ERRATA SHEET The following paragraphs were inadvertently deleted from the Panel Chairperson's Preface to the President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties Report of the Panel on the Quality of American Life. In subsequent printings, these passages will appear following the material at the end of the first page of that Preface: "... address, and certain changes in expectations as well as institutions that would allow us to face new realities more realistically and constructively. Given the scope of the changes this nation has experienced in recent years, significant and costly problems will arise if we fail to comprehend how fundamental those changes are and how pervasive their consequences. Abraham Lincoln's admonition, delivered more than a century ago that "the dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present" - is particularly pertinent today. Now as then, the first task is to "think anew" in order that we may "act anew. The major contribution that a commission such as ours can make is to help to perform that first task, in order that the nation's leaders can more successfully accomplish the second. Because this panel was confronted with such a broad and challenging topic, I am grateful to my fellow Panel members for their willingness to "think anew." Collectively, the panel members brought an unusual range and depth of experience to our task, and it has been my privilege to work with these highly talented and committed people. Throughout, they were eager to confront the new realities of the 1980s and to address hard problems. I am indebted to them for their time, energy, and thoughtfulness. As chairperson of the Quality of American Life Panel, I have come to appreciate deeply another quality--the quality of insight, integrity, energy, and dedication that the members of the panel staff have brought to our common undertaking. Over and over, as the work of the panel has proceeded, I have been impressed by and grateful for the very large contribution that Keith Melville and Lisa Goldberg have made as they carried out research, facilitated discussion, and produced the written materials that led to this final report. They have greatly added to the quality of my life. Many people helped in the preparation of the report and we are grateful to all of them. We would especially like to thank the staff of the Commission: Claude E. Barfield and Richard A. Wegman, staff directors, for their support; and Stephen F. Durbin and the administrative staff for their assistance. Among those to whom we owe special thanks: Ed Cohen-Rosenthal, Clementine Kaufman, Minna Peyser, Wakefield Associates, and Louise Weiner served as consultants, and added greatly to our understanding of some of the topics encompassed by "quality of life." Our symposium participants and the people of Charleston, South Carolina, were kind enough to share some of their considerable knowledge about the arts at the Spoleto Festival last spring. Denis. . .' Foreword As America enters the eighties, our nation faces a world greatly changed from that of even a decade ago. Vast forces are in action at home and abroad that promise to change the lives of all Americans. Some of these forcessuch as revolutionary developments in science and technology-hold out hope for longer life, labor-saving mechanisms, exploration of the universe, and other benefits for all peoples. Other forces-such as the growing demand for strategic raw materials under the control of supplier cartels-raise serious problems for all nations. At home, we face serious and unresolved issues in the social and economic structure of American society. On October 24, 1979, President Jimmy Carter established the President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties. His purpose was to provide the President-elect and the new Congress with the views of 45 Americans drawn from diverse backgrounds outside of government. The group is bipartisan, representing business and labor, science and the humanities, arts and communication. Members of the Commission are experts in many fields, but possess no special expertise in predicting the future. Rather, we have done our best to uncover the dynamics of American society and world affairs that we believe will determine events in the eighties. This report of the Commission, A National Agenda for the Eighties, sets forth our views. The analytical work of the Commission was accomplished by 9 Panels, each consisting of 5 to 11 Commissioners with appropriate staff. The Panels probed into major subject areas designated by the President in the Executive Order that created the Commission, as well as other areas that the Commission itself determined should be on the agenda. This approach gave Panel members an opportunity to gain considerable familiarity with complex subject matters, and provided the full Commission with a wide range of information not otherwise attainable in the 13 months available for this study. The Panels are responsible for their own reports, and the views contained in any Panel report do not necessarily reflect the views of any branch of government or of the Commission as a whole. William J. McGill La Jolla, California Preface As part of a nonpartisan commission asked by the President to address critical issues of public policy that will concern the American people throughout the 1980s, this panel examined the major factors affecting the quality of American life. Accordingly, our focus has been on individuals rather than on institutions. The Panel's work has been guided by the premise that our achievements as a nation cannot be reckoned solely in terms of superior power, wealth, and technology. The policies of the next decade have to be responsive to a deep concern for that which enriches the quality of our lives. They must reflect a commitment to cultural activity, to artistic and scholarly accomplishment, to the realm of ideas and the life of the spirit. Essentially, we have addressed three main questions: What are the major factors that contribute to or detract from the sense of well-being of most Americans? In an era in which there are distinct constraints on public sector spending, what should be the role of the public sector in enhancing quality of life? How can an effective partnership between the public and private sectors be created in order to move toward quality-of-life objectives? Today, many Americans feel caught in the crosscurrent between contradictory influences: On the one hand, they have an unprecedented range of options and greater freedom to choose among them. On the other, new realities seem to be creating new constraints. This paradox is aptly stated by economist Ezra Mishan: "As the carpet of increased choice is being unrolled before us by the foot, it is simultaneously being rolled up behind us by the yard." As this Panel discussed the dilemmas posed by new realities, and their likely consequences for the quality of American life, we decided to focus throughout most of this report on factors that are likely to detract from a sense of well-being for millions of Americans in the 1980s. There are, we believe, certain questions that the nation's leaders must |