Why America Can’t Do Big Things

2025-05-07

America once built highways and reached the moon. Now we can’t even fix a bridge. The reason? The reforms meant to improve government have paralyzed it. In this recent WhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with Marc Dunkelman, whose recent book, Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress — and How to Bring It Back, uncovers the real reasons why America has lost its ability to build and manufacture. The culprit? A fundamental shift in progressive thinking itself.

America once built highways and reached the moon. Now we can’t even fix a bridge. The reason? The reforms meant to improve government have paralyzed it.

In this recent WhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with Marc Dunkelman, whose recent book, Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress — and How to Bring It Back, uncovers the real reasons why America has lost its ability to build and manufacture.

The culprit? A fundamental shift in progressive thinking itself.

Dunkelman reveals how a deep distrust of and “cultural aversion to power” emerged in the 1960s and gradually transformed governance.

What began as well-intentioned safeguards against political overreach has created a paralysis where anyone can veto almost anything. Progressives replaced discretionary authority with procedural obstacles — environmental reviews, endless community meetings, and litigation tools that allow virtually anyone to block progress.

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