On one hand (and liberals are sure to agree here) there is a downside to “creative destruction.” It is good, of course, that the automobile replaced the horse and buggy, but surely some Americans were hurt in the process. To be sure, it would have been silly for the nation not to adapt to modern technology, but that doesn’t mean some people weren’t left behind. Times of economic change and technological advancement are sure to create stress and dislocation. That’s part of what we’re going through today.

Conversely (and conservatives might concur here) if we are honestly worried about Americans losing faith in our institutions, then maybe it’s time we back off a tad in terms of adding stress to them?

The church has its own problems to contend with, of course, but now they also have this HHS mandate to deal with. Additionally, conservatives would likely argue the institution of marriage is under continual assault — and that the military continues to be a place for social engineering. We are exerting external stress on our long-standing institutions as if they can never break. But how resilient are they?