Do you think the #UnitedStates is experiencing a #political #regression and #failure of #representation?
The U.S. is a #Federal #Republic with a #Constitution and #billofrights designed to preserve a #powerful #people over #power #politics. In his #GettysburgAddress, #honestabe #lincoln called the #usa a #country of, by, and for the people not the #aristocracy, #Oligarchy, or #monarchy. While these #unitedstatesofamerica may have been founded by a mix of mostly #wealthy / #rich #protestant #christian and #theistic #rationalist or #deist #males of #european ancestry, the #constitutionalrights initially enshrined by a #Continental #Congress, not a #king, to the people of #colonialamerica – #rights that were earned by the blood of many #poor / #empoverished #Continental #Militia #men – evolved / developed over the last 250 years into #emancipation, #suffrage, and #civilrights. Are we preserving or abandoning those rights?
At the close of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, as delegates left Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, A woman, often identified as Elizabeth Willing Powel, asked #BenjaminFranklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”. #Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it”.
Are we keeping it?
#GoogleAI reports “Over the last decade (roughly 2015-2025), the United States’ democracy ranking has declined, dropping from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index (EIU) in 2016, where it has remained, ranking around 28th globally, while experiencing lower scores due to polarization, voting issues, and political trust. Similarly, Freedom House noted significant drops, placing the U.S. on par with countries like Panama by 2021, citing factors like unequal treatment and money in politics.”
In the following video, one of the authors of #WhyNationsFail (2012) explains his view of recent moves by the #Trump #administration… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCiWPG5Vzg
I’m 123 pages into the book which makes a compelling argument for the importance of inclusive institutions and economics in free, representative, and prosperous nations. See a free pdf version here: https://ia801506.us.archive.org/27/items/WhyNationsFailTheOriginsODaronAcemoglu/Why-Nations-Fail_-The-Origins-o-Daron-Acemoglu.pdf
For more on the book, check out this short video from darren #acemoglu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z5RAZlv2UQ
Or, watch this #tedtalk from #jamesrobinson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsZDlBU36n0
Citations:
Why Nations Fail
(Acemoglu & Robinson, 2012)
Acemoglu and Robinson (2012)
Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. A. (2012). Why Nations Fail: The origins of power, prosperity and poverty. Asean Economic Bulletin, 29(2), 168. https://doi.org/10.1355/ae29-2j
Deliberating Truth 