Opinion: Don't judge the US by Donald Trump

The Amazon headquarters in Seattle, Washington, is a symbol of the technological innovation that drives the US economy and will survive long after the Donald Trump presidency. Photos / Getty Images

Americans are louder, more boisterous, opinionated, fractious and nakedly patriotic than any other nation I have visited. Any erection seems to warrant having a Stars and Stripes banner attached. Yet I am learning to love this country.

I am on a slow moving hippie bus tour through California, Arizona and Utah. The natural vistas are riveting, ranging from picturesque Californian coastline to sweltering desert with deep canyons.

This is a country of huge diversity in landscape, people and opinions. In my travels I have encountered staunch Trumpists, strident opponents, hippies, rednecks, corporate types, homeless folk and patriots. If I was to use a single term to describe my impressions of America so far it would be "pluralism". Pluralism is likely what made this nation great. It will likely continue to keep it great. President Trump somehow plopped out of this amorphous ménage of conflicting viewpoints. But he is unlikely to be the bell ringer of national decline.

We have been inundated with Trump news since his ascension to power. But the founders of this country were wise men. They anticipated such a possibility. Men such as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson agonised over checks in establishing a government unlikely to descend into tyranny. Only a fool would suggest Trump's presidency spells the end of American hegemony.

Much has been written about the Chinese economic miracle. Yet technological innovations that drive global prosperity still largely come out of the United States. Think Google, Facebook, Amazon and Uber. Trump may be in the Oval Office but it's business as usual for the entrepreneurs.

Peter Lyons

The diversity of views bemuses those of us from more temperate countries. But plurality of viewpoints lends itself to innovation that makes this country great, if a little bit weird.

The Chinese economic miracle has been based on the massive utilisation of resources to increase national output and income. But Chinese growth rates are slowing as the availability of cheap labour declines.

A developed country such as the United States has a much slower growth rate. This is because growth is largely driven by innovation. The main ingredient for such growth is plurality in thinking and the ability to express views without official censor or penalty. The United States has a huge advantage over China in this capacity.

I an not a diehard fan of the United States, particularly its foreign policy. But I am a keen student of economic history and the question of what makes a nation rich. American pluralism creates the vibrancy of thinking and action that will keep this nation great for a long time yet, regardless of who is in the White House.

Peter Lyons teaches economics at St Peter's College, Epsom, Auckland and has written several economics texts.