The Role Of Government

Michael Lind joins us on the great tug of war in American economic history over when government should lead.

Michael Lind, policy director of the economic growth program at the New America Foundation and author of the new book Land of Promise:  An Economic History of the United States.

The New York Times "Whatever their political party, American leaders have generally subscribed to one of two competing economic philosophies. One is a small-government Jeffersonian perspective that abhors bigness and holds that prosperity flows from competition among independent businessmen, farmers and other producers."

Salon "The need for public investment in American infrastructure should not be a partisan issue.  But the capture of the Republican Party by free market fundamentalists and neo-Confederate localists has led to the identification of the infrastructure issue with the Democrats. "

Use the navigation bar at the bottom of this frame to reformat the excerpt to best suit your reading experience.

Check out CNN host and TIME Magazine editor-at-large Fareed Zakaria addressing the new graduates at Harvard University. And the transcript here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2YyY3IQXQk