David Brooks` Vibrant Vision For America
01/25/2011
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David Brooks wants Obama to announce in his State of the Union Address that America is no longer a nation, it's now going to be a cross between the Admirals Club at JFK and Amy Chua's house:

The Talent Magnet
... The country wants a more precise vision of what a thriving America is going to look like in the 21st century... To thrive, America will have to be the crossroads nation where global talent congregates and collaborates.

Parents in middle-class nations around the world should want to send their kids to American colleges.

And where will middle-class American parents (assuming there are any left) send their kids to college?

... Entrepreneurs from Israel to Indonesia should be visiting venture-capital firms in San Francisco or capital markets in New York.

Maybe, David, you could talk Israel into testing this big idea of yours out for us first. How many people are there in China with 120+ IQs who would move to Israel if only given the opportunity? Think of how Israel would benefit from 20 million brilliant Chinese immigrants!

In this century, economic competition between countries is ... more like the competition between elite universities ...

Thanks goodness we imported all those tens of millions of high SAT score illegal immigrants and their descendants.

The new sort of competition is all about charisma....

Swell.

The nation with the most diverse creative hot spots will dominate the century.

I think he meant "the most vibrantly diverse creative hot spots," or perhaps "the most diversely vibrant creative hot spots."

... Finally, the government has to work aggressively to reduce the human capital inequalities that open up in an innovation economy. That means early and constant interventions so everybody has a chance to participate.

Aggressive early and constant government interventions ... Perhaps David would have Obama sign over the parental rights of all African-American mothers to Amy Chua?

What's the over-under line on when will come the official Stolen Generations apology from a future President for these now fashionable interventions? I'd put the over-under line at my 100th birthday.

President Obama exists because his father was drawn to study in the United States. Obama embodies America's nascent role as the crossroads nation. Let's see if he can describe the next phase of American greatness.

So, polygamists of the world, come to America, impregnate our 17-year-olds, and then abandon them!

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