The reason the US surpassed France is we invested in education & research. In the late 1950s, we had 80 percent of teenagers enrolled in high schoolers compared to France that was still at 20 to 30 percent. We built out public colleges and community colleges far more than France. We invested in NSF & DARPA more than France did in research and allowed universities like Stanford to commercialize tech. France's 57 percent of GDP is largely because of pensions which pay 60 percent of salary and something the US does not have. Social security is 5% of GDP, compared to Frances's 14% for pensions. Students in France want more spending on schools rather than simply on retirees & they oppose tax cuts for the wealthy. France does have a more economical healthcare system (11% GDP) and Americans would get a better deal if we went to Medicare for all. We currently spend nearly 18% and have more denials and worse outcomes. The bottom line is we can invest in our public schools, free college, trade schools, childcare, and Medicare for All while still having significantly less public spending than France. We could have more economic growth by supporting our schools, colleges, universities, research, and entrepreneurs. Productive investment in health and education leads to growth in a technology age that values human capital. We can pay for this by taxing the billionaires and not wasting money on losing foreign wars. This does not make us France. It makes us the America that saw explosive growth and built the middle class post WWII. .@smerconish and I discuss! cnn.com/2026/10/24/world/vid…