David Brin has proposed a set of government reforms to address the current catastrophe, based on the principle that unless 60% or more of the voting public agree with a given policy it’s counterproductive to incorporate it into your election platform.  He points to Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” as the paradigmatic example that got Republicans into power for the first time in decades, and contrasts his proposals with Robert Reich’s policy proposal list which he rightly notes is DOA because it doesn’t pass the 60% rule.  In fact, he notes that Reich might as well add an eleventh element that proposes giving everyone a pony, or a unicorn.

Brin’s list is thorough and do-able.  As this reviewer notes, it’s an engineering project: specific actions, with measurable results and mechanisms for accountability.  Worth reading the review first to understand why Brin’s proposal is useful.