Book: About the Book
Rethinking the World’s Most Admired Republic
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Blueprint for a New America is intended to shake up America’s national conversation.
With an introduction by esteemed journalist Major Garrett and written by best-selling author and strategic thinking expert Karl Albrecht, it takes a fresh new look at the American Republic—from the big picture, human systems perspective.
This book is intended for all Americans—and friends of America—who want to understand our Republic and its history, and who want to take their thinking beyond the everyday political brawl that dominates our national conversation these days.
It is highly recommended for young people, including students, offering them a more positive and thoughtful way of thinking about history, politics, and the future of their country. Prospective citizens and newly-minted Americans will also find much to like and learn here.
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Reading Time: 3 minutes
Karl Albrecht offers a dramatically new perspective on the “World’s Most Admired Republic.” He identifies the 10 essential components of a successful republic; reviews the fascinating historical events—and people—that have made our Republic what it is today; and sets out a robust agenda for rethinking each of those major components for the future. He uses the metaphor of remodeling to tell the story. Just as you might need to remodel a beloved old house you’ve inherited, we need to update, rethink, and remodel certain features of the Republic we’ve inherited if we hope to see it survive the difficult and dangerous times ahead.
For example, he tackles head-on the difficult problem of taxation—how can we rethink our revenue system to make it more fair for everyone, and still provide enough funds to operate the Republic? You’ll be surprised and probably intrigued to see his innovative solution. (Hint: we stop taxing people and start taxing transactions.)
He introduces us to the mind-stretching concept of the Commons—the shared environment that the Republic must care for and manage intelligently. The Commons, as political philosophers define it, refers to the natural environment plus the “built” environment—all of the infrastructure we humans have installed for our own benefit. He argues that corporations play a key role in the Republic and should be managed and guided according to principles of shared benefit. He declares the necessity of making the Republic a shareholder, figuratively speaking, in every publicly held corporation.
He explains the 200-year corporate exemption, which has allowed corporations to benefit from the resources of the Commons without paying anything for using them and to profit at the expense of damage to the natural environment. He makes the case for a figurative license, granted to each corporation for its use of the Commons; and a “dividend” to the Republic as a silent shareholder.
He fearlessly scrutinizes all 10 of the key components of our Republic as it exists today, and shows how to rethink many of our systems, organizations, practices, and traditions that no longer serve us well. Each of the 10 main chapters offers a proposed “fix-it” list of specific changes to the laws, the Constitution, and the way things work.
This landmark book can help all of us in America, whether born here or transplanted, to better understand our history, our culture, how we got to where we are, and what our Republic needs from us as we face a very challenging future.This landmark book can help all of us in America, whether born here or transplanted, to better understand our history, our culture, how we got to where we are, and what our Republic needs from us as we face a very challenging future.
Endorsements
“Washington’s most desperate problem now is the utter lack of imagination; its absolute desert of ideas; its intellectual stasis. Blueprint for a New America is a grand thought exercise about the American Republic. It bristles with new questions; new ideas; new constructs and new remedies.”
—Major Garrett, Chief Washington Correspondent, CBS News @MajorCBS
“Karl Albrecht invites us to elevate the national conversation—to dispense with political diatribes and partisan food fights and begin a shared search for understanding. Read it, then give a copy to your favorite elected official.”
—Daniel Pink, NY Times #1 Best-Selling Author, A Whole New Mind
“A gold mine of ideas! Karl Albrecht helps us think deeply about the important issues of our day. He shares compelling stories and deep truths from America’s past.”
—Marshall Goldsmith, Executive Coach and Best-Selling Author, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
Reviews
“An acclaimed thinker . . .
“Albrecht’s refreshing and relentless nonpartisan disposition, that replaces finger-pointing with solution-driven ideas, is a welcome addition to today’s political discourse.
“In addition to policy reforms, the book’s sweeping narrative provides a broad overview of American history, identifies the prerequisite “building blocks” of successful republics, and delivers perspectives on myriad topics related to the United States’ place in humanity’s past and future.”
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