I like to fix things. A recent project involved a section of concrete sidewalk in front of our house. Some settling made the bicycle ride to school for the neighborhood kids treacherous. So I got my shovel, some 2X4’s and QuickCrete and leveled it up with the adjoining slabs. With some sweat and timely help from my bride, the problem was fixed. Unfortunately, a month or so later a couple of other sections of the concrete sidewalk started to drift and the bicycle ride in front of our house was treacherous once again. Then I addressed the solution – to tear out the old and lay new concrete complete with rebar connecting the individual sections to keep all smooth, no more drifting. My bride, the neighbors’ kids and the homeowners association are all happy.

There is a parallel to this project in society. Policies spinning out of the “war on poverty” initiative in 1964 come to mind. In an effort to provide a fix ...read on