"That Used to be Us" - a great and important book

[killarney_sailor]

Just finished reading That Used to be Us: What Went Wrong With America - and How It Can Come Back by Thomoas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum and I highly recommend it to everyone concerned with the problems facing the US (and indeed the rest of the western world to a greater or lesser extent). This book has only been out for a few months so what it has to say reflects the problems that are so pervasive these days, including sovereign debt, unemployment, educational issues, and dysfunctional government.

Happy to discuss it within anyone else who has read it. I think that the problems are pretty obvious, and for the most part, so are the solutions. The authors take just about everyone to task for the contributions to the problems today - Dems, Republicans, unions, corporations. Theyargue that an integrated approach to problem-solving is needed that will require a commitment by all Americans (and consensus) comparable to that that existed to solve the great challenges that the United States has overcome in its history.