Many Americans are skeptical that politicians and the federal government are willing or able to function in their best interest. According to pollster Louis Harris, many people believe there exist “two tiers of justice and opportunities, one for those with access to power . . . and another for the rank and file of people.” It is clear to many politicians that Americans are growing intolerant of what they view as the “politics-as-usual” status quo. Explaining one possible cause of this public mood, U.S. vice president Al Gore writes, “Cynicism can arise when political leaders cavalierly promise to do things and then fail to deliver.”

What America needs to remedy this cynicism, argue economist Richard Carlson and journalist Bruce Goldman, authors of Fast Forward: Where Technology, Demographics, and History Will Take America and the World in the...