Forward

About this book

"A bold blueprint for moving beyond the "era of institutional failure" by transforming our outmoded political and economic systems to be resilient to twenty-first-century problems, from the entrepreneur, bestselling author, and popular political truth-teller. Despite being written off by the media, Andrew Yang's shoestring 2020 presidential campaign-powered by his proposal for a Universal Basic Income of $1,000 a month for all Americans-jolted the political establishment, growing into a massive, diverse movement. Now, in Forward, Yang reveals that UBI and the threat of job automation are only the beginning, diagnosing how a series of cascading problems within our antiquated systems keeps us stuck in the past-imperiling our democracy at every level. With America's stagnant institutions failing to keep pace with technological change, we grow more polarized, as tech platforms supplant our will while feasting on our data. Yang introduces us to the various "priests of the decline" of America, including politicians whose incentives have become divorced from the people they supposedly serve. The machinery of American democracy is failing, and we need bold new ideas to rewire it for twenty-first-century problems. Inspired by his experience running for office, as an entrepreneur, and by ideas drawn from leading thinkers, Yang offers a series of solutions, including data rights, ranked-choice voting, and fact-based governance empowered by modern technology, writing that "there is no cavalry"-it's up to us. This book is a powerful and urgent warning that we must step back from the brink and plot a new way forward for our democracy"--