What's Right with America? A Lot!

Let me tell you a little about what's right with America. Let me tell you about the most productive, imaginative and successful economy in the world, and about the sheer awesomeness of its power and size.

Think of the world community of 5 billion people as being represented by 100 people. In a world made up of only 100 people, five of those people would live in the United States and 95 would be citizens of other countries.

The five people would own one-third of all the stocks in the world. The other 95 would share the other two-thirds.

The five would enjoy an average annual income that is six times as great as the average of the other 95 combined.

The five would have a gross national product three times that of Japan and larger than the Common Market economies and the Japanese economy together. In addition, the five would have a gross national product nearly equal to the combined output of their three biggest competitors - the Soviet Union, Japan and West Germany.

The five own more than one-third of all the automobiles in the world. The 95 share the other two-thirds. The five also have by the far the world's most extensive highway system.

The five are responsible for technological breakthroughs that have literally changed the lives of the other 95 - electric lights, telephones, airplanes, the mechanical harvester, television, the computer...the list could go on and on.

The five sent men to walk on the moon.

The five produce the world's greatest supply of electrical energy. They also share within their borders one-half of the free world's known coal reserves. That is equal to more than 300 years' supply at the current rate of use and its energy content exceeds that of all the crude oil in the Middle East.

America's most abundant resource is the ultimate energy - food. The five grow close to half the world's corn and more than half the world's soybeans…plus a large share of the world's wheat. The American farmer is the largest exporter of agricultural products and continues to lead all nations in farm productivity. In 1940, one American farm worker fed 11 people at home and abroad. Last year he fed 75 people.

The five also lead the world in manufacturing productivity. The average American worker turns out more goods than his or her counterpart in any other country.

Of all the Nobel prizes ever awarded, more than one-third went to Americans.

Four out of five of the planes flying in the world today were designed and built by Americans.

The five are number one in the world in all the following: Meat production, magnesium, miles of pipeline, phosphate rock, synthetic rubber, tires, plastic and resins, aluminum, cheese, forest products, made-made fibers, beer, airline passengers, refined copper.

All of these "first", "most," and "best" facts boil down, long term, to the assets, profits, and dividends of American corporations. And those American corporations, in the main, are the legal property of their 50 million American shareholders. These are the men and women who have recognized the value of investing in America's exciting and bountiful future.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This article was written and published in 1987, but only came to our attention recently. While some of the specific details may changed – the Gross National Product (GNP) is now known as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), some of the percentages referenced may be somewhat different, and the malevolent Soviet Union (thankfully!) no longer exists – the concept of the piece is still as true and vibrant today as the day it was written. And considering the "Blame America First" crowd that now controls our government and spends much of its time apologizing for our great nation, in our opinion Mr. Green's words are needed today even more than when he wrote them.