This is a libertarian perspective on future focus. The questions are from a paper on ten key values of the greens. Short-range thinking is an adaptation to an environment where regulations can change at any time and taxes destroy long term investments. People and institutions used to have much longer range plans but these proved to be maladaptive in today's world.
Inheritance taxes destroy family farms, capital gains taxes destroy long term investment.
The IRS promotes investment in insane and nonproductive tax shelters. The long range future has been poisoned by the prospect of ever increasing government intrusion thus forcing people into short range planning. It is hard to plan for changes in the market but it is impossible to plan for changes in the regulations. People can and will plan more rationally in a deregulated economy. By not allowing government to impose the vision of the few on the unwilling many.