Have Two Important Things Changed in America?

Interesting observation in Niall Ferguson's The Square and the Tower:

"The French social and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville saw the vitality of American associational life, along with the decentralized nature of the federal system, as the keys to the success of the new democracy."

Ignoring for a moment that we're a republic and not a democracy - I'm left wondering if some of the problems we face today are because those two key aspects of American life have changed?

Americans are no longer "joiners" and associations and friends "in real life" seems to becoming a thing of the past. Spending so much time in the Metaverse seems an awful waste to me. "Bowling alone" is increasingly a problem.

So too is the fact that government in the US has become much more centralized than ever before. And more powerful. The government of 1918 wouldn't have had the power to lock down the nation like we recently did. 

Are we losing two of the things that de Tocqueville saw that made us great? I worry we are trending in the wrong direction. I also worry we may not be able to get off the path we're on.

Get the Government Out of Our Kitchens

And also out of the bedroom and the schoolrooms. A nation of overweight people, who are confused over their genders and who don't know basic math or science is where we're headed. (Via) 

5G vs the Airline Industry

Interesting look at the FCC vs FAA battle between 5G rollouts and airline safety equipment. Also interesting look at how these government agencies operate (or fail to do so).

Long read but I think you may find it worthwhile.

Why You Cannot Trust US COVID Data

Well sourced look at how the CDC is actively trying to make the vaccines appear more effective than they are.  Why would they do that? What's their incentives for doing that? If you answer those questions honestly to yourself - your trust in government evaporates.

The comparison to "body counts" in Vietnam is very apt. Juking the stats are always done by the incompetent.