The unprotected were left even further behind. The protected overmatched, overran and paralyzed the government. These distinctly American ideas became the often unintended instruments for splitting the country into two classes: the protected and the unprotected. Ingenious financial and legal engineering turned our economy from an engine of long-term growth and shared prosperity into a casino with only a few big winners. Election reforms meant to enhance democracy wound up undercutting democracy. America’s rightly celebrated dedication to due process was used as an instrument to block government from enforcing job-safety rules, holding corporate criminals accountable and otherwise protecting the unprotected. The First Amendment became a tool for the wealthy to put a thumb on the scales of democracy. About five decades ago, the core values that make America great began to bring America down. Lately, most Americans, regardless of their political leanings, have been asking themselves some version of the same question: How did we get here? How did the world’s greatest democracy and economy become a land of crumbling roads, galloping income inequality, bitter polarization and dysfunctional government?Īs I tried to find the answer over the past two years, I discovered a recurring irony.
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