Happy 4th of July!

And if you’re looking for reasons to be proud of America today, here’s a quickie top ten list. Every country makes plenty of mistakes, and we’ve certainly made our share. But even taking our shortcomings into account, we’ve done an awful lot right:

1. We have the most dynamic culture of entrepreneurship in the world.
2. In the postwar era we have consistently supported free trade, often at our own expense.
3. We were on the right side of history in the fight against fascism.
4. We were on the right side of history in the fight against communism.
5. We are on the right side of history in the fight against terrorism.
6. We have the strongest protections of speech and religious freedoms in the world.
7. We protect the world’s sea lanes all but single-handedly.
8. We are the most benign hegemon in world history.
9. Even today, we accept and incorporate immigrants better than nearly any country in history.
10. American science is the most vigorous in the world, to the benefit of nearly every person on the globe.