In a world obsessed with shortcuts and handouts, here’s a shocker: the U.S. economy is showing real signs of life. That’s right—productivity is up, businesses are thriving, and America is outpacing much of the world in getting things done. While other nations are busy debating the merits of four-day workweeks and endless government interventions, American workers are proving that good old-fashioned effort still wins the day. Who would’ve guessed?
Let’s take a moment to appreciate what’s happening here. Over the past two years, U.S. productivity has seen significant growth, far outpacing other major economies like the European Union and Canada. That’s despite a global pandemic, skyrocketing inflation, and political leaders who seem more interested in regulating pronouns than fostering prosperity. It turns out that when Americans are left to do what they do best—work hard and innovate—they’re unstoppable.
Of course, this productivity surge didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of countless small businesses, entrepreneurs, and everyday workers refusing to fold under the weight of economic uncertainty. While politicians were busy printing money and lecturing us about climate justice, these Americans kept the wheels turning. They adapted, they innovated, and they found ways to thrive in an economy that often feels rigged against them.
Meanwhile, Europe, our supposed model of progress, is lagging behind. Their economies are bogged down by regulations, bloated welfare states, and a cultural obsession with doing less. While we’re seeing gains in manufacturing and tech, Europe is busy debating whether it’s humane to ask employees to work more than 32 hours a week. It’s almost as if productivity requires, you know, effort—a concept that seems to have fallen out of favor across the Atlantic.
What’s particularly remarkable is that this growth is happening despite the best efforts of our own government to stifle it. With inflation still high and federal spending out of control, you’d think we’d be on the brink of collapse. But no, the American worker refuses to give up. They’re not waiting for Washington to fix things—they’re figuring it out themselves. And that’s what makes this country great.
But let’s not pretend everything is perfect. This surge in productivity is happening in spite of the challenges our leaders have thrown at us, not because of their policies. Between burdensome regulations, rising taxes, and an endless parade of government programs that do more harm than good, the deck is still stacked against the people driving this growth. Imagine what we could accomplish if we had leadership that actually believed in empowering workers and businesses instead of micromanaging them.
The media, of course, will spin this as a victory for the current administration. They’ll claim that this productivity surge is proof that all those trillion-dollar spending bills and regulatory overhauls are working. But let’s be honest: this has nothing to do with government intervention and everything to do with the resilience of the American spirit. It’s a reminder that when you give people the freedom to succeed, they will.
At the same time, we should be cautious. Productivity growth is great, but it’s not a magic bullet. It doesn’t fix our crumbling infrastructure, our failing schools, or the growing sense of division in this country. It’s a bright spot in an otherwise messy economic picture, and while it’s worth celebrating, it’s not an excuse to ignore the bigger issues.
So what’s the lesson here? It’s simple: hard work works. While the elites are busy promoting entitlement culture and redefining success, the American worker is quietly proving that there’s no substitute for effort and ingenuity. Productivity growth isn’t just an economic metric—it’s a testament to the values that built this country. And if we can hold onto those values, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.
But let’s not get too comfortable. The same people who’ve spent years trying to dismantle the foundations of our economy aren’t going to stop just because we’re doing well. They’ll find new ways to interfere, new programs to fund, and new regulations to impose. The challenge for all of us is to keep pushing forward, to keep proving that freedom and hard work are the best paths to prosperity. Because if there’s one thing this productivity surge shows us, it’s that the American dream is still alive and kicking. You just have to work for it.
