We Americans take a great deal of pride in our form of government, many of us going so far as to proclaim our method the best there is. That doesn't mean we don't complain about our leaders and the mess they've made of things. But as we look at our current problems and see nascent democracies around the world struggle and frequently fail, are we too proud to consider improvements? Even if it means adopting some ideas from other nations? Nations such as China?

The American Founding Fathers were adamant in their displeasure with Democracy, equating it with mob rule, and yet we've become *more* democratic and less of a Republic in the subsequent 200 years. Whereas earlier Americans didn't vote for the President or the Senate, now we have a say in choosing those leaders even if our vote is watered down by millions of others - and that's just the ones who actually vote! Most feel disenfranchised and don't believe their vote makes a difference. And just how informed are those who *are* voting? Are they knowledgeable about the issues and candidates, or are they just voting for the most charismatic candidate or basing their decision on personal decisions (like race or party) or are they simply swayed by multi-million dollar advertising campaigns and catchy slogans?

But it's not just the voters who don't understand the issues; we frequently elect leaders who are have little experience in government. The authors also point out the undue influence of special interests such as unions, corporations, industries, or even just influential minority groups. We comfort ourselves by thinking our voice matters when it's actually those special interests who are funding the expensive campaigns that have become necessary today and have the ears of our leaders. As a result, we've become a "consumer democracy" and we end up with decisions being made with short-term results in mind instead of looking to the future and addressing the most important issues (like infrastructure, education, energy, environment, etc.) that would allow us to retain our place of influence in the world.

China is also discussed but not as much as I had anticipated. The authors are careful to make a distinction between Communist China (which they basically say was a failure) and Confucian China (of which even most of the shorter dynasties lasted longer than our nation has so far). Confucian ideals promote a leadership class based on merit, where leaders must prove themselves at lower levels before they can aspire to more responsibility, and the authors say we could limit the power of special interests if we utilized more committees of "experts" in making policy recommendations. They also point out the current challenges in China's government - corruption, repression, lack of human rights, lax environmental standards, etc. - but the focus is more on possible improvements in Western governments. Globalization and the social media revolution are also discussed as a huge challenge faced by both Eastern and Western governments.

I found this book a very well-thought out and rational examination of the problems in America right now. They offer specific recommendations for the U.S., California, G-20 group of nations, and the European Union. I don't necessarily agree with all their proposals (and many will be a very tough-sell) and the direction toward global government they seem to advocate, but I think there are a number of ideas that would make a positive difference. I also wish they had explained more thoroughly what they meant by "consumer democracy" - I think I understood it but I didn't think it was clear enough. Nonetheless, this is an excellent book that deserves careful consideration by ALL those concerned with the direction we are going. ( )

We Americans take a great deal of pride in our form of government, many of us going so far as to proclaim our method the best there is. That doesn't mean we don't complain about our leaders and the mess they've made of things. But as we look at our current problems and see nascent democracies around the world struggle and frequently fail, are we too proud to consider improvements? Even if it means adopting some ideas from other nations? Nations such as China?

The American Founding Fathers were adamant in their displeasure with Democracy, equating it with mob rule, and yet we've become *more* democratic and less of a Republic in the subsequent 200 years. Whereas earlier Americans didn't vote for the President or the Senate, now we have a say in choosing those leaders even if our vote is watered down by millions of others - and that's just the ones who actually vote! Most feel disenfranchised and don't believe their vote makes a difference. And just how informed are those who *are* voting? Are they knowledgeable about the issues and candidates, or are they just voting for the most charismatic candidate or basing their decision on personal decisions (like race or party) or are they simply swayed by multi-million dollar advertising campaigns and catchy slogans?

But it's not just the voters who don't understand the issues; we frequently elect leaders who are have little experience in government. The authors also point out the undue influence of special interests such as unions, corporations, industries, or even just influential minority groups. We comfort ourselves by thinking our voice matters when it's actually those special interests who are funding the expensive campaigns that have become necessary today and have the ears of our leaders. As a result, we've become a "consumer democracy" and we end up with decisions being made with short-term results in mind instead of looking to the future and addressing the most important issues (like infrastructure, education, energy, environment, etc.) that would allow us to retain our place of influence in the world.

China is also discussed but not as much as I had anticipated. The authors are careful to make a distinction between Communist China (which they basically say was a failure) and Confucian China (of which even most of the shorter dynasties lasted longer than our nation has so far). Confucian ideals promote a leadership class based on merit, where leaders must prove themselves at lower levels before they can aspire to more responsibility, and the authors say we could limit the power of special interests if we utilized more committees of "experts" in making policy recommendations. They also point out the current challenges in China's government - corruption, repression, lack of human rights, lax environmental standards, etc. - but the focus is more on possible improvements in Western governments. Globalization and the social media revolution are also discussed as a huge challenge faced by both Eastern and Western governments.

I found this book a very well-thought out and rational examination of the problems in America right now. They offer specific recommendations for the U.S., California, G-20 group of nations, and the European Union. I don't necessarily agree with all their proposals (and many will be a very tough-sell) and the direction toward global government they seem to advocate, but I think there are a number of ideas that would make a positive difference. I also wish they had explained more thoroughly what they meant by "consumer democracy" - I think I understood it but I didn't think it was clear enough. Nonetheless, this is an excellent book that deserves careful consideration by ALL those concerned with the direction we are going. ( )

We Americans take a great deal of pride in our form of government, many of us going so far as to proclaim our method the best there is. That doesn't mean we don't complain about our leaders and the mess they've made of things. But as we look at our current problems and see nascent democracies around the world struggle and frequently fail, are we too proud to consider improvements? Even if it means adopting some ideas from other nations? Nations such as China?

The American Founding Fathers were adamant in their displeasure with Democracy, equating it with mob rule, and yet we've become *more* democratic and less of a Republic in the subsequent 200 years. Whereas earlier Americans didn't vote for the President or the Senate, now we have a say in choosing those leaders even if our vote is watered down by millions of others - and that's just the ones who actually vote! Most feel disenfranchised and don't believe their vote makes a difference. And just how informed are those who *are* voting? Are they knowledgeable about the issues and candidates, or are they just voting for the most charismatic candidate or basing their decision on personal decisions (like race or party) or are they simply swayed by multi-million dollar advertising campaigns and catchy slogans?

But it's not just the voters who don't understand the issues; we frequently elect leaders who are have little experience in government. The authors also point out the undue influence of special interests such as unions, corporations, industries, or even just influential minority groups. We comfort ourselves by thinking our voice matters when it's actually those special interests who are funding the expensive campaigns that have become necessary today and have the ears of our leaders. As a result, we've become a "consumer democracy" and we end up with decisions being made with short-term results in mind instead of looking to the future and addressing the most important issues (like infrastructure, education, energy, environment, etc.) that would allow us to retain our place of influence in the world.

China is also discussed but not as much as I had anticipated. The authors are careful to make a distinction between Communist China (which they basically say was a failure) and Confucian China (of which even most of the shorter dynasties lasted longer than our nation has so far). Confucian ideals promote a leadership class based on merit, where leaders must prove themselves at lower levels before they can aspire to more responsibility, and the authors say we could limit the power of special interests if we utilized more committees of "experts" in making policy recommendations. They also point out the current challenges in China's government - corruption, repression, lack of human rights, lax environmental standards, etc. - but the focus is more on possible improvements in Western governments. Globalization and the social media revolution are also discussed as a huge challenge faced by both Eastern and Western governments.

I found this book a very well-thought out and rational examination of the problems in America right now. They offer specific recommendations for the U.S., California, G-20 group of nations, and the European Union. I don't necessarily agree with all their proposals (and many will be a very tough-sell) and the direction toward global government they seem to advocate, but I think there are a number of ideas that would make a positive difference. I also wish they had explained more thoroughly what they meant by "consumer democracy" - I think I understood it but I didn't think it was clear enough. Nonetheless, this is an excellent book that deserves careful consideration by ALL those concerned with the direction we are going. ( )