"What's right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capactiy- intellect and resources- to do something about them"
-Henry Ford II

I often hear people doubt our economy, our government, and our society as a whole. I will be the first to tell you that all three have their flaws. However, the United States of America is still the top country in the world. Regardless of your race, gender, religious views, political affiliations, opinions on the war, or even views on the economy, it is tough to disagree that we live in the best country in the world. So in a time when so many people are down on the country, I want to take a few minutes and share what is right about America.

The world community is comprised of roughly 6.7 billion people. For the following illustration, we will have those 6.7 billion people represented by 100 persons. Of those 100 persons, 5 of them would live in the United States and the other 95 would be citizens of other countries. Those five people would:

• own 34% of the world's equity market capitalization and the other 95 would share the other 66%
• own 25% of the Gross World Product
• be the largest importer of goods
• have a gross domestic product more than two times that of Japan and larger than that of the European Union combined
• be responsible for technological breakthroughs that have changed the lives of the other 95: electrical lights, telephones, airplanes, the mechanical harvester, television, computers, the CAT scan, the internet- the list goes on and on
• have put a man on the moon. Also designed the majority of airplanes and jets flying in the world today
• would have, within its borders, nearly half of the free world's known coal reserves which is more than a 147-year supply at current rates of use. It's energy content exceeds that of all the crude oil in the Middle East
• grow more than 40% of the world's corn and be one of the largest exporters of agricultural products and a leader in farm productivity while having agriculture account for only 1% of GDP
• have the world's strongest military with military spending greater than the next 14 largest nations combined
• donate the most to charities and give more than twice as much as the next closest country

The five individuals would also lead the world in olympic medals, airports, business efficiency, number of billionaires, number of personal computers, internet users, Red Cross donations and top universities (8 of the world's top 10).

I do not say this in an attempt at pounding our collective chests; I say this, rather, to show that even though things may seem dismal, we are very fortunate. We are very fortunate to live in a country where capitalism is alive and well. Though the economy is in a recession and the stock market has lost almost half of its value in the past 15 months, it's okay because we will rebound from it. Corrections like this are not only natural but they are necessary. I leave you with the following investment advice: review your investments, make sure that you are properly allocated and diversified, invest new money if you are able and be patient because greater days are ahead.

1. My wife and I are going on a cruise in January 2010. The final payment is due October 2009, and since we will be paying in cash, we will be setting monthly goals to save the amount needed for the cruise (and some spending money).
2. Begin saving for our next replacement vehicle. Since we just purchased a replacement van for her, we will begin saving to replace my Toyota Prius.
3. Because our children are getting closer to college age (and we didn't start when they were babies), we will increase our contributions to our children's college fund.