
Gus Speth
Distinguished Fellow
Is it possible that we Americans still have it in us to use our freedom and our democracy in powerful ways to create a new America? Let’s see.
I had something like a vision not long ago as I was enjoying my breakfast. It began when I looked out the kitchen window and saw, instead of my front yard, a community going about its everyday affairs.
I now spend some time almost every day looking through this window and observing the changing scene. My conclusion, based on what I have seen, is that I am viewing a vision of a new, much better and, to me, a very attractive America.
It’s clear to me that the people I am watching are building this new America themselves—in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities—without waiting for big government or anybody else.
Some huge differences jumped out at me right away. Do you know the expression “going local”? These folks are really doing it. They are rooting economic and social life in their own local communities. They try hard to live closer to work, walk more, and drive less. They love their locally grown food. They make a lot of things in shops and factories that we today import from far away.