happens when ambition meets institutional sclerosis. The public doesn’t see a train. It sees sunk costs, endless lawsuits, and special interest carve-outs. And it loses faith. In the spirit of this book’s metaphor of complexity, we might say that American infrastructure policy often resembles a Rube Goldberg ma- chine—elaborate, intricate, and ultimately incapable of delivering its pay- load. The theft here is not of dollars alone. It is of the possible: the better schools, cleaner air, safer bridges, and shorter commutes we could have had if governance were aligned with outcomes rather than process.
5. Climate, Catastrophe, and the Burden of Inaction
Climate change, more than any other issue, exposes the structural flaws of our political economy. It is the definitive test of whether our systems can prioritize long-term public good over short-term profit. So far, we are failing that test. In 2023, wildfires burned more than 18 million acres across North America. Maui saw its deadliest fire in U.S. history, fueled in part by out- dated utility infrastructure and poor disaster preparedness. In the aftermath, investors bought up land at bargain prices, and insurance companies raised premiums or left markets altogether. The result? A redistribution of risk from capital to community, from Wall Street to working-class homeowners. Meanwhile, in states like Florida, private insurers are pulling out en- tirely due to climate-related losses. The federal government, through FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, steps in to pick up the slack— but with no meaningful recalibration of land use, zoning, or emissions pol- icy. In essence, the public subsidizes private irresponsibility. This is textbook theft at the public till: environmental degradation pri- vatized through lax regulation, followed by socialized costs in the form of bailouts, rebuilding funds, and emergency spending. It is exactly the kind of quiet, untraceable redistribution that the original book described—only now with existential stakes.
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