Summary 3

Micheal D. Lemonick, author of Are We Losing Our Edge?, begins his argument that the United States of America is starting to decline, with a story about a scientist, who moves to a different country for better job experiences. Lemonick claims that America is losing ground to other countries, because businesses and the government are cutting back on research and knowledge to focus on short term goals, while other countries are working on improving their studies.
He presses this point, by discussing how the government downplayed the importance of improving science and technology, in the Bush administration. However, he also points out that after a five hundred five page report assessing the United States’ eroding superiority in science and technology, the government began taking steps to improve funding and support for scientific research. He names specific individuals and their actions, such as Nancy Pelosi and Donald Evens, who actively spoke out for science and technology.
Then, Lemonick addresses businesses and how they’re affecting this decline. By focusing on short term advances, they are losing their advanced research and updated information. In turn, this affects students and what career path they decide to study. With businesses showing a lack of interest in scientific research, students stopped studying science and technology in hopes of gaining a career that will be more profitable for them.
Lastly Lemonick portrays the effects of other countries to improve their economies by investing in research. After seeing how successful the United States is, they are beginning to copy America. By improving their research labs with updated equipment, proper funding for research projects, large salaries for scientists, and a free reign on the research projects, not only do they lure top scientists away from the United States, but they are enticing their students to stay.
Micheal Lemonick concludes by pointing out that the government may be listening to the warning signs. Laws and grants look like they will be pushed through, to once again keep science and technology a priority in America.