I thought it was really interesting that Fareed Zakaria, on his TV special about 'Restoring the American Dream' that aired Saturday night, rather overtly recommended the mixed economies/welfare state that social democracies in Northern Europe have developed, including a social 'safety net' for the poor and unemployment.
But his biggest criticism was directed toward our 'inflexible, schlerotic, antiquated' political system, that was 'unsuited for the 21st Century' and 'unable to plan for the future.'
Sounds to me like Zakaria is rather pessimistic about America's future, given the unlikely nature of either a restoration of a decent 'safety net', radical and courageous fiscal reform, or radical political change.
I think Zakaria is viewing our problems from a different ethnic, cultural, and political eye. I appreciate his view and the views of his guests. We need to have as much varied input as is possible to even begin to deal with our "inflexibel, schlerotic, antiquated" political system. I believe a journalist once described our system as "too pale, too stale, and too male". I agree.
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