Here's to all the hospital workers, caregivers, delivery drivers, and others who kept America going in a second year under COVID.

Now let's be honest about where we are politically. Republicans don't have a governing vision, and can win just by running against the woke craziness of the far left. Democrats have an agenda to address climate change and other social problems, but won't even talk about the red tape megalith that is supposed to implement these goals. Broken schools, runaway healthcare costs, unaccountable public agencies, featherbedding union giveaways — all these public ills are mandated by law and public union contracts.

Washington's refusal to fix what's broken breeds frustration and extremism. We're at each other's throats. This is not a path to a healthy democracy.

Here's Philip Howard's column in USA Today on the need for a new political vision. America needs a new public narrative, with new leaders. The key, we think, is to replace red tape with human responsibility. Nothing will get fixed until we re-empower Americans to roll up their sleeves and make things work again.

• Fareed Zakaria praised our “Two Years, Not Ten Years” report in discussing the recently passed infrastructure bill. He wrote in his Washington Post column: “Common Good, an organization that advocates good and cost-effective government, put out an excellent report in 2015 on infrastructure approvals that should be read by everyone involved in administering these funds at the federal, state and local levels.” He also discussed it on his CNN program – watch here.

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