Hi Bradford,



Results are everything, ideology is nothing.



And really, why do humans adopt certain ideological beliefs? Because we believe that we will get the results we have hoped for, via that particular ideology.



There comes a point however, where cognitive dissonance can override our good judgement and prevent us from achieving our desired result.



Pragmatism is what won WWII, not ideology -- in fact, it was the clash of ideologies that created that war in the first place.



Pragmatism is what created 'a chicken in every pot', the Interstate Highway System, NASA, the Department of Health, the CDC, and so much more -- not ideology.



Yet, those are some of America's better accomplishments.



Every engineer in the country will tell you; "Find (or build) the best working model, and replicate it -- and then scale it accordingly."



Of course, tailoring that model to suit local circumstances / customs is normal.



In regards to the American economy, I can think of no better economic model to follow than that of Norway.



Here are just a few of Norway's stellar accomplishments:



>The highest accumulated revenue surplus in the world, worth $1 Trillion (held in a sovereign pension fund)



>Strong and steady GDP growth



>Very low Debt-to-GDP



>A #1 to #4 ranking on the UN Happiness Index



>A #1 ranking on the Social Progress Index



>Typically a #1 or #2 ranking on the highest per capita income in the world



>In the Top 5 worker productivity rankings in Europe



>One of the lowest crime rates in the world



>One of the ‘least corrupt’ nations. Ranked #5 on the Corruption Perception Index



>An average 2.5% unemployment rate (except during the global financial crisis where it shot up to 5.5%. Not to worry, it’s already fallen to 3.0%)



>Free university tuition for all citizens and residents



>Free universal healthcare ranked 7th in the world



>Virtually 100% of the country is powered by renewable energy except for some remote settlements where a microgrid is the only choice



>Unparalleled diplomatic credentials. Everyone knows Norwegians are among the best ‘honest brokers’ in the diplomatic world making Norway the ‘go-to’ arbitrators for nations in crisis



>A favorite country of the Olympics committee having hosted successful games twice in recent years



http://johnbrianshannon.com/2015/12/15/secret-of-norways-success/



http://johnbrianshannon.com/economics/if-norway-can-succeed-like-this-why-cant-every-country-040914/



I, like many others, prefer to live in a 'results-based-world' where pragmatism is the order of the day, rather than be married to any particular ideology with uneven success metrics.



Congratulations on the new book, which I hope is widely read and not just by economists and politicians.



As always, very best regards, JBS