Trend Breakers

America has way of making things better:

Our political and media culture often seems to thrive on negative trends. But one measure of the strength of any society is what happens when things are going in the wrong direction. It requires clear ideas, people unwilling to accept decline with a shrug, and leaders who seek change rather than scoring populist points by blaming others for problems. Wealth helps a lot too. The fact that so few Americans—about 11 percent, according to the Census Bureau—live in poverty means more resources are available for solving other problems, and more people have more time to spend thinking up solutions. .... Disappointments and failures will always remain. Scarcity and death are still with us. But as America enters the second quarter of the 21st century, it is a resilient place where people—and bees—are living better lives.

We're tougher than we're led to believe...