Ten Steps to American Greatness

America is a great nation in so many ways: we enjoy unparalleled freedoms; a robust economy characterized by hard work and entrepreneurship; a justice system which permits citizens to be judged by a jury of their peers; the greatest healthcare system in the world and much more.

Considering what we have in America, what can possibly be wrong? To start with, 9/11 sent a message to Americans that we need to pay closer attention to what is going on around the world. As citizens, we also need to monitor U.S policies abroad and how they influence other people with whom we share the planet. America's decline in popularity, even among our allies, deserves close scrutiny and warrants introspection. For all of our wealth, to many of America's citizens, this feels like a nation of haves and have-nots. Many middle income Americans have seen their incomes stagnate relative to dramatically accelerating incomes of the wealthy. Our inner cities are plagued with drugs, violence, children growing up without fathers and decaying public schools. Even in the suburbs, many teens face problems, which for some seem so overwhelming, that suicide seems the only way out. Many Americans are disenchanted with the political process in which our politicians all too often fail to have the strength of their convictions and waste the tax dollars of hard-working Americans. In spite of our great healthcare system, an astonishing number of Americans are overweight, smoke cigarettes, are alcoholics or drug addicts, and don't exercise.

Ten Steps to American Greatness outlines a specific agenda for America and will arm the average reader with enough knowledge to be an effective citizen--and the envy of your peers when discussing the major issues of our time!

Steve Riczo is a freelance writer and regular contributing author to USA Today magazine on a wide range of subjects. Excerpts from Ten Steps to American Greatness will be featured in USA Today which has a national circulation with a prestigious authors list (recent authors include former President Clinton, Senator John McCain, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, former FBI Director Louis Freeh and many others). The magazine can be found in libraries throughout the nation and is indexed in Readers Guide to Periodical Literature; Social Science Citation Index; Current Contents Index; Social and Behavioral Sciences and others.Steve Riczo holds a Bachelors Degree from Hiram College and Masters Degree from Xavier University. Mr. Riczo was the fourth born of twelve children and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio, with his son, Daniel, and daughter, Sarah.