From Democracy, since 1993, balanced budgets have been liberals' holy grail. With bridges failing and roads crumbling, it's time to reconsider; and Gene Sperling on rising-tide economics: In the twenty-first century, growth and equality must go hand in hand. The lesson of the DMV: Slashing government services in the name of "taxpayer protection" does not result in lubricating a state's economic engine — it ends up throwing sand in the gears. The introduction to Outsourcing Sovereignty: Why Privatization of Government Functions Threatens Democracy and What We Can Do About It by Paul R. Verkuil. What has Bush done to the government? Dan Froomkin investigates. From The Remnant, an article on the Nazi tactics of social services. An interview with David Harsanyi, author of Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and Other Boneheaded Bureaucrats Are Turning America Into a Nation of Children (and more). Lazy-Ass Nation: Jim Windolf marvels at the country's can-do-but-why-bother ethic. Is a citizen-based social contract too much for American citizens to handle? Michael Lind wants to know.
