Alex Yarde asks Americans to look closely at the ways in which our nation is failing its citizens.
In 2013 the United States of America has one of lowest degrees of social mobility of all high-income countries in the world. This means that a child born into poverty in the US is likely to remain poor. Children also represent a disproportionate share of the poor in the United States. They are 24% of the total population but 36% of those living in poverty. Unfortunately, it seems that no group is ready to help address these alarming statistics. The private sector appears to be in a race to the bottom cutting wages and benefits for workers while bailed out banks are more flush with cash than ever. Our government, also, cannot seem to function in a way that serves anyone other than the elites that fund campaigns. By globally-accepted measures America, despite its vast wealth, is taking on many characteristics of a Failed State.
Typically, a Failed State means that a state has been rendered ineffective and is not able to enforce its laws uniformly because of the following five factors: high crime rates, extreme political corruption, an impenetrable and ineffective bureaucracy, judicial ineffectiveness, and cultural situations in which traditional leaders wield more power than the state over a certain area.
Below is a summary of how these factors seem to be playing out in America today.
1. High crime rates. The United States incarcerates the largest percentage of its population of any nation on earth. Our violent crime rates (rates of rape, murder, and armed felonies), however, remain the highest of any industrialized nation. Our gun ownership is the highest by far on the planet. Americans make up just 6% of the world population but own 1/3 of the total guns on earth. We, however, are no safer for it.
2. Extreme political corruption. Lawmakers often adopt policies that are supported by lobby groups that fund their political campaigns rather than policies that work for the common good. Bills are even written by monied interest groups that want them adopted and passed. Legislators, once they leave the public sector, look to become lobbyist themselves. Thus influencing legislators to do the work paid for by these groups they hope to get hired by one day rather than the constituents that voted them into office.
3. An impenetrable and ineffective bureaucracy. The unprecedented gridlock in Congress makes this Congress the least effective ever. With half the year gone, they have passed just 15 bills. Sen. McConnell of Kentucky has used the filibuster 413 times. Almost twice as much as when Democrats held the minority from 1995 to 2001. However, they voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) 40 times and voted on new anti-abortion legislation 20 times. None of these items would or will become laws but that did not stop these numerous symbolic votes that really just wasted time and the resources of the government. Congress failed to focus on the real issues of job growth, infrastructure overhaul or bank regulation. Vital issues that might have a chance of passing and doing some good for everyone.
4. Judicial ineffectiveness. Most Americans believe the country’s criminal justice system comprises an ineffective, purely punitive approach to crime. Three major findings are: Americans want to attack the underlying causes of crime rather than the symptoms; prevention is the nation’s premiere criminal justice goal; harsh prison sentences are being reconsidered as a primary crime-fighting tool, especially for non-violent offenders. Our high incarceration rate impacts the economy by draining public funding and creating a “prison industrial complex” where there is competition from states to open larger prisons to fill with out of state prisoners.
There is little thought of family visitations, which are incentive for reform and no credible incentive for rehabilitation. This is a huge percentage of our population we discard. The Supreme Court is certainly no kangaroo court system (and here I think we do better than many countries) but even in this area we could do better. Justice Clarence Thomas should have recused himself from cases involving the health care reform law because his wife, Virginia, campaigned against it. Charges of serving while having a conflict of interest in a case diminish the power of the court and draw it further into politics. The Supreme Court should have an open and transparent system for deciding recusal requests. These types of rules help increase the public trust in the institution. Given the lack of trust in so many areas of our lives, it is important for the judiciary keep working to strengthen its reputation.
5. Cultural situations in which traditional leaders wield more power than the state over a certain area. There are places in United States where it seems that conservative Tea Party representatives run local government without concern for wider laws. These areas seem to be dominated by leaders who are unashamedly anti-intellectual, rabidly anti-choice and racist. For example, the State Legislature in Raleigh, North Carolina is passing or proposing laws that would make couples wait two years to divorce, remove the requirements that teachers have a college degree to teach core subjects and declare an official state religion.
In Texas, many women’s health care clinics are on the verge of being shut down. These closures follow actions in which the Texas Legislature not only slapped stringent conditions on reproductive services, like mandatory adoption classes and waiting periods, but also cut money going to the state’s Medicaid family planning program ― called the Women’s Health Program ― and blocked money going to Planned Parenthood for non-abortion services. This is effectively a death sentence for poor Texas women who depend upon these clinics for early cancer detection.
♦◊♦
Despite these alarming trends in our society, incredibly, as a nation we still have an unrealistic, inflated opinion of ourselves. Leaders of both parties will often describe how “exceptional” America is in the world. But statistically that seems hard to prove. The US averages a 34 out of 100 by UN 5 year averages when looking at infant mortality. The United States ranks 26th in the world in literacy rates. We are #4 on the World’s Top Ten Wealth Disparity Rates according to OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Unless we address a host of issues we as a nation have no right to rest on our laurels.
We need to get our collective house in order if we hope to remain an effective economic, military and social leader in the world. We must remain proactive not reactive on the world stage. This is the only way our children and grandchildren will compete with the rest of the world. Only when we can show the world we are serious about tackling our gross inequities will we deserve not to be lumped with the worst actors.
Photo: Flickr/Michael Cory
Mark Miciette The notion that we got in the mess we are in because of what has occurred since ’08 would make ANY history teacher weep.Presidents don’t,can’t make countries succeed or fail in four to eight years.Cultures typically decline slowly overtime,sometimes over hundreds of years.Foxnews talking points are not a good explanation of what has happened to America.
I am not from USA and not living in USA. USA is not a failed state, but internationally seen, its influence over other countries in this world is waning. WWII is over since decades. While USA is very productive, its government is wasting money for many senseless international projects, especially for political and military adventures. Somewhat ridiculous that such a large and rich country is deeply into debts and has to borrow money from China, Russia, Japan and many other countries all the time and nowadays even has to borrow money to pay for the interests of its debts. –… Read more »
America is exactly what the Constitution made it:a dysfunctional,hopelessly divided country designed to grant equality in a very slow deliberate fashion,if at all.American history and the Constitution offers stark testimony to my claims
The Constitution is responsible for divisiveness, which I believe is healthy. However the Constitution does allow for equality of opportunity… the federal government deciding that they have the right to decide what we can and can’t do is where things begin to break down. With all of our problems we are still the ‘go to’ country. More people want to come here and allowed to become citizens here than all the other countries in the world combined. That said, at the rate we are going, this can’t and won’t last.
Hi Ogwriter
Can we trust this statistics ?
EU is one black hole economically right now,still it is the worlds largest economy:
EU is not a federation like US,but is heading in that direction by its leaders. Not much democracy in EU. Is it only a matter of time before China is the no one?
EU: $15,97 trillions
US: $15,94 trillions
China$ 12,38 trillions
India: $ 4,78 trillions
http://useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/p/largest_economy.htm
I found your article very interesting in that I am in full agreement that we are a nation in decline. However, other than that single source of parity, I completely disagree with your reasoning as to why we are in decline. Rather than get bogged down with words and try to convince you of my beliefs, I will list my thoughts: 1. The entire US Government, from the White House to the Senate, Congress and the bureaucracy is corrupt. It is corrupt because they have too much power and only answer to the media, special interests with money and each… Read more »
I “was” going to respond to this article but my better judgement got the best of me. Thank goodness.
Hi Alex
In my country children are now offered to learn Chinese when they start in school . Not all school, but it tells a lot.
Somehow I wonder if USA is too big to administrate.
Have you ever coincided splitting up into three nations?
We did, in 1861. The Civil War was a bloody mess.
It is unnecessary to divide America. The Constitution is very clear in that each state should be left alone to operate as a laboratory of sorts to experiment with what works for them. There is a role for a federal government but it is not to control every aspect of our lives from cradle to grave. Things have gotten way out of whack and the federal government needs to reeled in and reminded that the power is with the states and the federal government must be limited. The problem is the people now expect too much to be done for… Read more »
I do not think, USA is too big and therefore should be divided – this does not make any sense. Other big countries have similar problems, Russia, China, India and of course also the European Union.
The main problem with USA is about interfering too much into other foreign countries far away from its own territory wasting huge amounts of money with nothing in return – Afghanistan is only one example out of many. USA should better start urgently to look after its own citizens and their needs.
The U.S is rife with corruption, hell the banking fiasco was proof of that. Too bad their citizens are too damn lazy as a group to do much about it. Occupy Wallstreet was an alright start but people are just taking it lying down now, wtf happened?
Occupy Wall Street was total BS and financed by the left to make the rich appear to be the problem… Obama knew Romney was going to be his competition and they had to create a bogeyman. Obama got re-elected and even with the continuing consolidation of wealth by corporations, banks and people associated with the government and the continuing decline in jobs, pay and hours worked by the middle and lower class… all under Obama’s tenure…, the left have quietly gone back to their caves until the next election when they will once again roll out their noisemakers and tents… Read more »
Well they need some activism to try reign in the disparity between rich and poor in the country, greed left unchecked is causing major issues. The middle class in the U.S is disappearing is it not?
Archy The widespread apathy you speak of is called slacktivism.
Ahh ty. It saddens me. Take a look at the new SOPA laws, jailing people over possession OF WEED, and other bullshit that goes on in that country. 2 million prisoners or whatever it is at now is sickening, many of whom are non-violent offenders! The rich getting richer, banks doing extremely dodgy selling of homeloans without regulation to people who cannot afford them, the absolute modern joke of the U.S healthcare system that quite frankly is a huge issue that makes the U.S so far down the “decent country” list that they’ve really fallen from grace. Slacktivism is baddddd,… Read more »
The rich will always be rich. What separates America from other countries is that in America anyone with a good idea and the drive to make it happen can become wealthy. That said, when the government puts up barriers in the form of a tax system and regulations that discourages small operators and rewards those who are in bed with the federal government, it creates the world you describe. What caused the insane appreciation of real estate prices was The Community Reinvestment Act in partnership with bad Federal reserve policy along with Fannie Mae and their partners on Wall Street.… Read more »
They say hard work makes you rich too, tell that to the people working 3 jobs who barely make ends meet. For every successful person there are countless failures who work just as hard. The best way to get rich is to have the privilege of contacts, be white, get into good schools and into good jobs which the elite get access to, and it also helps a lot to already have wealth in the family. How often does a poor person hit the bigtime? There are plenty of people with great ideas who have no access to the money… Read more »
Mar Miceitte The Constitution is a joke and without the Bill of Rights,for most people,it wouldn’t be worth a bag of chips.The reason lobbying exists IS because of the Constitution.It was written to benefit the wealthy,which it does well and lobbying is a part of that process.
Very through and very sobering- Alex, I really liked your (unfortunate) breakdown of problems into the five key areas: Much better to get a handle on & see interrelationship of this constellation of the problems. I can’t help but think that #2 and #3 leads to #5: The scope and scale of these problems would (I would think) mandate coordinated, consolidated action on a national/federal scale. But for the last 30 years it seems the trend & attitude has been just the opposite: I still remember back in 1980 that people laughed WITH Reagan (and not AT Reagan) when he… Read more »
This article is stupid. Anyone who believes America is a failed state doesn’t know what a failed state is.
Muricaaaah, STROOOOONG….
lolz