The United States is at a critical crossroads in its history right now. The public policy problems that the people are facing are complex and interrelated, and the demographic changes that are about to significantly change their country are not well understood by large numbers of people. In this presidential address to the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), the author lays two arguments. First, she argues that the country has to increase its investments in productivity-enhancing activities. Second, she contends that the funds for these investments have to come from a combination of public and private sector monies. She stresses that the three areas where the country needs to invest much more in order to improve productivity in the next few decades are education, developing alternative energy sources, and improving existing or building new physical infrastructure. She ends on a third point, related directly to the role or mission of public policy schools and programs. (Contains 1 figure and 18 footnotes.)