The strength of America, I think, is our culture of self-determination. What we choose to do, and how we do it, is up to each of us. We can make a difference—to ourselves and our community. This sense of ownership creates what Tocqueville saw as “a superabundant force, and an energy which is inseparable from it.” It also creates a hopeful culture—the future can be better because we can make it better.
 
Americans’ confidence has eroded in recent decades. This is due in part to the intrusion of forces beyond any individual’s control—global markets that supplant jobs and opportunities; centralized bureaucracies that suffocate human instincts and interactions; and cultural clashes that dislodge community values.
 
Even Americans who are “doing well” feel pushed around.

Most Americans think government is broken, but the prospects for reform are bleak—no matter which party is in control.

The Economist this week hosted an episode of its “Checks and Balance” podcast on what’s needed for America to break out of this doom loop. The format was unique, at least for the Economist: executive editor Charlotte Howard interviewed her father (me), and then discussed the interview with U.S. editor John Prideaux and Washington columnist James Bennet. For the record, this was not my idea and Charlotte reluctantly was pushed into it by her colleagues. I wish we did it all the time.

Fixing what’s broken doesn’t happen because the political dynamic is aimed at beating the other side—not making government work better.

“Nothing that’s any good works by itself…You got to make the damn thing work.”
 
This practical wisdom of Thomas Edison applies to most meaningful life activities. Teachers, doctors, waiters, plumbers, ministers, inspectors, all confront situations where they have to decide what to do next. Even with miraculous technological tools, judgments are still needed to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, make tradeoffs, take risks, and make choices that are considered fair.
 
Americans broadly agree that government is broken. Our inability to modernize infrastructure, or provide quality education, or produce defense weaponry, presents an existential threat in a world threatened by totalitarian regimes that are not institutionally paralyzed.

I have a new book, out this week, Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America. One reason America is fraying, I argue, is because of a root flaw in post-1960s law: the idea that law should make or validate correct choices. Law is everywhere—in thick rulebooks, years-long procedures, self-interested people pounding the table for their alleged rights ….
 
America’s energy comes from individual ownership of choices and values—not tiptoeing through the day with a little lawyer on our shoulders. The proper role of law is to define the scope of free choice by setting outer boundaries—no crime, no pollution, and so forth—not by extruding daily choices through the eye of a legal needle. Law is supposed to protect freedom, not replace freedom.

American exceptionalism is rooted in individual initiative. Americans have a cultural belief in self-determination. America is the place where people can make the best of themselves.
 
Over the past few decades, America’s can-do culture has been corroded by a sense of futility. The failures are clearly visible in institutional ineptitude—say, the inability to modernize infrastructure or to fix poor schools. But the cultural rot is more pernicious. Americans no longer believe we can make a difference, or build a better future. We feel disempowered. Watch what you say. Just follow the rules. Instead of striding towards our goals, Americans increasingly feel like rats in a maze. Many turn to MAGA.