Actually, you just made a point that expands upon an earlier point that I made about government vs. culture. It isn't really the economic system (capitalism) that created many remarkable advances (space travel, cellular technology, etc...), but it's rather the culture.
For example, for thousands of years Africans and middle-easterners never once thought to build a boat and travel the world and see what the hell is going on. It wasn't until Europeans, due to their curiosity, decided to take risks and discover more about the world they live in. Same thing with America today. There is something different about our culture that sparks interest and a desire to do something beyond what has been done before. We're always using innovation and initiative to go further and further. Sometimes it stresses people out who are less curious, less innovative, and would rather just sit on a couch or something else of a lesser nature (like rednecks or other similar simple types of people). It's amazing how some cultures are still living barely beyond neanderthal times in the midst of other first world nations. The economic system (as you pointed out) isn't really as much of a determining factor as the quality of the culture and the human traits that culture develops. That being said, I foresee America falling from grace now that our culture is in decline. seekliberation
