Working the Pivot Points

Book excerpt: The nation is in a pivotal period. We ignore the current conditions at our peril. Frank Islam and Ed Crego recognize this. That is why they have written this book as the sequel to their book, Renewing the American Dream: A Citizen's Guide for Restoring Our Competitive Advantage, that they co-authored with George Munoz in 2010. In this new book, Islam and Crego plot the progress--or lack thereof--that has been made since 2010 and identify major pivot point areas that must be addressed in a positive manner to move the nation forward rather backward. They introduce the pivot point construct as a way for identifying, analyzing and thinking about what needs to be done at the key pivot points which include: the debt and deficit "crisis," congressional dysfunction, citizen dysfunction, individual economic well being, global competition, manufacturing, immigration, education and innovation. Islam and Crego have structured this book to be a primer and participant's guide for concerned citizens who want to get involved in "working the pivot points." Each substantive chapter ends with a section called Pivot Point Report Card to enable the reader to engage in an organized reflection on the status of that pivot point at the time he or she is completing the chapter