Tuesday, November 6, 2007

I'm Okay, We're Not Okay

David Brooks, writing in the New York Times online, does a really nice piece of social analysis. He reports polling data which shows most Americans (around 2/3 ) are satisfied with their own lives but unhappy with the direction of the country. His conclusion is interesting:
These voters don’t believe government can lift their standard of living or lead a moral revival. They want a federal government that will focus on a few macro threats — terrorism, health care costs, energy, entitlement debt and immigration — and stay out of the intimate realms of life. They want a night watchman government that patrols the neighborhood without entering their homes.

That works for me.