Ours Was the Shinning Future

Bob's selection, subtitled "The Story of the American Dream", was a challenging read. The booked covered a long period of American history from 1890's Gilded Age, Progressive movement, Roaring 20's, 1930's New Deal, 1940's Labor movement, 50's Boom, 60's Civil Rights and Great Society, 70's Nixon, 80's Reagan, 90's Clinton, and the 21st Century. He covered the Roosevelts, Eisenhower, Kennedys, MLK, but also Randolph, Jordan, and Bork. The country has experience periods of Employer, Government, Employee, and employer again dominance. The book addresses classic liberalism, laissez faire, or rough and tumble capitalism, strong progressive, top-down government, and strong labor union involvement. The author favors a form of "democratic capitalism" that includes influence from labor. Too often our country has favored the wealthy employers and self-interest groups at the expense of the working class. He feels that there is not enough current investment in education, transportation, child-care, and research to build a strong future for the majority of Americans. 

Leonhardt challenges both political parties to address the growing inequality by both universal and communal means. Many issues, such as immigration, will require compromise on both fronts. The book seemed long, repetitive, off on tangents, too neatly analyzed, and a bit overwhelming. Nonetheless, I am glad I read it. The book was a great brain exercise that challenges the reader to address their own prejudices. It got me to look at labor unions, employers, the south, the working class, and the undereducated in a different light.