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Is the System Working? Is the System Broken?

 It is quite normal, even unavoidable  - especially these days, even before the pandemic- to wonder: is the system working? Are the wheels of the social mechanism still turning - and, if so, to what end? Or is the facade of normality a cover - for a tottering edifice - full of rot and corruption underneath? And is the surface buzz of media hype - a distraction from the underlying tsunami of anger, frustration and disenchantment? Do the vast majority still believe in the system as it exists? And if not - what comes next? A vague feeling of unrest? Malaise?  Marches? Protest? Random Violence? Upheaval? Rioting in the streets? Full-scale Revolution? A complete overhaul of the old apparatus? A new system with a new set of blueprints? But if it is working to some degree - how do we even measure it - the extent to which the state is delivering on its promises? So one begins with a set of indicators - empirical, immediate, glaringly obvious, narrow and self-referential... Can we go to the store and still get food? Yes....Can we buy gas and heating fuel?  Is there fresh water? Affirmative....Are factories open? Is the supply chain still working? Yes. Are the roads clear? As much as they ever were.....Are the schools open? Yes...Are stores open? Yes...Are buses, trains, planes moving people from Point A to Point B? Uh-huh...Freedom of assembly...freedom of movement... Do you see people on the streets, going about their business, walking, congregating, lounging, dining, recreating....? Sure...Do you see people swooping up properties and vacation homes? Yeah... And do investors keep investing - ever hopeful? I guess... And are people in general still safe in their homes? Well... And do they feel secure walking down the street? Well...And the big cities - are they prospering as one would expect? And in the small towns - is there hope? Well... And are people free to express themselves? Well...And do they feel targeted or otherwise oppressed? Or hounded on social media or silenced or otherwise "cancelled"? And do people trust their leaders? Well...And the democratic process? Well... But compared to those "failed states" out there - which unfortunately do exist and are still emerging - Venezuela, Guatemala, Haiti, Eritrea,  Syria, Nigeria, Uganda, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan... can we honestly claim "system failure"...The system always fails someone, some percentage of the population - but again, how does one measure this?

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