Democracies throughout history have always done well until grown so large, so diverse, so overextended, so financially stretched, that they eventually collapsed. The signs of such maturity and weakness have usually been evidenced by excess corruption, financial failure, out of control immigration, and ideological bickering. Sounds like America-are we next to go down?
Author Bill Greene says "yes." The author of Common Genius and Wasted Genius places the blame for our current situation at the feet of our political leaders. By referring to "the lessons of history," he explains how the United States is on a path to crash and burn-and how to pull the country back on track.
The reader will learn how, although all humans are similar, voluntary migrations have created unique populations with very different attributes. The author points out that where there are differences, there are qualitative differences-and it is those differences in individuals and the cultures they created that explain why some nations have advanced more than others. The question before us is: Are Americans, as a people, becoming more or less able and can they survive as a strong and safe nation The people who built America were sustained by a unique cultural tradition founded on the principles of liberty, self-reliance, human dignity, and the Judeo-Christian religions. The author explains why, without careful maintenance of that culture, America's future could resemble the dystopias of Huxley and Orwell. The advocates of big government are creating an attitude of "helplessness" among the public and Greene warns us that as people look for more and more TLC from the government they will be trading their freedom for "caretaking;" and yet a democracy can only prosper with a self-reliant citizenry. Helpless people cannot support a vibrant economy and as their dependency grows they will find themselves increasingly "managed" by the government.
America is known for business and free enterprise-many of the world's greatest corporations are home-grown-and yet we elect amateurs to lead the nation. Very few of our presidents or legislators have ever brought real-world experience or management expertise to their government jobs. But their job is to run the federal bureaucracy-one of the largest "businesses" on earth! They ask us to re-elect them because of their "experience," yet their only experience is in government-and their poor performance reveals why voters must avoid the establishment candidates and pick a president that can fix Washington.
Greene points out that America's problems could be fixed if the leaders wanted to, were honest, and had some management experience. He details how, if the entitlement programs and the IRS were reorganized and managed efficiently, we could wipe out the deficit with the savings. Instead the pols argue about theories, foreign affairs, and ideology.
Saving Democracy aims a spotlight on the 2016 election season and why unconventional figures are taking the lead in campaigns. This is a must read for anyone interested in the state of America's government...and the growing divide between haves and have nots.
Bill Greene has been engaged in the management of organizations and a variety of businesses since earning his MBA from Babson College and working at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He is the author of Common Genius, Wasted Genius, and several books on business administration, economic history, and the art of rearing children and improving school systems.
Educated at Princeton, Babson, and Harvard, Greene remains active in politics, schooling, and the study of economics and history. He and his wife, Cathy, have nine children and sixteen grandchildren; and live in New England with two dogs, ten chickens, and a herd of Hereford cattle.
