Winning America's Future
Policies for Succeeding in the Global Era
By Thomas Z. Freedman, Nick Gossen, and Ed Gerrish
Editor's Note: The full text of this policy report is available in Adobe PDF format, only. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Introduction
America is at a turning point. The world has changed dramatically in recent years, bringing new challenges and opportunities to our country. In Thomas L. Friedman's recent book, The World Is Flat, he describes how America's leadership is being challenged by a convergence of factors that flatten the global playing field, eroding the economic and technological high ground we enjoyed for much of the 20th century. Meeting the challenges of the flat world will be one of the central tests of American government in the decades to come.
The thesis of this book is simple: In order to succeed in the flat world, we must develop policies that make America smarter, stronger, and safer. By giving individual families and communities the tools to deal with the flat world on their own terms, we can build a country that is empowered, not threatened, by globalization. It is only by embracing the flat world that our country will be able to take full advantage of its benefits.
For half a century, America has been the world's leader politically, economically, and technologically. Many of us take our success, and the benefits it entails, for granted. However, America's ascent to its current position in the world economy was neither accidental nor inevitable. Over the course of our history we have been fortunate enough to have leaders who took what Theodore Roosevelt called "the long look ahead." They made investments in our nation's educational system, economic infrastructure, and national security that allowed us to grow, innovate, and improve the lives of generations of Americans. Now, a new generation must take on new challenges so America can lead and grow in the century ahead.
This book offers a series of policy proposals that can be implemented on the state and local level to help America lead in the new century. The ideas are divided into three sections: education, economy, and security. Some of these ideas have been in the DLC playbook for some time and have already proven successful in cities and states across the country; others are fresh from the drawing board, waiting to be used. What they share is a recognition that the world is changing fast and that American students, workers, and governments must work hard to keep up.
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