Working the Pivot Points

To Make America Work Again

About the Book

Overview

The first decade of this new century was one of decline for the United States. This current decade will be the decisive one. The decisions made and the actions taken in it will determine the future of America and the American Dream.

Unfortunately, this decade has not started off well for most Americans in either economic or social terms. The political process has gone from gridlock to near deadlock. Red hot rhetoric is being substituted for rational discourse and dialogue. As a result, across the country there is a general state of misery, melancholy and mania.

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.

In conclusion, this book is not written for those with partisan or personal agendas whose primary approach is to criticize, carp and complain and to tear things or others down. It is directed instead at those “pivot persons” who are willing to cooperate, collaborate and compromise and to build things and others up.
It is intended for those citizens of good will who believe America’s best days are still ahead of her and who understand that to see those days it is essential for us as Americans to come together rather than to drift apart.

Advance Praise

Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again gives remarkably helpful and practical advice on what we need to do to continue to grow America today.  These entrepreneurs provide thoughtful insights and directions on how to do this.

Tom DaschleFormer U.S. Senator from South Dakota and Senate Majority Leader

America and Washington, D.C. have always worked best when citizens and leaders reason together.  This book offers a thoughtful approach for the reasoning process and recommends bipartisan solutions that should be considered for some of the most serious issues confronting our country today.

Richard LugarFormer U.S. Senator from Indiana

Islam and Crego prove that concerned citizens bring a fresh perspective to analyzing and addressing problems in our country that appear to be intractable. This book is ideal for all who are interested or involved in policy-making.

Nancy PelosiU.S. Representative and Minority Leader in the House of Representatives

Frank Islam and Ed Crego make a powerful case for the importance of national pivot points.  Their book is full of concrete, common sense solutions – like the creation of a national jobs agenda – that cry out for Congress to get back in the game of legislating, not just politicking. America leads if we take off our ideological blinders and make the most of the opportunities that are in front of us, and this book will help us do just that.

Jane HarmanPresident and CEO, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Former U.S. Representative

Frank Islam and Ed Crego show how our past leaders have used critical pivot points to take challenges and turn them into opportunities. They make the case that government must play a role but that we need to change the nature of our public policy dialogue in order to refocus our efforts on these critical areas.  This book is a well thought out call to action and course correction that will produce long lasting results.

Charles E. SnyderPresident and CEO, National Cooperative Bank

The authors hit the nail squarely on the head with their pivot points perspective.  The emphasis they place on the pivotal roles that manufacturing, innovation and education must play in ensuring a strong future for America and Americans is right on target.

James WallExecutive Director, National Institute for Metalworking Skills

In this well written book, Frank Islam and Ed Crego provide us with an insightful and nonpartisan analysis of critical issues that we are facing as American citizens in the 21st century.  Working the Pivot Points provides a useful framework for generating a necessary and important discussion about what to do about the problems confronting America.  This is must reading for all – regardless of ideological or party preference.

Alan GitelsonProfessor Political Science, Loyola University, Chicago