As the only German American around here....perhaps I should comment
First of all, I agree with N.C. Yankee that education is the most important issue. Only education can lead to competitiveness in this world, and that's America's main deficit in my opinion. Why am I planning on studying in Munich and why did I never give much thought at all to studying in America? Simple. I get the same quality of education for 1000€ a year rather than $50000 a year. I don't necessarily believe higher education should be free (in fact, I think the upper class benefits more from that than the lower class does, simply because university education MORE than pays for itself after a certain point).
Secondary education, as Yankee also said, is a big problem in the U.S., with quite low graduation rates....and to be honest, even a high school diploma is NOT extremely academically challenging. My
Abitur, my high school diploma, covers quite a few things that aren't done until the first year or so of community college. Simply put, it's wasted time and money for something that shouldn't be necessary, it's just inefficient.
That said, I'm not as big a fan of the German labor market as the author apparently is. It's hard to become less flexible than the German market is. Try firing an incompetent employee. Try firing ANY government employee. Then the labor unions, don't get me started on the labor unions. (Although, actually, they're not as strong as in a handful of US states....like Michigan).
Germany has lots and lots of regulations. Starting a business isn't easy. Even getting a job isn't all that easy without jumping through a lot of hoops in many fields. You need this certificate....then that certificate....then a government certified medical exam.....and so on. Then there's the issue of outrageous taxation levels.
Let me put it this way....if we could combine aspects of the German welfare state that I think are necessary (education, healthcare....for the most part) and the American labor market....that would create a pretty good system.
You know...one thing is actually amusing, the author mentions that there are some "socialist" things in the U.S. that would be unheard of in Germany. True enough. Take the totally state-run postal service, for example.....or look at Amtrak. (German train company Deutsche Bahn is owned by the state....but it's pretty much privately run, and it makes a PROFIT!). Nothing like Medicare exists in Germany, lol. Don't forget that we have a minimum wage in the U.S. Doesn'T exist in Germany either. And I've never quite understood why so many U.S. states allow such things as utility monopolies. It's pretty much open, free market competition in Germany.
So yeah, there are some things the U.S. needs to really liberalize, become less socialist in.....and plenty of things that the U.S. needs to recognize that the government can actually do better and more efficiently than anyone else.
