I am sorry, Jack, but I have to defend Andrew some.
There are many reasons the USA has a high infant mortality rate:
- that superb medical care is not available to all the people who need it
(there are parts of San Diego which look like the third world)
- the US population is much more heterogeneous than other nations with better
infant mortality
- parenting skills are not required to have a baby! nor is the means to
support one!
plus many others.  The birthweight-specific infant mortality in the USA is
second to none.

There are many things we do in medicine that are useless, and some actually
harmful.  We are just now beginning to question and study to determine which
is which.  There is also much that is good and helpful.  I agree with Andrew
that appropriate suctioning can be life-saving. I also agree that vigorous,
inappropriate suctioning MAY (has there been a study ?) cause difficulty with
breastfeeding.  We have to separate out with research, what, of the many
things we have changed over the last 100 years, has improved infant and
maternal survival.
Nancy Wight MD, FAAP, IBCLC
Neonatology