How We Got Here—and What Needs To Come Next | Digital Tonto
In his first inaugural address, Ronald Reagan declared, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem,” and vowed to unleash the private sector. His deregulation led to the Savings and Loan crisis. Then came the dotcom bubble and crash, two long and destructive wars, the Great Financial Crisis, and the Covid pandemic. Each time there was a villain to execrate: Big Business, Wall Street, Neocons, The Military-Industrial complex, Big Banks, Big Pharma and, of course, nameless government bureaucrats (sometimes also known as public servants). At this point, there’s no one left to blame but us. We can kick the bums out, disrupt our systems and invent new theories of the case, but at some point, we will also have to point the finger at ourselves. In Eastern Europe, I saw how broken societies crumble. Yet I also saw how they can rebuild. When I first arrived in Poland in 1997, it seemed like nothing worked. Today, it is an advanced economy. Warsaw—having suffered the double misfortune of being destroyed by Hitler and rebuilt by Stalin—is now a modern metropolis, with clean streets, bustling shops and low crime. They were able to achieve all this because they chose a better way. Once we accept that we are the problem, it becomes clear that we can also be the solution. There are no heroes coming to save us. We need to accept that the America we knew is gone and the current order—or disorder—cannot stand. Rebuilding isn’t just about systems, it's about understanding our bonds to each other and renewing shared values so that we can regain a shared sense of purpose and common endeavor.” The end of one order always marks the beginning of another. It is now a time to rebuild. As Bill Clinton said in his first inaugural, “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” We got here by making bad choices. We need to start making better ones. The only way out is through—and it starts with ourselves.
