The Age of Incompetence

I suspect that people all over the world must thinking, how is it that the US, which rebuilt Western Europe and Japan after WWII, did such a lousy job in Afghanistan and Iraq? That's a very interesting question. It's not enough to say "We're not as good as our ancestors." Funny how conservatives who fill their mouths talking about "traditional values" largely ignore the lose of one very important tradition; the American work ethic. Over the past three decades we have become a culture where work is no longer rewarded or even recognized. The rise of the speculator economy, the destruction of organized labor, and the overbearing rise of corporate interests have made it impossible for working people to actually get ahead. We may deplore that young people want to be professional athletes and fashion models, but the fact is that in today's world "honest work" gets you nowhere. This is clear at all levels. Finding someone to fix your air conditioner can turn into an ordeal. But even worse, in America nothing works right anymore.