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经合组织的报告还显示，在世界最富裕的几个国家中，美国人的家庭收入在过去20多年来也是增长最慢的，显示了美国的经济实力在逐渐下降。美国的家庭收入增幅只有1%，大大低于经合组织国家的平均增幅，经合组织的平均增幅为1.7%。位居家庭收入之首的卢森堡过去20年来增长了2.1%，排在第三位的挪威增长了2.2%。

美国在另外两项排名中也位居34国之首：监狱犯人在人口中的比例和医疗支出占GDP的比重。在美国，每10万人口中就有760个监狱犯人，而经合组织的平均数字是140，其中一半以上经合组织成员国每10万人口中只有不到100个监狱犯人。美国的监狱犯人比例是其他国家的数倍之多。

美国人的医疗支出占到GDP的16%，位居第二的法国只有11.2%，经合组织的平均值是9%。但很显然，高昂的医疗支出并没有使美国人成为寿命最长的人。美国人的人均寿命是77.9，大大低于日本的82.7，也低于经合组织的平均值79.3。美国成年人中肥胖比例高达34%，是经合组织平均水平的两倍。另一项指标显示，美国人当中没有医疗保险的比例与墨西哥和土耳其的水平相当。

美国从最大债权国变为最大债务国

举世皆知，美国是当今世界最大债务国。美国债务到底有多大？总量约60万亿美元，包括国债、州政府和地方政府债、公司债（金融公司和非金融公司）、家庭和个人债。截至今日，美国国债规模约为13.5万亿美元，州政府和地方政府债约为5万亿美元，公司债约为27万亿美元，家庭和个人债约为15万亿美元。

美国国际经济研究所的高级研究员威廉·克莱恩在其著作《债务国——美国》（The United States as a Debtor Nation）一书中指出，美国在1970年代时，还是世界上最大债权国。但到了2004年，美国已成为世界最大的债务国。美国的贸易赤字和外债日益增长，同时个人储蓄下降以及政府财政赤字上升等各种因素造成的收支不平衡将会给美国经济，乃至世界经济，特别是发展中国家的经济带来风险。美国成为目前世界上最大的债务国非一日之寒。上世纪80年代以来，随着对外投资速度的持续下降，美国转而倚重来自国外的投资以支撑本土经济的增长。1985年美国从净债权国变为债务国，结束了自1914年以来作为净债权国长达70年的历史。

克莱恩在书中写道，1970年到1975年间，美国国外净资产总额占国内生产总值的11%，而到2004年，美国的国外负资产则高达国内生产总值的22%。克莱恩指出，如果不改变现状，再过20年，美国经常帐目赤字将会占GDP的14%，到2024年，净外债将高达GDP的135%。到那时，随着外国投资者对美国失去信心，国内保护主义的压力无法控制，重大的危机就会出现。

克莱恩认为，推迟调整这种不平衡，只能对美国人的家庭生活水准带来更大的影响。

【古风按：这些还仅仅是冰山一角。如果您看过了Earl H. Fry著的《Lament for America》，就会对美国的现状有了更加深刻的认识。在这本书的前言里面，作者列举了一些触目惊心的统计数据（从2000年到2009/2010年）：

· The unemployment rate at the beginning of 2000 was 4% vs. 10% at the end of 2009;

· The number of non-farm payroll jobs was at the same level in December 2009 as it had been in January 2000, even though the U.S. population grew by almost 30 million during the decade. The number of private-sector jobs actually declined;

· The median household’s real income was lower at the end of the decade than at the beginning;

· During the same period, the median price of a new home was up modestly in nominal terms but down when inflation is factored in;

· The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the decade about one thousand points lower than at the beginning of 2000;

· The NASDAQ average plummeted by almost half during the same period;

· The poverty rate among adults and children was higher in December 2009 than in 2000, and the percentage of Americans reliant on food stamps doubled from the beginning to the end of the decade, with a record one in 8 Americans, including 1 in 4 children, using food stamps at the end of 2009;

· A higher percentage and higher number of Americans were without health insurance at the end of 2009 compared with the beginning of the decade;

· The average family’s premium for health-care coverage more than doubled during the decade, from $6,438 to $13,375;

· During the 10-year period, the federal government’s debt more than doubled from $5.7 trillion to $12.1 trillion.

· Job insecurity is currently at its highest level in decades, and total unemployment and underemployment at the beginning of 2010 surpassed 17%. Long-term unemployment is also at levels not seen since the 1930s.

· Men between ages 30 and 39 also earn about 12% less in real terms than their same age group a generation ago.

· Home equities have plummeted since 2007, and almost a quarter of homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth.

· Pension savings are down by almost 30% from the highs in October 2007.

· Some companies are also jettisoning their 401(k) programs for their employees or no longer offer matching funds to encourage employee retirement savings.

· Roughly 34% of the private wealth in the U.S. is held by 1% of households, greater than the wealth of the bottom 90% of households combined.

· Through much of the past decade, two-thirds of all the income gains in the U.S. accrued to the top 1% of earners. This concentration of wealth and income is reminiscent of the earlier Gilded Ages of the 1880s and 1920s.

· The U.S. share of the world’s GDP fell from over 31% in 2000 to about 23% in 2009.

· America’s total share of merchandise exports fell during the period from almost 13% to about 8%, whereas China’s increased from 4% to over 9%.

· The U.S. is the world’s largest external debtor country, with its gross external debt increasing from $6.6 trillion in mid-2003 to $13.7 trillion near the end of 2009.

· The U.S. portion of global military expenditures increased from 37% in 2000 to about 42% in 2009.

· For fiscal year 2010, Congress authorized a military budget of $680 billion, almost double the $359 billion spent in fiscal year 2000. President Obama has requested $708 billion for fiscal year 2011.

这个单子还有好长好长。请参阅原著获得更全面的了解。

数据已经把事实说得再明白不过了，不用我再做添油加醋的功夫了。只说最后一点：原作者其实也开了一长串的解毒治病药单，可是基本上都没有任何在当下的美国人文政治环境中实施的可能；美国现在其实已经是病入膏肓无药可救了，只有等死一途了。近来读《诗经·国风·秦风》，偶获一阙《蒹葭》，正好是原作者对美国现状的真实心态的写照，现抄录如下，做个浪漫的结尾吧：

蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜。所谓伊人，在水一方。

溯洄从之，道阻且长；溯游从之，宛在水中央。

蒹葭萋萋，白露未晞。所谓伊人，在水之湄。

溯洄从之，道阻且跻；溯游从之，宛在水中坻。

蒹葭采采，白露未已。所谓伊人，在水之涘。

溯洄从之，道阻且右；溯游从之，宛在水中沚。

（详解见：http://www.hudong.com/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E8%92%B9%E8%91%AD%E3%80%8B）】