The World That Pearl Harbor Created Is Coming to an End
7th December 2015
The World War II generation had more faith in the federal government than any other Americans ever. Who could blame them? The federal government won the war and appeared to be guiding the nation’s economy to smooth and never-ending growth. Later, it put a man on the moon and returned him safely to earth.
But the success did not last. The wars in Korea and Vietnam did not end well. The economy spiraled out of control in the late ’60s and struggled for more than a decade. The bank bailouts of this century and other events eroded public confidence in the federal government. For those who grew up during World War II, this lack of trust was hard to understand. They still remembered the government that saved the world after Pearl Harbor.
In retrospect, that generation’s extraordinary faith in the federal government was a temporary aberration brought about by unique circumstances. Their world no longer exists, and the political system it created is collapsing around us. Our challenge now is to rebuild a political system that recognizes the inability of the federal government to lead our nation.