For Old Worlders, much of the character of the United States can be summed up with one word: big. From the skyscrapers of New York to the mega-budgets of Hollywood, from the Navy’s super-carriers to the population’s super-sized waistlines, Americans just seem to do things on a larger scale than we do.

They have an unquenchable thirst for largesse, and nowhere is this better represented than in the monuments to the federal government, erected as ‘public’ works by the earkmarking endeavours of corrupt Congressmen. This was tragically brought home by the collapse of the Interstate 35W Mississippi bridge in Minneapolis last week, as one of these monuments came crashing down, with the loss of at least five lives.

The Washington Post has an interesting op-ed on the decline of the American efficiency at building such structures, and completing all other ‘big projects’.

The United States seems to have become the superpower that can’t tie its own shoelaces. America is a nation of vast ingenuity and technological capabilities. Its bridges shouldn’t fall down.

And it’s not just bridges. Has there ever been a period in our history when so many American plans and projects have, literally or figuratively, collapsed? In both grand and humble endeavors, the United States can no longer be relied upon to succeed or even muddle through. We can’t remake the Middle East. We can’t protect one of our own cities from a natural disaster or, it seems, rebuild after one. We can’t rescue our citizens when they’re on TV begging for help. We can’t even give our wounded veterans decent medical care.

And it’s all true; the United States doesn’t do any of those things particularly well. But there’s one thing that these ’simple’ tasks all have in common. Not only are all these projects stamped with the Stars and Stripes, Made in the United States, but they bear the hallmark of the government: Made in Washington DC. It’s not America that’s lost its way, but the government.

The private sector continues to be as inventive and productive as ever, particularly when it comes back to the super-size. American companies still make up 8 of the top 12 corporations worldwide in terms of sales. 5 of the top 6 films at the UK box office are American (and the other one - Harry Potter - is made with American money). Boeing’s 787 is raking up hundreds of orders, whilst Airbus struggles to flog its mammoth A380. And four-fifths of global software sales are racked up by US companies.

The biggest failings of the United States, as with all countries, are the failings of the government. The Sarbanes-Oxley regulations have destroyed the American finance sector; Wall Street gets the blame. The Food and Drug Administration blocks the development of new drugs, killing thousands; ‘Big Pharma’ gets the blame.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Washington Post misrepresents state failure as national failure. As a newspaper that builds its reputation on reporting about the federal government, it must equate the two. However, to do so does both themselves and their country a great disservice. The free market environment and entrepreneurial spirit of the United States means it remains the place to do ‘big things’, and do them right. Just don’t ask the government to do them; they can’t even tie their own shoe-laces.