While China improves, is America falling apart?

Tom Friedman recently published a column in the New York times that hit home. He says that in the last seven years, China concentrated on national investment, planning, concentrated state power, national mobilization and hard work. Meanwhile the U.S. did nation building in Afghanistan and Iraq and let our own infrastructure go to hell.

How China and America spent the last 7 years

Readers comments varied but the one that most resonated with me is printed in its entirety below. Thanks, hdavis, for saying it so well. He is addressing Tom Friedman.

You have written many excellent columns over the years, but this hit home with me more than any past column. America, the country I love, is in trouble. I always thought our comeback was a moment away. We simply needed to see the challenge and we would rise to meet it. I am no longer sure we can do that. I walk into any major store in America and see few items that we make. In contrast we can make war better (in terms of destruction) than any country in the world. But as a veteran of one war I know nobody is better off in the end and all the USA has done is waste vital resources and energy. I was a Vietnam vet and if we had never been there, we and Vietnam would be better off or at least no worse off. We would not have lost the contribution of 55,000 individuals to our society who instead died in a meaningless war. In the end all wars are meaningless except for the families of the young men and now women who die. We should simply leave the Middle East. We will be better off than if we stay. We need to come home and fix our country. Keep up the good words. I like your work!
— hdavis@uccs.edu, Colorado