US Government's 50 Greatest Achievements

The Brookings Institute has compiled a list of the US government's greatest achievements in the last 50 years.

1 minute read

December 22, 2000, 7:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Name a significant domestic or foreign problem over the past half century and the federal government made some effort to solve it, sometimes through massive new programs such as Medicare and Apollo, other times through a string of smaller initiatives to address enduring problems such as disease and poverty. The proof is in the federal statutes. All totaled, Congress passed more than 500 major laws between 1944 and 1999 to improve the quality of life in the nation and world. Judged not as individual programs but as part of larger endeavors, these statutes speak to the enormous range of federal engagement since World War II.

Thanks to EPN News

Wednesday, November 15, 2000 in The Brookings Institution

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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Mary G., Urban Planner

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