However Obama decides to reach closure on this, he must keep in mind that at a point when many countries around the world are pulling even with us or surpassing us in term of economic competitiveness, many of these countries have provided education and health care to their citizens are nearly zero personal cost to their respective citizens. Meanwhile, as we struggle to maintain our position in the world, we are burdened with a broken healthcare system and the personal indebtedness it leaves in its wake. It appears that acting according to long-term interests has become quite a difficult task for the United States..