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From the Preface…
Many Americans no longer look to the future with confidence. Equal opportunity for all is giving way to more money and control for the already rich and powerful. Members of the middle class, the historic core of our national prosperity and strength, are slowly, but inexorably, slipping down the economic ladder. Their wages have not seen any real growth in 25 years. Their ability to find and keep suitable jobs continues to decline. Obtaining and paying for proper health care becomes ever more difficult. Their future and that of their children grows more uncertain…
...Following the controversial results of the 2000 presidential election, a conservative oligarchy of the rich and powerful took control of the White House supported by an unlikely coalition of ideological extremists and religious legalists. Members of this oligarchy in the White House and Congress used the subsequent 9/11 attacks and the fight against terrorism to justify unilateral militarism, repressive legislation, and economic exploitation.
A nation that once barely maintained a peacetime army now finds its national leadership declaring and waging virtually endless, and even preemptive, war while its military budget remains by far the largest in the world. New laws endanger our personal liberties, threaten the separation of church and state, and exploit the fears of American citizens. Meanwhile, the gap between the rich and poor grows ever larger, and our critical energy and environmental problems receive little attention.
The United States' reputation for freedom, justice, and fair play is fading as its friends and foes alike complain about its irresponsible and reckless actions. Our country no longer plays a leadership role in seeking global peace and justice. As a result, the United States, a founding member and host of the United Nations, finds itself at odds with many of its members. In 2005, when the Senate Judiciary Committee interviewed a Bush nominee for Attorney General with seemingly ambiguous views of torture and the Geneva Convention, even a Republican senator suggested that "we have lost our way."
...This book describes the need for transformative change in our economic, political, and religious lives. It proposes a vision for the future based on cooperation rather than legalism, pluralism rather than exclusivity, and consensus decision-making rather than tyranny by the majority. It challenges the direction that political conservatism and religious fundamentalism are taking our nation...
...A nation grows out of its guiding principles, not hundreds of pages of constitutional legalese. The future success or failure of the United States depends upon our ability to unite around the ideals that have inspired our people throughout our history.
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