Mr. Ramaphosa's journey from hunted labor activist to industry titan and perennial presidential contender is an emblem of South Africa's spectacular transition from brutally enforced white minority rule to a multiracial democracy where, in theory at least, anyone with talent has a chance to succeed.
Since everyone has bought into the vision, activists and industry stand eagerly behind the transformation.
A central tenet is that decisions are made, collectively, by government, activists, and industry.
Although Republican administrations have not traditionally supported bicycle activists, the industry advocates point out that President Bush is friendly with Lance Armstrong, the star American cyclist who has won the Tour de France four consecutive times.
After the state legalized marijuana for recreational use in November 2012, governor John Hickenlooper organized a task force – including state and local government officials, citizens, activists and industry representatives – to provide diverse perspectives on the issue.
Even factory owners who want to improve conditions find it hard to do so because the customers have no obligation to give them more work in the future or to compensate them for the renovations through higher prices, labor activists and industry executives say.
While Congress and the country have been debating high-profile environmental issues, like whether to drill for oil in the Arctic, President Bush has been quietly filling key subcabinet posts with conservative activists and industry lobbyists who have spent their careers criticizing the laws they are now sworn to uphold.
Now activists and industry alike are on the same page it's time for the government to do something.
Some activists and industry lobbyists would like to change that and instead impose antiquated, telephone-type regulations that were created in the 1930s to the Internet.
There are a couple of things that are special about the Microbead Free Waters Act: 1) it is bipartisan; 2) it won with a unanimous vote; and 3) environmental activists and industry both support the legislation.
