After 50 years, blind people in Chicago are still waiting for safe street crossings. It is part of a pattern, of how good ideas are rejected for the benefit of nobody. A look at how government spends money, offers clues to what's broken. And how the Slow Lane can fix things.

Bumps in the road to change? Setbacks can be traumatic experiences. But we should withstand the temptation of simply blaming government officials. Instead, blame the zombie systems that undermine even the best public leaders.