The Fareed Zakaria Show and America's Bright Future

The Fareed Zakaria show on CNN Sunday afternoon, July 8, was once again excellent.  There was a five-person international panel discussing the potential shift in power among nations during the coming decades.  Fareed's book, "The Post American World", is also an excellent discussion of the topic.

The simple conclusion of the last speaker on the panel is that the future of America is very bright.  This observation was based on the discovery and conversion of shale oil into fuel on America's road to energy independence, the increasing flow of manufacturing jobs back to America based on the growing cost of overseas production and shipping, and the near certainty that after the election in November there will be both a will and a desire on the part of the American people to tackle the budget deficit and the national debt.

These are very encouraging indicators.  I, too, have confidence in the initiative, creativity, resilience, and responsibility of the American people. Despite the continue unresponsiveness of our political process and the unwillingness of leadership to work together across ideology for the common good, America is well- positioned, I believe, despite the "doomers and gloomers", to catapult into the mid-21st century as the world's economic and cultural leader.

I feel strongly that America needs the continued leadership of Barack Obama and the addition of more moderates in Congress willing to negotiate, collaborate, compromise, and cooperate to help achieve results, but America will move forward in any event........either with, or in spite of, Washington.