Protectionism, violent Gestapo xenophobia, complacency, laziness, dishonesty, and a false sense of supremacy are the obstacles once we get the vampiric, pervert billionaires out of the way whom are ruining everything. That sucking sound is capital leaving and a brain drain of researchers, skilled workers, and tourists going elsewhere.
Winning takes sustained excellence from immigrants and folks who got into college on original effort, test scores, and doing the work, not legacy pot heads where daddy donated a library.