On the Breakdown of Our Political System: A Parable (Part I)

You are riding in a car traveling down the highway at 75 mph. Conversation between you and the driver had grown a bit contentious, and now a fraught silence fills the space between you. Suddenly, there is a hideous grinding noise, the car begins to shake furiously, smoke pours out of the engine compartment, and then the entire engine flies out through the hood and crashes down in the tall grass on the side of the highway. It rolls a couple of times and then explodes.

The grinding noise has stopped. So has the shaking. The only sound is the hiss and whistle of wind noise. You find yourself still safely belted into the passenger seat in a passenger compartment that appears to be fully intact. Apparently you are now coasting down the highway at 75 miles per hour.

You look over at the driver significantly. After a moment, he looks back.

"What?" he says.

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