Leadership Series: American Mythology

Myth #1: America is the world’s leading exporter of goods and services.
Fact #1: 2009 exports as estimated by The World Factbook (CIA) in trillions of dollars:

• $ 1.525   European Union
• $ 1.204   People’s Republic of China
• $ 1.159   Germany 
• $ 1.046   United States (on a per capita basis, US of A is 41st) 

Myth #2: American has the world’s best health care system
Fact #2: Most certainly not as measured by either cost per citizen or life expectancy (source: United Nations.) Japan is number one in life expectancy: 82.6 overall; 86.1 for females. Virtually all the European countries and Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, S. Korea and Australia have higher life expectancy. The US ranks 38th in the world, after Cuba. The US overall age is 78.2; 80.2 for females. As pointed out on numerous occasions on these pages, the cost per capita for health care in the United States is at least double and, in many cases, triple that of other developed nations, all with higher life expectancy. Cuba’s cost per citizen is a fraction of the cost in the US.

Myth #3: American has the world’s greatest education system
Fact #3: If you look at young adults (25 – 34) who have an associate’s degree or higher, the US is tied with Belgium for 7th. Canada is 1st followed by Japan, South Korea, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Source: National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Myth #4: America paid down its debt during Clinton’s presidency 

Fact #4:  Debt on Clinton’s first inaugural day, Jan 20, 1993: $ 4.188 trillion
               Debt on Clinton’s last day in office, Jan 20, 2001:    $ 5.728 trillion
               Debt of the United States rose over $1.5 trillion during Clinton’s time in office.
               Source:  USTreasury

Myth #5: America is a nation of laws. 

Fact  #5: Well, we probably have more laws, containing more words, and more courts and more court employees and more prosecutors and, most certainly many more lawyers, than any other nation. But we either don’t like to be law abiders or we like to put people in jail for more reasons than any other nation on earth. The US leads the world with incarcerated people: 715 for every 100,000 citizens. Next in line is Russia with 584 per 100,000. Iran is 226; Israel is 174; Mexico is 169; China is 119 and Italy, Germany and France are all 100 or less. The US incarceration rate is seven times greater than Italy, France and Germany!  How can this be?  Japan is 54 and India is 29! Source: International Centre for Prison Studies.

Myth #6: America leads the world in innovation
Fact  #6: The United Nations has taken a crack at measuring a nation’s capacity for innovation. It calculates an Innovation Capacity Index. Here are their results:
Sweden and Finland rank 1 and 2; the US is third followed by Switzerland, Netherlands, Singapore, Canada, United Kingdom, Norway and New Zealand. Japan is 15; Germany is 20.

Do you have any myths about America? Please share them with us; but also research and share the facts. Myths are stories told by leaders and others to present a picture of how they would like the listener to perceive events and situations. Mr. Obama and Mr. Bernanke are now spreading the myth that their massive spending programs, massive deficits and massive debt buildup (well, they tend to not refer to the latter two consequences of the first reality) have saved the world. Kind of reminds one of the concept that myth spreaders think their audience will believe bigger lies (myths) than smaller lies. Obama just told the United Nations that he prevented the world from slipping into a great depression - “...over $2 trillion in stimulus to bring the global economy back from the brink.” Bernanke just told the world that he saved the financial system of the world. “We avoided what could have been a global meltdown,” Bernanke said.

TheFundamentals has said it before. Real leaders let measurable facts speak for themselves. Real leaders let historians write history. Neither Obama nor Bernanke have the insight, the facts nor the historical reference to make their statements. Mythology? Perhaps. Leadership? Absolutely not!