Obama: The idea that so many children are born into poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth is heartbreaking

Barack Obama gave a speech in Washington DC which described economic themes for the rest of his term.

“The combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the American Dream, our way of life, and what we stand for around the globe,” he said.

“The idea that so many children are born into poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth is heartbreaking enough. The idea that a child may never be able to escape that poverty because she lacks a decent education or healthcare, or a community that views her future as their own, that should offend all of us and it should compel us to action.”

This comes as Pew Research finds that for the first time in 40 years, a majority of Americans say the US plays a less important and powerful role in the world than it did a decade ago.  It also found that 70% of Americans saw the US as less respected than in the past

The survey also found that there was a mistaken belief among many that China is the world’s top economic power – 48% of respondents thought so. Just 31% correctly said it was the US.  America’s gross domestic product is nearly twice that of China, according to World Bank data, although the gap between the two has been closing.

BBC: Obama calls for action on ‘profoundly unequal’ economy

BBC: Americans see a US in decline, finds Pew survey

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