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What really concerns me, though, is that, as I look even modestlyinto the future, it is difficult to see how this fundamentalmalaise can be cured. Indeed, policy paralysis – wheregovernment is more and more about acting decisively only as a lastresort – seems to have become a defining element of democracyin the 21st century. In America, for example, the US Congress is in apparently terminaldeadlock, the loudest recent expression of which was Standard &Poor"s downgrading US debt. While markets didn"trespond to this – largely because this was old news –the fact remains that it is a critical problem with very deeproots. I would trace it back to 1973, when the landmark US Supreme Courtruling in Roe v Wade legalising abortion dramatically sharpened thedivide between liberal Americans, fresh from their victories inending the Vietnam War and getting Nixon kicked out, on the onehand; and socially conservative Americans, who were genuinelyhorrified by the sexual revolution, on the other. This deep-rootedschism intensified during the Reagan years – the birth of theMoral Majority, abortion-clinic bombings and the like – till,by the early 1990s, America became a land divided. From Clintonthrough Bush and, now, Obama, there are actually a sizable numberof Americans who hate (or hated) their president. This could neverhave happened pre-1990. I remember one time, back in the early 1980s, I was in a bar onCanal Street in New York late at night. It was a real dive, and theonly other person at the bar was a big, black guy, who lookedpretty down on his luck. The TV was on and Reagan was babbling onabout something. I must have had a few drinks and, for some reason,growled to nobody in particular, "Boy, he"s a real_______." The black guy, who had been drinking quietly in thecorner, suddenly looked up, and started abusing and threatening mefor insulting his president. I was amazed. This guy was probablyone of the worst off under Reagan"s famous"trickle-down" policies, but this was his president,and who the hell was I to insult him. Fortunately, the bartender intervened and I got off without ascratch. Today, instead, the divide is visceral — indeed, it hasworsened, with the Tea Party and the Occupy movement. In fact, theUS Congress is (operationally, at least) beginning to resemble ourown Parliament and it is difficult to see how – failinganother and even more serious crisis – the US government willbe able to get the intrinsically dynamic US economy up to speed. All of this, of course, applies in spades to India — the term"policy paralysis" was invented here. The point of thedigression to the US was to highlight the lesson that wheneverthere are strong emotional/visceral forces at play in the politicalarena, it is extremely difficult – indeed, for a much weakereconomy like ours, well nigh impossible – to get thingsmoving at an acceptable pace. We all know that the only time (in recent history) that the Indiangovernment took any significantly meaningful steps was in 1991,when the chips were down way further than they are today. It was aCongress-led government at the time, but, while it benefited hugelyfrom the shock of Rajiv Gandhi"s assassination, there was noone from the Indira Gandhi dynasty heading it. The "family" is, even today, the key emotional/visceralforce in Indian politics. While its intensity under Sonia Gandhi issomewhat dimmed – relative to either Rajiv or Indira –it will likely remain a live force for a few more years, despitethe fact that "Soniaji" is ailing and the nextgeneration has shown itself to be largely non-performing. This willcontinue to constrain the evolution of a more practical, even ifcorrupt and wheeling-dealing, government. On the other side of the fence, Narendra Modi is a lightning rodfor love/hate, indicating that as long as he is in the equation, noBJP-led coalition will be able to make a meaningful go of thingseither. When, oh, when will we find the next Narasimha Rao? jamal@mecklai.com. I am an expert from best-laser.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Lipo Laser Treatment , Vacuum Cavitation System, RF Beauty Equipment,and more.
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