Beyond Abundance: Rebuilding America's Capacity to Govern and Build

3 days ago7 min read

A compelling new argument from Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson champions 'competent capacity'—the urgent need for the United States to reclaim its ability to plan, approve, and execute major national projects. This is an undeniably crucial goal for a nation whose infrastructure aspirations are routinely paralyzed by bureaucratic inertia and political gridlock.However, the authors' decision to frame this vital objective under the banner of 'abundance' is a strategic error, a semantic choice that obscures the core issue rather than illuminating it. The term 'abundance' conjures a vision of limitless plenty, a notion that seems politically naive and dangerously outdated in an era defined by climate change, resource scarcity, and fragile global supply chains.The central challenge for American governance is not generating sheer volume, but restoring the foundational state competencies that have been systematically eroded. This decline stems from a profound shift in political culture, where the pursuit of short-term partisan advantage has eclipsed the long-term, essential work of institutional stewardship.The contrast is stark: the Eisenhower administration's audacious and efficient construction of the Interstate Highway System stands in sharp relief against the decades of litigation and delay that now plague a single rail line or renewable energy installation. The problem is not merely procedural; it is a crisis of political vision.The American system has devolved into a vetoocracy, where the power to block action is far more potent than the power to construct. While the regulatory streamlining and permitting reforms advocated by Klein and Thompson are necessary technical fixes, they will remain insufficient without a revival of shared national purpose.The great public works that defined the 20th century—the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Apollo program—were not justified by promises of abundance. They were national missions, forged in the crucible of economic crisis and geopolitical competition, which united disparate factions behind a common cause.Today, that unifying narrative is shattered. Public debate has shifted from what we should build to whether we should build at all—a state of paralysis observed with keen interest by global competitors.The path forward lies not in embracing a nebulous ethos of plenty, but in the gritty, unglamorous work of rebuilding public trust, depoliticizing critical infrastructure decisions, and reforging the state's capacity to act decisively. This is a task less about unleashing market forces and more about reconstructing the tools of collective action.It demands the sober, strategic patience of a long-term planner, not the optimistic fervor of a booster. The ultimate goal is not abundance, but resilience; not limitless growth, but sustainable, competent capacity. Until this critical distinction is understood and acted upon, the United States will continue to plan, debate, and ultimately fail to build, watching as its competitive standing erodes and its grandest ambitions remain confined to the drawing board.

#editorial picks news

#Ezra Klein

#Derek Thompson

#competent capacity

#project planning

#US policy

#abundance critique

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