The lesson is clear: at this stage in American history, the noble ideal of a government that serves all and protects the conditions that give rise to a healthy economy has a hard time prevailing against a political machine that focuses its energies on the single-minded goal of using federal favors to buy enough votes to win.
The company innovates quickly: for instance, it has recently launched a tiny machine that washes little more than one change of clothing and was an instant hit in Shanghai, where living conditions are cramped but residents care about clean clothes.