Ken Hersh, President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, discusses the importance of investing in our institutions for future generations in the Dallas Morning News.
“Our great nation has been through a lot in the past two centuries, but through it all, our institutions have held.
“Think about the tests our institutions have faced — slavery, the Civil War, women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, ending Jim Crow, Watergate, impeachments, political assassinations and an attempted insurrection. Our system was designed to bend but not break, even with its built-in inefficiency created by decentralization and checks and balances.
“This resiliency makes me optimistic about our ability to deal with today’s challenges, even when confidence in our institutions is at a historically low point, with Congress earning the trust of only 8% of Americans, according to Gallup. But each of us must do our part to keep our institutions robust — from those formally established by the Constitution to the important, but less-discussed foundational institutions such as family, faith and community.
“Not all institutional structure emanates from Washington, D.C. I would argue that the most important pillars can’t find a 202 area code. The micro institutions of our families and role in the broader community impact our daily lives more than outrageous rhetoric from politicians that has left so many of us without a political home.”
