American society is facing many challenges at the close of the twentieth century. Most have been years in the making. And most will take years to resolve. It is difficult to say which we should put at the top of the list. We could look at substantive issues such as substandard housing, violence, child poverty, crime, drug use, or the quality of education. These are all critical issues tearing at the fabric of American society. They afflict both our communities and our nation and take a heavy toll on our citizens.
Another way to consider these challenges is to examine the way we make decisions and approach problem solving. We cannot dodge our inability to solve these issues in a lasting and fair manner. Jane Mansbridge, author of Beyond Adversary Democracy, cites difficulty in solving society' s complex problems as one of the unreconciled demands facing American representative democracy. 1 Whether due to the rise of single-issue politics or the gridlock caused by excessive adversarialism, we seem unable to solve, effectively and resolutely, the core problems society faces. Therefore, we must give greater attention to examining and transcending the impediments to good and fair decision making.
Of course, if this were an easy enterprise, we would have found the key long ago. In many instances, difficulty is simply moving from the status quo, where our society allows, seemingly undeterred, the downward spiral of certain segments of the American populace. The "American dream" of equality, opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness has become an unattainable myth for many Americans. Yet the reality of achieving this dream, according to Alexis de Tocqueville, is what has provided the mainstay of the American experiment. 2 The insidious part of this is that many have come to accept the way things are. The difficulties being described, to some, now seem endemic to our society. Some have in essence set aside the possibility of ever advancing as a society, or so it seems. But if nothing else, America has exhibited a resilience and a "can do"