> I don't understand how we've gotten here, or why people aren't more concerned.
From what I can tell, the root issue is that most people are item-oriented instead of system-oriented.
People are animals and animals need to survive. Survival is path dependant, so people think today is more important than tomorrow. In actuality, today and tomorrow are the same thing.
The American experiment seems to be failing its two pillars of capitalism and democracy for the same reason: they require input from most people. Rather, they require _thoughtful_ input from most people - and most people ain't that good at thinkin.
As far as I can tell, the game is already lost. Competition in all key products is at best reduced to 4 players. Money's influence on politics is hiding in plain sight. At least taco bell delivers.