We take it as an article of faith that the U.S. system of government, a presumed democratic republic, is ideal, so much so that it should serve as the model for other nations. That no one has adopted our system is of no matter; as I said, this is about belief not about inconvenient facts.

It may have occurred to you that we can no longer get things done in America, despite enormous needs that require the collective resources of the federal government. But our government can’t get its act together to even begin to tackle our urgent problems.

So, each year we pile up unfunded mandates. And each year the costs of doing nothing compound.

The Chinese, on the other hand, have fewer impediments to building stuff, from high-speed rail to economic zones to office towers to energy resources. Indeed, China just does it.

Comes now a brave op-ed in today’s New York Times, written by a Chinese “venture capitalist.” He writes:

America and China view their political systems in fundamentally different ways: whereas America sees democratic government as an end in itself, China sees its current form of government, or any political system for that matter, merely as a means to achieving larger national ends.

I highly commend this provocative essay, which concludes thusly:

History does not bode well for the American way. Indeed, faith-based ideological hubris may soon drive democracy over the cliff.

I expect the Tea Party to issue a fatwa on Mr. Li.