[johndubchak]

Additionally, and admittedly without evidentiary support, we could argue that two biggest suppliers of capital investment for innovation used to come from business and Government and largely still do.

However, business has focused on short-term gain for investors and concentrating wealth into the hands of its upper Executives.

Government, at least in the US, has worked itself into a position of partisanship such that deadlock and preventing the other side from doing anything seems to be more important.

These are both short-sighted views and approaches. Scientific discovery takes time, requires consistent investment and a longer-term vision. Quite honestly, I don't think it's a radical view to take to blame the current climate of business and Government in the US for many of the issues we see elucidated here. That being said, the solution is as complex as the problem and would require a major restructuring of both the economy and our Government, IMO.

[salt-thrower]

I think you're spot on with this analysis. I would add that the gridlock in the U.S. government isn't just happenstance, either. An ineffective government benefits Capital (at least in the short term), and thanks to lax lobbying and campaign finance laws, Capital is able to buy enough politicians to ensure that any legislation which would challenge the status quo dies before it reaches the President's desk. Gridlock serves the political and economic elite well, so they're invested in keeping it that way.

[granshaw]

I wonder if a big difference between now and the start of the 20th century is precisely the insane focus on short term return, what with the feedback loops being so much quicker and visibility so much higher

[johndubchak]

Great question. It is partly what I suggest, I think...

[NotSammyHagar]

I don't know what you mean "the government" worked its way into a period of partisanship. Sure there is terrible deadlock. One party has moved to an extreme and is trying to dismantle democracy so that it can force things it's way. Only one party has gotten to the situation that previous presidents and leaders in the party are almost uniformly against the future next president from that party.

[johndubchak]

In my eyes, the partisanship is the deadlock. I didn't want to make it a political discussion or turn it into a flame war over blaming one party over another. Both parties, or members on each side, have a vested self-interest in maintaining that deadlock. That's really all I meant.