Hurtled into a seemingly endless culture war, our national values seem to be constantly in peril. Five years ago yesterday a calamity befell our global society; unfortunately the potentially unifying moment did seemingly nothing to abate partisan bickering; Americans across the nation continue to have to stretch every earned dollar even more and witness the former world order, which the United States played no small role in determining, being torn asunder.
In the midst of the maelstrom, this week the Trump administration celebrated “50 wins in 50 days.” Touting dozens of accomplishments within a relatively short timeframe is of course in keeping with the personality of the particularly mercurial figure who once again occupies the Oval Office. But it also harkens back to his second inaugural speech in which he declared a Golden Era:
From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world…
Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced…
And our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous, and free…
A tide of change is sweeping the country, sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.
But first, we must be honest about the challenges we face…
Upon entering office, this administration stated very ambitious goals — Make America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again, Make America Safe Again and Drain the Swamp and Bring Back American Values. Lofty goals for any president. And worthy of very high praise, if they were achieved for all of America.
Poll after poll leading up to the November 2024 election showed the economy and inflation were voters’ top concern. However recent news reports up until this morning inform us the White House will not rule out a recession, inflation has not been curbed despite "‘drill, baby drill’ being very much en vogue and consumer prices likely will continue to climb as Trump doubles down on tariffs placed on China, Canada, Mexico and European nations.
Immediately upon Trump taking the oath of office, immigration took center stage side-by-side with DEI. Since then, illegal immigrant arrests have been showcased on TV and any form of ‘woke’ and government derived inclusionary measures were summarily eliminated. Massive government layoffs are underway, some attributed to DEI and others to supposedly reduce federal government spending in an objectively haphazard and seemingly incompetent manner. The Department of Education is about to be gutted, Veterans Affairs may be crippled and each federal agency can “hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart.”
And as we all brace for the wrecking ball to swing again, the last objective Trump stated remains firm in my mind - Bring Back American Values. This administration looks fondly back at the Gilded Age, the period after the bloodiest and most divisive war in American history, as a moment to emulate. That era witnessed the Reconstruction to build a more perfect Union fade into darkness and unbridled economic growth bequeath staggering levels of corruption. That more perfect Union is more than an ideal; its arguably the essence of America’s foundational framework:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Some may be tempted to say Trump (and his favorite billionaire Musk) are disrupting convention to achieve new levels of prosperity, but innovation and free enterprise have always been welcomed American values. Increasing economic opportunities and freedom for all Americans remains core to America’s purpose but never at the expense of checks and balances and in worship of false gods — the stock market and faux royalty full of the ultra wealthy and celebrities.
More than three decades ago, President Reagan delivered his farewell address in 1989 and spoke of the city on the hill all Americans have dreamt at least once in their lives:
I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.
That dream is rooted in the Constitution and I firmly believe can only be achieved if American values remain present in our national conversation.
Regular posts to follow. And until then, may the light of liberty shine in all of us.