The Spectrum of American Standings: Where Do We Lie?

Herbert, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, has a lot of problems with America, mainly about its economy and where it is headed. One of the main points Herbert focuses on is that class division is no longer a hierarchy, now it is more of a “you’re in this side of the spectrum of income, or the other.” Herbert explains this very well in one of his last paragraphs of his article “A Fire in the Basement,” by presenting a quote by Robert Reich saying, “Over the coming decade, the Bush tax cuts will transfer more wealth to the richest one percent of the population than any fiscal policies in history” (402).
Another one of Herbert’s ideas is the progress we Americans made post-World War 2. Harry Truman took the reigns and put America back on the map with the programs he and his cabinet created. Herbert shows just how important these events were by pulling a Stephen King and making a one line paragraph saying, “It was a hell of a few decades (402).
Alan W. Dowd, an editor at the World Politics Review, says just the opposite of Herbert. Dowd may agree with Herbert by saying America has spent a lot over the past decade, but then argue why America is in the lead on economy standards. Dowd says to back up his belief by saying, “At $13.13 trillion, the U.S. economy represents 20 percent of global output. It’s growing faster than Britain’s, Australia’s, Germany’s, Japan’s, Canada’s, even faster than the vaunted European Union” (405).
Another one of Dowd’s ideas is that terms such as “Globalization” are due to American work ethic. Robert Kaplan agrees with Dowd by saying, “Globalization could not occur without American ships and sailors” (407). Dowd is very much aware that many Companies and Franchises are doing extremely well in both America and in other countries in the world, therefore giving more money to the American economy.