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America’s Urgent Challenge

Re “Are America’s Best Days Behind Us?” [March 14]: Fareed Zakaria has put a finger on what may be the most formidable obstacle to America’s enjoying a future as bright as its past–the rooted belief that ours is an exceptional nation morally superior to all others, a light to the world. As a consequence, we are self-satisfied at a critical juncture in history when we should instead be engaged in clearheaded self-assessment.

J.M. Haas, KIRKWOOD, MO.

Isn’t it amazing that the top 10 most prosperous countries are those typically reviled by the right wing as “socialist” or “welfare” states? Many of them have publicly funded guaranteed health care, generous unemployment benefits and social-security systems, and social safety nets. The conservative right has maintained that this level of social welfare increased taxes and destroyed jobs, individual character and self-reliance. The proof may be in the pudding.

Richard Pichon, NORTH RIDGEVILLE, OHIO

Zakaria summed it up with a single sentence lost amid a lot of statistics: “Americans simply don’t care much.” That’s true: Americans have never worried about being No. 1; they were too busy building a country, perfecting democracy and trying to stay out of European wars (though eventually deciding them). America just became No. 1, and most of us don’t care.

Alec Luis, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF.

Unlike in the past, when the U.S. rose to the challenge of the space race, the rise of Japan and other global pressures, today there is a sense of entitlement–a sense that our problems will just take care of themselves because we are exceptional. Politicians enable this delusion by invoking exceptionalism while avoiding substantive solutions. I hope we become restless again now, when it counts most.

Tim Daly, MANAHAWKIN, N.J.

The cover stories by Zakaria and David Von Drehle [“Don’t Bet Against the United States,” March 14] should be required reading for Americans, including those holding political office, who choose to believe it is acceptable to exclude the major components of our deficit–Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid–from the debate. We should not allow Congress to dabble with cuts to discretionary spending and limit investment in the drivers of long-term economic growth: education, alternative energy, science and infrastructure.

Ernie Bourassa, ANNANDALE, N.J.

As I was reading Von Drehle’s story, I was reminded of a statement attributed to H.L. Mencken about presidential aspirants with a talent for “swathing the bitter facts of life in bandages of soft illusion.”

Leon W. Zelby, NORMAN, OKLA.

Von Drehle tells us that U.S. schools “aren’t lagging across the board. Where they struggle is in educating poor immigrant and minority students.” That’s rather like noting that if our unemployment rate is only about 10%, it follows that some 90% of our workforce is indeed employed, so what’s all the fuss about?

Sally Celestino, MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.

You can see how noncitizens perceive us as No. 1 by the long lines outside American consulates, as people wait for visas to the U.S. I’ll worry about the U.S.’s decline when I see that lines at the Brazilian, Russian, Indian or Chinese consulates are longer than those at the U.S. consulates.

Serge Asensio, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Compromising Positions

As a high school government teacher, I am disturbed by comments made by Joe Walsh, who represents the district I teach in [“A Tale of Two Freshmen,” March 14]. His statement–“I came here ready to go to war. The people didn’t send me here to compromise”–goes against everything I teach my students about politics. First of all, Walsh won the general election by a mere 290 votes; second, the U.S. was founded on compromise. The last time we utterly failed at it was 1860, which led to the deaths of over 600,000 people.

Thomas James Kuhn, GURNEE, ILL.

Unions or Bust

If, as Mike Murphy suggests, Wisconsin’s public unions are “bringing a machine gun to a fistfight,” then certainly the billionaire Koch brothers backing Wisconsin’s governor are bringing a nuclear missile [“The Real Stakes in Wisconsin,” March 14]. Polls show that the majority of Wisconsinites support public-union bargaining rights. Does Murphy not realize that most of us have real heads under these cheese hats?

Florence Whalen, OCONOMOWOC, WIS.

Outsider Art

Thanks for Richard Lacayo’s article about self-taught artist Thornton Dial [“Outside the Lines,” March 14]. For those interested, there’s a great film about Dial that was produced for Alabama Public Television in 2007, Mr. Dial Has Something to Say.

Phil Reedy, REDDING, CALIF.

Why Not Warren?

Re Joe Klein’s “Who’s Afraid of Reforming Wall Street?” [March 14]: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with Elizabeth Warren as its director, is in the best interest of all of us. I don’t understand President Obama’s hesitation to appoint Warren to this post. She is qualified, desires the position, is passionate about promoting what is just and will provide him the opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to legal and ethical business practices. He could not wish for a better nominee. He and she are on the defensible side of this issue, and they should welcome a confirmation battle.

Phil Corsello, DENVER

Klein should have added Congress and President Clinton to the list of unindicted co-conspirators for revising the Community Reinvestment Act in 1995, encouraging banks to make these loans.

Mike Hepperlen, CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL.

Criminal Choice

I was extremely disappointed that you dedicated 10 Questions to Mike Tyson [March 14]. This is a man known largely for his crimes, including rape, for which he did jail time.

Manny Teixeira, LEBANON, CONN.

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