But while our culture of imagination is still vibrant, the other critical factor that still differentiates countries today \u201d\u201d and is not a commodity \u201d\u201d is good governance, which can harness creativity. And that we may be losing. I am talking about the ability of a society’s leaders to think long term, address their problems with the optimal legislation and attract capable people into government. What I increasingly fear today is that America is only able to produce \u201csuboptimal\u201d\u009d responses to its biggest problems \u201d\u201d education, debt, financial regulation, health care, energy and environment….<\/p>\n
The standard answer [to the the governance problem] is that we need better leaders. The real answer is that we need better citizens. We need citizens who will convey to their leaders that they are ready to sacrifice, even pay, yes, higher taxes, and will not punish politicians who ask them to do the hard things. Otherwise, folks, we’re in trouble. A great power that can only produce suboptimal responses to its biggest challenges will, in time, fade from being a great power \u201d\u201d no matter how much imagination it generates.<\/p>\n
Grandma said that, too.<\/p>\n