I spent 15 years in the States and left in 2006, precisely because I saw the horrifying decline of this great nation. Don’t you think, though, that before a turnaround plan you need to do a SWOT analysis? Here’s a quick stab at it:

Strengths:

Bar none, the most diligent, hard-working, dedicated, disciplined and focused people in the world. I’ve lived on three continents and know what I am talking about.

Weaknesses:

1. Decay of rationalism. Right there is your biggest problem. The War on Science; the ascend of bullshit artists and religious nutjobs; the contempt for reality, facts, numbers, data that has pervaded the business, financial and political elites.

2. Very poor lifestyle energy-efficiency, especially in transportation

3. Unsustainable military spending and engagements

4. Proliferation of a "heads I win, tails someone else loses" model in the economy and finance, also known as "Privatization of profits, socialization of losses" (And yes, many venture capitalists can be blamed for that, too.)

Opportunities:

Given the long traditions of rational pragmatism in America and the nation-wide consensus that things need to be changed, there is a real opportunity here for bold and rational changes. In that regard your country is extremely lucky that it will have as a President someone who is universally acknowledged as the "deepest thinker to ever get in the Oval Office". I know this may sound crazy after the past eight years, but being smart and thinking is actually NOT a bad thing.

(And yes, Clinton was also amazingly brilliant, however, he was not really a "thinker". He would rely on his intelligence to mostly wing it and go by feel, instead of through a formal analytical thought process)

Threats:

Being too late to avoid a profound decline.

Finally, I am a bit ambivalent on the debt thing. Yes, I am worried that my children (all of them U.S. citizen) would have to pay it down, however, as pointed out, you would be crazy not to finance your country’s prosperity at such low financing costs (3-4%).