21st century may see decline of the US

“On the streets of Miami, an AK-47 is cheaper to buy than a Playstation”, said Manny Diaz, Mayor of Miami and President of the US Conference of Mayors. He spoke about the challenge to the next presidential administration to invest in solutions to the growing problems that threaten America’s cities and metropolitan areas.

Diaz said that over 85 percent of Americans live in metropolitan cities. In addition he said that 1 in 6 children in America currently live in poverty, and that 60 percent of children cannot read or do math at their appropriate grade level. In addition, he said that America’s infrastructure is severely underfunded. He worries that in the 21st century we will see the economic decline of the United States much in the way Europe declined during the 20th century.

Though initially backing Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) for president, Diaz has not given an official endorsement to either Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) or Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.). However, he did say that he would only consider backing either candidate should they choose to endorse the Mayors’ 10-Point Plan, which outlines 10 policy issues that many mayors across the nation feel the upcoming presidential administration must address to foster stronger cities and metropolitan regions.