The current turmoil in our “American Community” is constantly laid at the feet of Mr. Trump. He, of course, can’t avoid making his own contribution to our dis-ease… it is how he got himself elected. But, we appear to be living out the future long forecasted: that we will destroy ourselves from within, and not be conquered from without. Trump is a symptom of the poor health of our self-government experiment, not the cause.
A list of “major” components of modern American life will, topic by topic, immediately bring to the reader’s mind his or her own ideas – opinions – and perhaps knowledge of what is out of balance, if not dangerously wrong in each arena. See if you agree that the following are the “major” components:
1 K – 12 public education 2 Higher education
3 Religious institutions 4 Religious faith
5 Law enforcement 6 Courts and judges
7 Race relations 8 Legislatures & representation
9 Energy 10 Bureaucracy
11 Politics and campaigns 12 Banks and money
13 Families and children 14 Small business
15 Big business 16 Globalization
17 Taxation and licensing 18 Illegal entrants
19 Welfare 20 Drug abuse
21 Health care 22 Health insurance
23 Transportation 24 Pollution and waste
25 Global climate 26 Internet
27 Television, communications 28 Morality
29 Constitution and law 30 Sexuality
31 Nationalism and patriotism 32 Civil rights
33 Culture 34 Language
35 Science and ethics 36 Computers and Artificial Intelligence
Prudence indicates that everything “major” in terms of the molding, functioning and survival of society can be found among and within these topics. This is not to say that “animal rights” and pesticides are not important, as are diet, obesity and vegetarianism. But with some thought every advocate of almost anything can find his or her prime concern under one of these umbrellas… I think.
The unfortunate reality is that we, all of us, almost automatically, today, turn to our federal government, that thousand-headed Hydra, to take dominion over all of these topics or problems. Simultaneously we turn to lawyers and litigation to restore balance when we feel unfairly treated by… well, anything and anyone. “Freedom and Responsibility” have been replaced by “Comfort and Litigation.” Responsibility for one’s freedom is a lot of work.
What, now, shall we do? Your mind has recalled something about almost all of the listed topics, mostly problems and how you’d “fix” them if you ran the zoo. There aren’t enough electrons to paint an LED screen with the “solutions.” We are in debt to our great-grandchildren, each of us having benefited in some degree from that theft, no matter how succinctly that theft may be apportioned to other groups. We got here by being human and we can get out of the morass by human means, too.
It is a mistake to believe that some perfect candidate for whichever office, is going to correct ANY part of ANY of the topical problem areas following his or her election. It happens occasionally, advertently and inadvertently, but we have humanly caused to develop several systems of elective and appointive governance that are most effective in enriching those so elected and appointed, and least effective at solving true problems or injustices.
The operating logic of the Constitution is that representatives of the people would be the least corruptible locus of federal power. They would be just like the farmers and tradesmen they left behind: suspicious of executive authority (like that from which the “Revolutionary War” had lately freed them) and responsible not only for designing and compromising on the legislation they wanted to have signed by the President, but also for holding the Executive departments in check, with ultimate oversight of their actions.
However, to further check the possible coalitions of emotion or temporary economic conditions, the Founders also included the Senate which members were selected by the several states’ own legislatures to, ostensibly, represent the states’ interests as sovereign states that had relinquished a measured amount of that sovereignty to enable the common defense of them, all. Legislation that got “through” the House of the people’s Representatives, must, Constitutionally, ALSO be passed by the Senate with its own interests addressed, specifically those of their respective states. Legislation had to please a lot of people to finally get to the President’s desk.
Of course, Senators have their own ideas and it is and was from the beginning, rare that a bill originating in either chamber will survive negotiations in the other without important changes. As a result, two committees are formed, in effect: one from the House and one from the Senate, who sit together as a “conference” committee. Their task is to iron out the differences between the two versions of the legislation. If they can, with lots of back and forth with their respective chambers’ leadership, then the compromise “bill” is re-voted by each chamber (dual passage not guaranteed) and, if passed by both, finally sent to the President.
The theory at work was that the “people” would hold a check on their representatives; the Senators would hold a check on the passions of the people’s representatives; the House, and the Senate, sometimes together, would hold a check on a President and his administration. Should work, right?
One of the greatest concerns of the writers of the Constitution and of the Federalist Papers, was the possibility of “faction.” Faction is best translated as “Party,” political party. What part have we, each of us, played in the virtual destruction of our constitutional republic? How much of our decision-making at election times derives from anger towards or fear of, candidates from the wrong “party.” Why has this become the marker for political “involvement?” What has hatred got to do with self-governance? With America?
How did we become subjects of the government “we” formed? How did “we” allow the Departments of War, State, Treasury and Navy, plus an Attorney General, become a consuming, barely recognizable monster of 200, 400, 500 or more Departments and Agencies, Offices and Committees who govern us through regulation, fine, penalty, taxation and threats? How did the nation that took on the world’s greatest empire at the time, turn into a population that can’t be trusted by the government it formed to choose what it eats, drives, takes for vitamins or thinks about faith or life, itself? We are not trusted, even, to think about freedom.