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Rex Smith: Grievance saps needed confidence FacebookTwitterEmail Photo illustration by Jeff Boyer / Times UnionPhoto illustration by Jeff Boyer / Times Union Our nation is more divided, we’re often told these days, than at any time since the Civil War. We don’t trust each other. People are disappointed in every institution — government, church, schools, business, the media. We’re really angry. At a certain point, you have to ask: Just what is so awful in America that is making folks so damn mad? And can’t we just get over it? Pop therapists tell us to let go of our anger and we’ll...

Our ailing democracy needs help FacebookTwitterEmail Photo Illustration by Tyswan Stewart / Times Union On the Fourth of July, 1976, America staged a huge birthday party on the National Mall. A million people showed up. As dusk fell, families spread out on blankets, old folks set up lawn chairs and strangers shared picnics with each other while awaiting the fireworks. It was a glorious time. Our nation had survived the many traumas of the 1960s and the more recent assault of Watergate. We were torn and bruised, but steadied by the sense that our democracy was strong enough to withstand the ab...