Being a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Moyers since high school, I feel he hits the nail on the head with his expose of how the system doesn't "work" as well as it used to.

Here is my bias: extremes of wealth and poverty cannot be reconciled with genuinely democratic politics. I've recently come to see Moyers for what he is: truly prophetic, in that he connects the dots by using truth, realistic perspective & superb rhetorical construction. Can one ask for a better journalistic performance? over the short time that I been listening to his arguments; I have never heard anything that he has said that is disagreeable to me.

Although I could say that anything Bill MOyers writes is good journalism, I can be more specific. He "connects the dots." Moyers describes that as the purpose of journalism and he is one of those who does just that.

Moyers represents a kind of journalist that we see too little of today - one who is willing to speak out forcefully on major issues from an old fashioned liberal viewpoint. And he's right about what's wrong today. While I have to agree with Chris Finnie that history is cyclical, I'm not sure I see where the next turn of the wheel will come from. And problems like these have often led to right wing dictatorships which promise easy solutions. We're not there yet, but need to watch out!

Mr. Moyers seems genuinely concerned that America is at a point of no return, politically, fiscally, ecologically, and culturally. He terms it as class warfare, in which only the very wealthy are free to win. Although he does not document much of it, a well informed reader will be informed on conditions he refers to, and he gives enough detail to cogently argue his points about the "How" of its happening. Some may claim that this is conspiracy theory not unlike previous generations have succumbed to, but never have six billion bodies and souls gone before us with devastating impact on environment, powerful psycho-manipulation by media, trillion dollar instantaneous global financial transactions capable of bankrupting nations ... More »

I'm disappointed in Moyers. This piece is not up to his usual standard. Anybody who has studied history can tell you--as the Durants did at some length in their 11-volume Story of Civilization--that history is cyclical. What Moyers describes is certainly true. But it is not unique, except in our improved abilities to despoil our environment and wage warfare. The nostalgia for earlier days is somewhat disingenuous as well. While the framers of the Constitution did not put in a property requirement to vote, they did limit it to white males. We have made progress. But, if my study of history has taught me anything, it is that progress is never a straight line forward. It relies on people like Moyers with a public forum to cry out ... More »

Bill Moyers is one of the only remaining reasonable voices.

It is good journalism about journalism, something Bill Moyers is uniquely qualified for. Proof of its quality is the 201 comments on Alternet, many of which are thoughtful and informed. Moyers is measured and thoughtful himself, so when he decides that something is true enough to write a book around, people should take notice. What is true is the headline of the article, "We common ordinary folks have been lucky so far, but can our luck hold?" Given the kind of person I am, I consider myself not "proud to be an American", but lucky to have been born in post-WWII America. I grew up in a farming village where nobody was really rich, I had a lot of fun in school but didn't distinguish myself, and I got a job with union wages where ... More »

A very good commentary, I think more about country and the Roman collapse. Like the fail of the Roman governement, the USA is closely following what happened to them. We may not like what Bill Moyer is saying but that does not mean he is being truthful.

Another welcome and well-thought-out Jeremiad.

This opinion piece has no journalistic value. The author, best known for his key role in running the dirtiest Presidential campaign of the last century for LBJ, displays ignorance of most of the necessary history for writing about the issues he mentions. To just take care of one, the environment: The Adirondak Mountains were bare of trees when the National Park was created there 100 years ago; today they are covered with trees, typical of the dramatic reforestation of the entire country. The Cuyahoga River burned 40 years ago, today it is clean. All around the country far fewer days a year of serious air pollution are noted than 50 or 100 years ago. I must also note that the tax code today is at its most progressive since before ... More »

This is an excerpt from Moyers's _Moyers On Democracy_.

Truly it is waaaay past time for US - the public - to wake up and take Action!