“I have had the great privilege and opportunity of operating in that special space between the U.S. and ‘us’ for decades—and if I have learned one thing, it is that there is only ‘us,’ no ‘them.’” - Ken Burns, Our America
My mind travels across the ocean to the homeland of my grandparents—to the city of Kyiv in the Ukraine. They emigrated in the early part of the 20th Century due to political and religious reasons and to seek a better life in America. The people of the Ukraine now in the early part of this 21st century are also seeking a better life—a better life in their country. They are staying, fighting and dying for their beliefs.
If Congress doesn’t raise the ceiling, one of the political parties threatens to bring our economy to a halt. That is not a sensible way to run a government. That’s why only the US and Denmark have a debt ceiling set at an absolute amount rather than as a percentage of GDP like other developed countries.
The book is chock full of interesting information, if only the reader could easily grasp it. The writing is competent but unnecessarily complex, convoluted, and confusing. There are great gems in this book, but it takes hard work, mining and excavation, to separate what is precious from the dreck.
