0%

Book Description

When those we elect descend into partisan tribalism, criminal malfeasance, and emulation of foreign autocracies and oligarchies, Cedric Alexander says it is the unelected apolitical "fourth branch" of government—our nation's public servants, civil servants, and first responders—who must save the nation.

Alexander, a former deputy mayor, police chief, and CNN commentator, argues that these people do not constitute a nefarious "deep state" pursuing a hidden agenda. They are the analysts, scientists, lawyers, accountants, educators, consultants, enforcers of regulations, and first responders of every kind who keep the country running and its people safe. Alexander recounts the evolution of the professional civil service as an antidote to widespread cronyism, offers examples of how it has served as a bulwark against powerful corrupting influences, and describes the role it can play in bringing our badly divided society together. To the general public, many of these 22 million people remain invisible and their contributions hidden. But now is the time to make the invisible visible.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Introduction: Back to the Future, 1829
  8. 1. Civil Servants and Servant Leaders
  9. 2. Shutdown
  10. 3. Two Nights I Could Have Been Killed (And Why I Wasn’t)
  11. 4. All Politics Is Local
  12. 5. Strange Bedfellows: Democracy and Special Interests
  13. 6. Democracy Defaults to Competence, and Competence Defaults to Moderation
  14. Notes
  15. Suggestions for Finding the Facts
  16. Acknowledgments
  17. Index
  18. About the Author
54.152.77.92