You Should Be Reading Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson is a history professor who is "interested the contrast between image and reality in American politics. I believe in American democracy, despite its frequent failures." She has been publishing a daily email newsletter (also available on the web) that has some of the best analysis of current political news that I've seen anywhere. I strongly recommend subscribing to Letters from an American.

Today she delves into some of the reasons the US government has become so dysfunctional. It's not pretty.

And so, it seems the reactionaries of the 1950s got what they wanted. We have decimated our government bureaucracy and expertise, slashed taxes and the social safety net, and crippled our infrastructure, all in the name of promoting American business and the individualism that, in theory, encourages economic growth. The president, along with his enablers in the Senate, have tried to cement this ideology onto the country through the courts.

And now, the coronavirus pandemic is putting their system to the test. So far, it is failing miserably.