomed him as a “young American.” He was awed that he — a refugee who couldn’t even speak English — was being hailed as an American before he even set foot on American soil.

For now, that welcome mat has mostly been removed (except perhaps for white “refugees” from South Africa). The number of foreign graduate students studying at American universities last fall fell 12 percent from the year before, and further declines are expected.

The third element of America’s growth formula — a reliance on free markets — remains largely intact, at least by international standards. But inequality appears to have soared since 1980, and there’s evidence that while some inequality is necessary for growth, too much dampens it. The dollar remains overwhelmingly the world’s currency but has weakened, and its supremacy is being challenged at the edges.

And it’s more than that.

As I see it, we’ve lost two wars in the past half-dozen years — one against the Afghan Taliban and one against Iran just this year — not to mention last year losing a trade war with China. We may be retreating from NATO and from efforts to buttress Taiwan.

Our position — divided at home and weakening abroad — is reminiscent of the decline of great powers in the past, not just the Abbasids and Ghaznavids but also Spain in 1588 and Britain in the late 19th century.

Still, for all the uncertainties about our trajectory, I think I’m a bit more optimistic than many of my fellow Americans.

My very guarded optimism about America’s long-run prospects is based on three factors:

First, we appear to have maintained an edge (partly by importing scientists) in technology, which since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution has been a driver of progress and global leadership. Then it was the steam engine and spinning jenny. Now it is artificial intelligence, materials science and biotechnology. And our technological sophistication pairs well with the world’s deepest financial markets, with American stocks accounting for roughly two-thirds of global stock value, compared with less than 30 percent in 1988.

Second, other nations have their own problems. Our principal competitor for now is China, which has enormous strengths but also is aging fast and declining in population and is led by an aging dictator.

Third, prophecies of American decline are nothing new. “My hopes of the long continuance of this Union are extinct,” John Quincy Adams wrote in 1834, during a crisis in South Carolina. In the 1980s and ’90s, when I was a foreign correspondent in Asia, it was “Japan as No. 1,” and in the 2000s experts debated in which year China’s economy would surpass America’s. Now some believe that may never happen. And the United States has not seen the collapse of population growth that many other industrial countries have. Our more youthful population, partly because of immigration, confers vitality and vigor.

So I don’t believe that our decline is inevitable. But much will depend on whether we have the wisdom to revert to our proven strategy of investing in human capital, welcoming immigrants and embracing free markets against a backdrop of some equality.

Onward to the 500th!


Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/opinion/america-250-trump.html

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I hope the author understands we didn’t have department of education in 19th century and most time of 20th century. Our education started to fall behind in the last 20 years of 20th century, i.e. ever since Carter created department of education. We need bring the power and resources back to local, closer to school, students and families.

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Link: https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/overview-of-us-department-of-education-history-and-purpose

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Sometimes kick ball in their back yard then. LOL

from the Dept. of Education was updated in May of this year.

Department of education was created in 1867, but was gone in 1868. One year short life. It basically did nothing. You claim there has been department of education since 1867. That is false.

There was an office of education after department of education was gone. But this small office is only about information collection and statistics, which has no power, resources, functions and responsibilities comparing to modern day department of education. Because education in U.S. in 1800s was entirely decentralized, completely on local, church and families. There was little for a small office at federal level can do. You misread the landscape of education in 1867’s America. This is decentralized system just like American college football then.

comes to the influence of the Department of Education (see linked article).

Public Schools get only ~12% of their funding from Federal sources. What really drives Education in the U.S. are Local and State taxes/distribution. More importantly, its the Will and Ability of local residents to prioritize Education Funding in their Districts. Wealthier Districts have phenomenal resources...and teachers...that produce outstanding students...poor districts don't...and there are far too many of them in this current age of ever expanding Wealth Gaps.

You could have found this evidence yourself, but were either too lazy or incompetent....


Link: https://usafacts.org/answers/how-are-public-schools-in-the-us-funded/country/united-states/

…and he continues to get guidance/instruction from arguably our worst enemy, Vladimir Putin…who is bound and determined to cash in on his investment to get DJT elected.

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that crime...and as for Immigration...Democrats have constantly fought for Congress to do its duty and pass legislation that changes policy and provides funding for those policies...Trump has blocked such changes and relied totally on Executive Orders that produced disasters, with denials of Constitutionally Required "Due Process"...and even murders of U.S. citizens. I'll say it again...Democrats joined with Reasoned Republicans to pass Bipartisan legislation in 2024 that addressed every issue the GOP had...only to have it killed by Trump so that he wouldn't lose his #1 Trope of "Open Borders". It's ALWAYS His Way or the Highway with Trump...i.e. a true Autocrat.

Adding to those issues...look what he's been doing to our key departments of government...without any reasoning at all...DOGE Firing outstanding experts in critical fields for no stated reason (see Nuclear Weapons Management experts who keep track of all our warheads)...he's also unleashed Hegseth to fire scores of Generals and Admirals who rose through the ranks based on Merit...not Allegiance to a Politician. Then there's the tearing apart of HHS by RFK Jr., with DJT's call for him to "Run Wild" with his Bizarre, Un-Scientific theories on how Medicine should be practiced, thus putting all Americans...including Kids...at greater risk. And just to keep this brief, he's launched campaigns go tear apart International Alliances that have taken decades to create, while forging his own 'Alliance' with perhaps our Worst Enemy...Vladimir Putin.

Of course there are many books that could and likely will, be written about what he's done to our formerly admired DOJ.

All of these institutions, and more...have been developed and maintained through Republican and Democrat administrations...and they have elevated America to its Envied Postion in the World...Now, even our Friends can no longer trust us...just the kind of outcome our Enemies want to see.

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employ Objective Analysis of what you find, leading to a Prudential Judgement. In this case we have Donald Trump who is a Convicted Felon...for Fraud...and a man who has had to settle numerous other Frauds. Also, according to his former Attorney, Michael Cohen, DJT made it a Business Practice to Cheat Contractors and Workers out of their agreed upon Fees. There is NO ONE on the Political Landscape as Fraudulent as Donald J. Trump. And that's just one aspect of his 'Character'. You have to know this, so as painful as it might be for you...face reality...and seek out reputable Conservatives to represent you...they do exist.

As for Immigration, use the same process...Democrats are on record for their desire to follow the Law, and work with Republicans to fix our broken...and under funded Immigration and Border Security issues...Trump is not. Note: DJT used to talk about Drug Smuggling, especially Fentanyl which is still killing U.S. citizens. The 2024 Biparisan Senate Bill provided funding for High-Tech, High Volume screening at all of our border checkpoints where tens of thousands of cars and trucks come into this country...EVERY DAY. (It's the CBP's #1 concern) Yet. Trump hasn't said a word about it...that's not the kind of Leadership you, I and everyone else here needs.

Your thinking is critically flawed. Bordering on flubbed blustering.

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Google the list of dem frauds. Not even close. Flubbed blustering by you.

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Either. Iran didn’t win this war. Iran didn’t lose this war either.

capabilities, but we were never, ever going to put boots on the ground to invade and conquer their country (though little Kharg Island isn't out of the question).

we achieved our objectives. We won. We live with the consequences of them using sticks and drones to mess with Hormuz shipping traffic gladly rather than the reality of Iran with nuclear capability and WWIII.

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We didn’t officially declare a war against Iran before we killed their supreme leader (Actually we never declared a war). That’s not right. Too cheap to my taste. Even Iraq war we gave Saddam a few days to leave the country before we started the war. He just refused to leave.

We didn’t decimate Iran leadership. The supreme leader is still Khamenei. But we made Iran united. Before the war, Iran opposition was very strong.

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Trump lacked justification and legal authority. An impulsive and reckless decision. A clusterfuck from the jump.

The objective was regime change. Then the objectives kept changing.

Still no agreement on nuclear capability. Iran isn’t screaming UNCLE.

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