American democracy is informed by the 18th century’s most cutting-edge thinking on society, economics, and government—but we’ve learned some things in the intervening 230 years. Now, Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer, the Seattle creators of the True Patriot Network and co-authors of The Gardens of Democracy, argue that some of those fundamental assumptions need updating. Instead of using a machine as the metaphor for understanding markets and government, they suggest viewing democracy as a garden: functioning best according to the tendencies of nature, but also requiring vision, tending, and an understanding of connected ecosystems. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life, with Elliott Bay Book Company. Series media sponsorship provided by PubliCola. Series supported by The Boeing Company Charitable Trust and the RealNetworks Foundation.
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3 Comments
Dear Eric and Nick,
You are getting close. What we need is community; a world community of 13 regional UNs, Community Enterprize, and thousands of river-basin county communities, rather than our present system of US imperialism, nationalism armed with nuclear bombs, corporatocracy, and the isolated and powerless individual.
I think if everyone took a class in Chomsky we could all see clearly the reality of America. How do we overcome such massive obstacles which are so large and close. We need to regain control of ourselves and our country. We must plant seeds of authentic democracy and community. Making policy on local levels, inverting the power structure. Pulling the weeds of misunderstanding and short term, selfish and greedy thinking. We must stop paying lip service to our moral, ethical and civic responsibilities. For we are only as strong as our weakest link. One major weak link in America is the people in power who have sold there souls to the corporations. This is why the military industrial complex continues to enable and encourage our violence around the world. This is why we have energy bills drafted by oil lobbyist and why we didn’t sign the Kyoto Treaty. Corporations have one incentive profit and the system of governance in America is allowing an assault on Democracy, the well being of the people of the world and the planet itself. We need to sow a garden and we need to do it fast.
The civil rights movement meant more personal responsibility not less, as a black American I am worried that this simple fact is escaping many in our black community,especially the churches. We continue to lead the nations ethnic groups in teen pregnancies,crime , lower sat’s,graduation, civic melt and civility.
We can’t keep making excuses for bad behavior,but get off our behinds and join the American debate or find ourselves permanently on the bottom rung .