This+Is+Not+A+Test

-The flattening of the world creates many profound long-term opportunities and challenges for the United States. - As Dinakar Singh, Indian-American Hedge fund manager, states with regards to the U.S. "For a country as wealthy as we are, it is amazing how little we are doing to enhance our natural competitiveness...we are in a world that has a system that now allows convergence among many billions of people, and we had better step back and figure out what it means..." (375). The United States has not yet realized the necessity to adapt its policies to the new flat world. -This new globalized and flattened world will effect both traditional and developed societies. -This new flattening of the world requires that the U.S. embrace, what Thomas Friedman calls, "compassionate flatism." This theory focuses on the fact that the world is becoming more globalized and therefore governments and politicians have to play a more significant role than ever before. The U.S. needs to embrace globalization and understand that a more compassionate and egalitarian society lies in a web of policies that are aimed at reconfiguring the welfare state in order to give more Americans the outlook, education, safety nets and skills necessary to compete against other individuals in the flat world. -The U.S. must focus its educational system more in the areas of science, math and engineering to reach the new frontier of knowledge that is being opened up by the flat world. Overall, the U.S. government must offer Americans more tools and social supports to reduce the new pressures of global competition.

-One of today's major problems is that American politicians seem to have no clue about the flat world-->should have basic understanding of the forces that are flattening our world like other countries' politicians do. -Americans should follow example set by Lou Gerstner, who took over IBM when it had begun to fail-it stopped listening to its customers, and as the world began t flatten IBM found it could not continue thriving with an overabundance of average people working for a company that had stopped being such a good listener. Gerstner turned company around--help mirror up to company, and stressed importance of individual empowerment. -In the flattening world, each individual worker is going to become more responsible for managing his own career, risks, and economic security, and "the role of government and business is to help workers build all the muscles they need to do just that--> muscles workers really need portable benefits and opportunities for "lifelong" learning. -Will Marshall, president of Progressive Policy Insitute suggests companies make it easier for workers to obtain stock options in the companies for which they work--> this way employees will have more passion and loyalty to company because they own a "piece of the pie". - No longer lifetime employment guarantee for employees, with such a flat world, always upgrading educational fundementals, outsourcing, limitless information accessable on internet, etc.-->therefore, competition is growing for employment as workers need to be cross trained and versitile.

-Social security needs to be kept with the globalization with the flat world. -standard state run unemployment insurance program doesnt address decline wages in a new job and the inability to pay for health insurance -Kletzer and Litan proposed that government pay half of the health insure premiums for all "displaced" workers for up to 6 months. -Crises we see in school roots from children who turn to television and video games for entertainment becuase they used to turn to reading for entertainment.