Future Preparedness represents a vision of what a responsible government ought to provide: sustainable national prosperity and security that benefits all Americans over the long-term.
The Future Preparedness Index (FPI) is composed of indicators from the following issue areas: Educational Excellence, Environmental Sustainability, Fiscal Responsibility, and Healthcare Excellence.
The FPI will help expand the notion of responsible governance beyond effective fiscal management to a more comprehensive vision of a healthy, robust nation.
Educational Excellence
Great countries depend on great education systems. U.S. high school and college graduates must be well prepared to compete in our increasingly global economy. The US used to produce the highest percentage of college graduates of any country in the world. Now, among young adults, the US has fallen to eighth. As of 2006, the United States was no longer in the top 20 internationally in reading, math, or science. Furthermore, the United States exhibits an unacceptable gap between its most and least educated citizens—a huge drag on economic health and national morale. We will help build the United States back to its position as an international leader in education. The Future Preparedness Index sets ambitious goals to revitalize American education as a model for excellence.
Healthcare Excellence
Americans look out for each other, and know that no one can prosper without proper healthcare. We seek a world in which all Americans receive the essential healthcare they need to achieve prosperity and nurture a secure family. Our current healthcare system, though costly, fundamentally fails to keep America healthy. The Future Preparedness Index sets health system goals that go beyond insurance, to ensuring quality care at sustainable costs.
Fiscal Responsibility
The stunning growth of the national debt, and our chronic underinvestment in youth, threaten to suffocate hopes for continued prosperity. We seek a world in which America’s leaders consistently take on honest approach to the federal budget and ensure that our spending and revenue policies become sustainable. Fiscal Responsibility refers not only to practicing sustainable budget policy, but also to making investments that save money over the long-term. The Future Preparedness Index sets fiscal responsibility goals to ensure that the United States will continue to be able to make necessary investments in our future.
Environmental Sustainability
The American way of life is urgently threatened by global climate change and the growing need to find alternative ways to power our economy. We seek to bring about world that is cool enough, clean enough, and plentiful enough to allow younger generations to flourish and enjoy the planet peacefully. The Future Preparedness Index sets environmental sustainability goals that build toward a high productivity, energy efficient economy that maintains the quality of human life.