Alan Greenspan has argued that the essence of American capitalism is creative destruction. That our tolerance for change, for the new, for being willing to replace incumbents, even when painful, is the essence of what has moved the US to become, in a mere 400 years, the most powerful economic engine on the planet.
However, With respect to our governance, we have not been as tolerant or as flexible. We have clung to ideas and systems that have changed only under the most dire circumstances. The civil war changed us, but not entirely...The great depression changed us, but again, not entirely...just listen to Mitch McConnell last week looking to shred the social safety net.
As for the present, Donald Trump did not deliver all the problems we face today. He merely exploited them….just as demagogues often do.
And so as we once again face a huge disconnect between the reality of the world...a world of global integration, social and economic dislocation and division, siloed and self-reinforcing news and information, and a governmental system unattuned and unresponsive. All of this can’t help but leaveBen Fountain has examined this world from the first volleys of the 2016 election, right up until today. His observations are in his new work Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and Revolution
whole groups of people behind. Author and journalist
My conversation with Ben Fountain:
Robin
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If Gina Haspel is confirmed, will CIA torture begin anew?
The Moral Horror of Our Times
Moore's Law Does Not Apply To Relationships
Globalization and its Discontents
Freedom, Liberty & America...A Look Back
Dear Madam President
The Fragility of Hope
Why We Have More Time to Have No Time
Immigration and the False Lure of the American Dream
An Important Day In The Life of Robert F. Kennedy
The 75-Year-Old Book That Drives Our Politics Today
The Internet Is Killing Democracy Facebook Is the Shiny Object, but the Danger Is Much Larger
Neuroscience is The New Moneyball
Why Tech May Usher in The Universal Basic Income, and Why It's Really Pro Business
From The Crusades To The Holocaust: Why History and Love Stories Matter
Tribes May Be Killing Our Politics, But They May Be The Cure for Depression
What Maxed Out Political Corruption Looks Like
Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It...Or Why Is Everything So Damn Complex?
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