Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler

In the following viewpoint, adapted from their 1994 book, Creating a New Civilization: The Politics of the Third Wave, futurists Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler assert that America’s politicians and government must change in order to adapt to the “Third Wave” of historical change, which they believe promises to transform society. The Tofflers argue that this wave, giving rise to information-based economies and societies, conflicts with the Second Wave, consisting of Industrial Revolution manufacturing and industry that has dominated America for decades. Influential politicians and others continue to cling to Second Wave practices, the authors contend, but they cannot prevent the Third Wave from emerging on the national scene.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the Tofflers, why was the “infrastructure bill” of 1991 an...