Building a World ‘Quite Unlike Our Own’
Ezra Klein discusses the challenges of government bureaucracy in realizing progressive goals, emphasizing that inefficiency undermines the left's vision for societal abundance. He argues that effective governance is essential to achieving transformative change, such as affordable housing and accessible healthcare. Klein distinguishes between abundance as mere efficiency and abundance as a radical reimagining of a more secure and equitable society.
- ▪Senator Bernie Sanders has faced significant bureaucratic delays in building health clinics in Vermont despite funding from the Affordable Care Act.
- ▪Ezra Klein contends that government efficiency is a foundational requirement for advancing a radical vision of abundance.
- ▪Klein describes a vision of abundance that includes economic security, affordable housing, accessible healthcare, and clean energy.
- ▪He emphasizes that overcoming bureaucratic obstacles is crucial for the left to deliver on its promises.
- ▪The discussion highlights the distinction between policy efficiency and a broader ideological vision for societal transformation.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
new video loaded: Building a World ‘Quite Unlike Our Own’transcriptBacktranscriptBuilding a World ‘Quite Unlike Our Own’How can the left deliver on its promises if it can’t even navigate its own “horrendous” bureaucracy? On “The Ezra Klein Show,” the Opinion columnist Ezra Klein reflects on Senator Bernie Sanders’s frustrations with government, and argues that government efficiency is the essential “common sense” foundation for a radical vision of American abundance.So I think this ideology- common-sense distinction Sanders is making is a rich text. If the argument is that we have a horrendous bureaucracy, absolutely correct. It is terrible. I’ve worked for years to bring two health clinics into the state of Vermont that we needed. I wanted two more, to renovate one and build another one.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at NYT — Opinion.
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