American schools, from elementary through university, were once the envy of the world, consistently topping global rankings before World War II. The post-war American economy thrived, fueled by well-educated graduates from both public and private institutions. However, during WWII, the federal government began to exert influence over the nation's schools, seeking to centralize a system that was previously managed independently by counties and states. Through grants, promises, and pressure, federal leverage grew over state and local educational bodies, leading to increased bureaucracy that burdened teachers with administrative tasks and reduced their focus on students. As single-parent families increased and more mothers entered the workforce, parental involvement in schools declined, contributing to slipping standards and grades. In 1979, the creation of the federal Department of Education under the Carter Administration brought new programs and funding, but with numerous strings attached, further expanding bureaucracy. Concepts like self-esteem and positive motivation began to compete with core educational principles such as testing, discipline, and accountability, resulting in faltering achievement standards and diminished responsibility for students and teachers alike. From the late 1970s, many dedicated teachers left the system, frustrated by changes in school culture and a lack of discipline, while teacher dissatisfaction rose and fewer teaching candidates graduated from colleges. Local school boards, under pressure from the Department of Education, lowered hiring standards, leading to mediocrity and frequent teacher strikes. Additionally, reduced qualifications for academic tenure made it nearly impossible to dismiss underperforming teachers, despite widespread acknowledgment of poor performance. In the new century, federally mandated policies promoting social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion have overcrowded teaching plans, sidelining core subjects like reading, science, and math. Controversial topics and policies have further threatened the core mission of public schools. The federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues with lockdown policies and ineffective online learning, accelerating the decline in national test scores for reading and math, and increasing mental health challenges for teachers and students. The American education system, once a symbol of excellence, continues to decline into mediocrity, struggling under the weight of government intervention and policy decisions made long before recent crises.

The United States is of major concern to the world's nations because they witness America's profligate spending and realize that their economic futures are precariously linked to the American economic system. Americans cannot discipline themselves to go without, clinging to portable computers, high-speed internet, smart phones, movies, television, music downloads, pets, booze, coffee, and education. These indeed have become America's idols.

Richard Ritenbaugh acknowledges that young people display a proclivity to accept socialism, oblivious to the horrendous damage socialist experiments have brought to the world. Politicians of the ilk of Bernie Sanders have fomented hatred toward capitalism by comparing it to an imaginary utopia. Economist Walter Williams insists that the free market, with all its warts, is far superior to collectivism at protecting people from poverty. Poverty is not usually an economic issue but stems from ethical and moral deficits. Socialism simply transfers wealth to the leaders of a government, leaving most of the citizenry in greater poverty. Williams, in his article, "Do These Four Things to Avoid Poverty," suggests that a young person, to keep his nose above poverty or failure, needs to (1.) complete high school, (2.) get a job, (3.) get married before having children, and (4.) be a law-abiding citizen. Poverty is self-caused—not the result of society, bad laws or systemic bigotry. Young people who drop out of school, take drugs, and fornicate set themselves up for failure. The law is no problem for those who obey it, but it will break those who break it, making it difficult to rebound.