The U.S. government needs to make radical changes in public policy if the nation is to survive in the 21st century, according to award winning journalist Tom Brokaw, who shared his message as a visiting lecturer yesterday at Princeton University.
''What is the legacy we want to leave behind?'' Brokaw asked, prodding the audience to think about the current state of the nation. ''I'm suggesting that it may be time to recalibrate the answer to that question. In the past we were 'fortress America.' That is not the case now.''
Brokaw's message was compassionate but clear. The U.S. is currently living on a legacy that no longer exists, he said.
That legacy was created by individuals who grew up in extreme poverty caused by the Great Depression, a period unrivaled in this country for its economic deprivation, he said.
''And just when they were emerging from that, they were called to fight the greatest war in the history of the world,'' Brokaw said, connecting the character, strength and values of that generation with events that followed them.
Poverty was so extreme that soldiers were trained with wooden rifles, Brokaw said. Many also got their first decent meal in years and first good pair of shoes through their military service which was training them to fight for their lives on yet another level.
On returning from the war, Brokaw noted, that same generation ushered in an era of prosperity. Housing spread out to the suburbs, the automobile industry flourished, new highways were built to accommodate the cars and connect the suburbs, and gasoline was cheap and plentiful. Unemployment was low and Americans went to college in record numbers, he added. The American dream was fulfilled.
''Everyone in this auditorium is the beneficiary of that age,'' said the internationally honored broadcaster known for his integrity, insight, and ability.
That generation did the work to help one another and then their children. Their children, however, learned how to live in prosperity, and generally never recognized the need to prepare for living any other way. As a result, when the 20th century came to a close, with the beginnings of economic crisis, they were unprepared.
''People ask me, 'what happened to this country,' '' said Brokaw, who travels extensively throughout the U.S. interviewing people about their beliefs and values.
He found tremendous division. Americans were losing jobs and homes and struggling to survive. Grass roots movements started to deal with that frustration, bringing about the formation of the Tea Party and the ‘’Occupy Wall Street’’ and similar city sit-ins.
''In my 2009 road travel, I found constant hope and constant anxiety,'' Brokaw remembers, but ''Washington was completely walled in and shut off from main- stream America.''
There’s a disconnect between policy and people, Brokaw added.
‘’We have to knit ourselves back together again,’’ he said. ‘’What we ought to be thinking about is how to have more economic justice in America. How can we prepare for the great competition against China and South America and emerging nations?''
Those countries, Brokaw said, reap tremendous economic growth and give education a high priority, while in the U.S. 40% of college students today need remedial support in reading and math.
Although education is receiving greater national attention, he believes much more needs to be done, and it needs high priority.
In one ''bold idea,'' Brokaw recommends creating public service academies at land grant colleges to provide students with three years of training in specific skills identified as lacking in the workforce. Fields currently in need include medicine, engineering, conflict resolution, and organization skills, he said. Students would be sent into the workforce to use their training and polish skills while supplying critical staff for employers.
''The result is an employee who now knows the market and the company and has a new sense of commitment to a mission and to each other,'' Brokaw said, and there is a positive impact on employment and the economy.
The well-attended lecture was part of Princeton's "Media and Public Policy'' series aimed at providing an impetus for change, and inspired by Prof. Hugh Price, former president of the Urban League and a friend of Brokaw. After the lecture, Brokaw met with fans and signed copies of his latest book, ''The Time of our Lives,'' which was also the title of his lecture.
Jim Archangel, class of '84, was first in line, with books for himself and for Christmas gifts, saying ‘’I‘m a big fan.’’.
Amanda Colton, a junior majoring in computer science, was right behind him.
''I really enjoyed the lecture,'' she said after bringing her book to Brokaw for his signature. ''He is such a legend in the media. It was really cool to hear him in person.''
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