WWFFD? Who cares?

Let's stop fussing about what America's founders thought, and let our minds run free.

By Mark Kurlansky,
MARK KURLANSKY is the author of many books, including, most recently, "The Big Oyster: History On a Half Shell."
July 4, 2006

SOMEONE HAS TO SAY IT or we are never going to get out of this rut: I am sick and tired of the founding fathers and all their intents.

The real American question of our times is how our country in a little over 200 years sank from the great hope to the most backward democracy in the West. The U.S. offers the worst healthcare program, one of the worst public school systems and the worst benefits for workers. The margin between rich and poor has been growing precipitously while it has been decreasing in Europe. Among the great democracies, we use military might less cautiously, show less respect for international law and are the stumbling block in international environmental cooperation. Few informed people look to the United States anymore for progressive ideas.