The Complacent Class

A Wall Street Journal and Washington Post Bestseller "Tyler Cowen's blog, Marginal Revolution, is the first thing I read every morning. And his brilliant new book, The Complacent Class, has been on my nightstand after I devoured it in one sitting. I am at round-the-clock Cowen saturation right now."--Malcolm Gladwell Since Alexis de Tocqueville, restlessness has been accepted as a signature American trait. Our willingness to move, take risks, and adapt to change have produced a dynamic economy and a tradition of innovation from Ben Franklin to Steve Jobs. The problem, according to legendary blogger, economist and best selling author Tyler Cowen, is that Americans today have broken from this tradition—we’re working harder than ever to avoid change. We're moving residences less, marrying people more like ourselves and choosing our music and our mates based on algorithms that wall us off from anything that might be too new or too different. Match.com matches us in love. Spotify and Pandora match us in music. Facebook matches us to just about everything else. Of course, this “matching culture” brings tremendous positives: music we like, partners who make us happy, neighbors who want the same things. We’re more comfortable. But, according to Cowen, there are significant collateral downsides attending this comfort, among them heightened inequality and segregation and decreased incentives to innovate and create. The Complacent Class argues that this cannot go on forever. We are postponing change, due to our near-sightedness and extreme desire for comfort, but ultimately this will make change, when it comes, harder. The forces unleashed by the Great Stagnation will eventually lead to a major fiscal and budgetary crisis: impossibly expensive rentals for our most attractive cities, worsening of residential segregation, and a decline in our work ethic. The only way to avoid this difficult future is for Americans to force themselves out of their comfortable slumber—to embrace their restless tradition again.

Few Americans would disagree that serious problems plague their country's education system. But what is the real reason for this serious malady? According to author and long-time teacher Rick Tobin, the usual suspects-beleaguered teachers, overcrowded classrooms, lack of funds, etc.-aren't to blame. Tobin believes that critics of the educational system have totally missed the point and that educational reform is aimed in the wrong direction. In his view, academic failure is the direct result of a loss of faith in American democracy. Current teaching objectives and the laws governing schools are failing to emphasize moral responsibility and personal accountability-fundamental aspects of the ethical framework that form the basis of American democracy and American education. These problems stem from what Tobin terms a prevailing "egoist" culture in America that largely ignores moral character building and downplays the need for individual accountability. He contends there are millions of Americans who fall within nine "classes" of people who are largely responsible for our educational mediocrity. Rick Tobin doesn't mince words in this candid expose, in which he also offers solutions for remedying our educational woes.

Candles, ornaments, and Christmas trees are the backgrounds for these holiday stickers with classic greetings, including Merry Christmas, Jesus is born, Joy to the World, Peace, and Joy. Perfect for sealing cards, Christmas crafts, name tags, and more. Approx. 2" x 11/4" each. Six sheets, 7 stickers per sheet; 42 stickers per package.