Mr. Schwartz
I will say that the ghostwriting of your famous book is just one step of many that led to the Trump presidency. Do not put the blame on your shoulders.
Mr. Trump would have been unelectable in 2006. USA changed. We can argue what and how for a long time, but there was an immense mass psychological change in the population. Mr. Trump just stepped into a time that was ready for him.
One important aspect of your article was how you recognized your former "pursuit of happiness" was a mental illness that you needed to confront and deal with. It takes a lot of courage to say: "My values are all wrong and I have to change."
Unfortunately, USA is in a state of mental illness that it does not want to acknowledge. You see, for the past 23 years, I have been advocating for a totally new kind of democracy. In 2017, I thought the world just might finally be interested in my ideas. So I brought the concept back to life again.
After three years being on the internet, I essentially have no results for my efforts. Strange that a book on how to con people sells better than a book about a new system of democracy where con men cannot rise too high.
I have a good discussion with at least 1000 people in the last three years. Here is my synopsis of their mental states:
https://medium.com/discourse/change-we-want-yet-we-dont-want-real-change-288c67682f4
Dystopians, Tinkerers, Educators, Constitutionalists, and Messiah Followers. But none to reform democracy: I am in an echo chamber of one.
Despite the apathy, cynicism, and distrust we have in our political systems, these 1000 or so people cannot get past being Dystopians, Tinkerers, Educators, Constitutionalists, and Messiah Followers. That is where their hope lies (except for the Dystopians).
Strange thing is that it takes only three hours to read my book. If one believes these ideas have merit, early TDG builders need only spend 10 hours a month to start off this new social movement. To me, the inability to take these two steps are signs of a collective mental illness.
You made a recovery. Maybe you are interested in this new way.
