Henniger offers no solutions

This is in response to Daniel Henniger's op-ed article which appeared in the May 6 issue of the Southeast Missourian. He opens with a discussion of the problems facing recent college graduates such as a youth unemployment rate of 16 percent. He indicates that this problem is related to the fact that the United States is struggling with a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of around 2 percent.

However, Mr. Henniger does not provide any set of policy options to increase our country's rate of growth. Instead he notes that Europe also has low rates of GDP growth. He indicates that this situation can be attributed to the social welfare commitments of the countries which make up that continent. But instead of offering any ideas for action, he simply implies that we should not be like Europe.

From 2000 through 2011 the average GDP for the United States was 1.8 percent. One wonders if Mr. Henniger thinks we should be like Argentina, which in 2001 declared the largest default on foreign debt in history, but since 2000 has maintained an average growth rate of 4.4 percent. Or would he have us be like China, which despite all its reforms is still a country with state-capitalism and numerous state-owned enterprises? Even so, it has maintained an average growth rate of 10.2 percent since the year 2000.

Mr. Henniger could have improved his article by specifying a country whose example we should follow and/or giving some positive ideas for growing our GDP.

JOHN PIEPHO, Cape Girardeau