And Now What?

The first anniversary of the January 6 mob at the Capitol has prompted lots of commentary about how polarized America is.

But why is America polarized? The frustration and anger that drives people to extremes isn't made up. Things aren't working as they should. Schools are lousy, police are unaccountable, wages are stagnant, healthcare is a jungle of red tape, and democracy is in stalemate.

Angry Americans have one thing in common: Distrust of our governing institutions. This distrust comes from decades of unresponsive governing. Big Brother is on autopilot, doing whatever it did yesterday. It is unresponsive both to local needs and to global risks. It serves only one large constituency: the status quo, represented by thousands of interest groups who inhabit Washington.

Distrust isn't cured by argument, but by action. America needs a new governing vision that empowers real people to fix what's broken. That includes, for local problems, pushing responsibility down to a level where Americans can work with others in their community.

Americans, polls show, overwhelmingly support overhauling democratic institutions. The challenge is that neither political party wants to upset the apple cart.

Something new is needed. Our choice, it seems, is this: Hold tight while America fractures, or come together behind a new governing vision that Americans can trust. Trust requires replacing the bureaucratic black box with a transparent framework built from the solid timbers of individual responsibility. Here is Philip Howard's essay in Newsweek on what's needed.

One way to get the ball rolling is for a group of prominent Americans to come together behind broad overhaul of Washington. A number of leading citizens have already signed up. If you agree, please help us recruit more.


  • In an op-ed about the FDA’s bureaucratic failure to approve a rapid COVID test at the beginning of the pandemic, Quin Hillyer quotes Philip's argument that “America needs to radically simplify its operating system and give people – officials and citizens alike – the freedom to be practical.”

  • Yahoo News republished Philip's recent USA Today op-ed 'It's Nighttime in America.' You can read it here.

NewslettersAndrew Park