Just why is American politics so dysfunctional? One answer is that both parties, for different reasons, have created self-serving mythologies that reward them for not dealing with pressing problems that, though daunting, are hardly sudden or secret. For proof, see Paul Taylor\u2019s new book, \u201cThe Next America.\u201d\u009d Taylor oversees many of the Pew Research Center\u2019s opinion surveys. His masterful synthesis of polls shows that three familiar mega-trends lie at the core of America\u2019s political and social stalemate.<\/p>\n
First, immigration….<\/p>\n
Second, family breakdown. In 2011, unmarried women accounted for 41 percent of U.S. births, up from 5 percent in 1960….<\/p>\n
Finally, aging. Every day 10,000 baby boomers turn 65. The retiree flood is swamping the federal budget. By 2022, Social Security, Medicare and the non-child share of Medicaid will exceed half the budget, up from 30 percent in 1990, projects an Urban Institute study. To make room for the elderly, defense and many domestic programs are being relentlessly squeezed.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no generational justice, argues Taylor: \u201cThe young today are paying taxes to support a level of benefits for the old that they themselves have no prospect of receiving when they become old.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n