A Cry from the Far Middle: Dispatches from a Divided Land
The libertarians were different. They slipped more easily into the American stream. In their insistence on freedom they could claim to be descendants of Locke, Jefferson, and the classical liberal tradition. Some of them interpreted the Constitution as a libertarian document for individual and states rights under a limited federal government, not a
... See moreGeorge Packer • Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal
But opponents of state intervention didn’t lay down their arms. Fueled by ideological fervor, the fear of communism, and in-depth works by prominent economists, the ideological warfare against state intervention began again right after World War II in the form of neoliberalism[381]. It gained steam because of major societal changes. The rising aspi
... See moreNicolas Colin • Hedge: A Greater Safety Net for the Entrepreneurial Age
At the heart of our divisions is almost half a century of rising inequality and declining social mobility. Americans tolerate more economic inequality than citizens of other modern democracies: if anyone can become anything, today’s unequal results are fair and might well change tomorrow. That was never completely true, but now it’s plainly false.
... See moreGeorge Packer • Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal
she also represented something far bigger and deeper: the idea that, in every aspect of our lives, we deserved better than the take-it-or-leave-it outputs of establishment power. Getting what we wanted - and getting the best deal - had become a virtue. Innovation would lead to progress and well-being, and since consumer demand would drive innovatio
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