An American Hangover

Mornings have begun to bear an uncomfortable resemblance to having partied too hard the night before. Stumbling towards our morning coffee, we wake to a flurry of new governmental actions and directives. We are left scratching our heads, minus the aspirin, in a puzzled effort to apply a working logic to the framework of it all. It is easier to apply an emotional measure to the headliners and, with minimal effort, find shifting sands of common ground. Americans are equally frustrated when seeking help from most bureaucratic agencies. Endless hours of “on hold music” are bound to drive even the most patient person over the proverbial edge.  Yes, all Americans want their hard-earned tax dollars better utilized on all levels, and we are in agreement that more dollars must be directed at solutions to “home- issues”. An equalizing agenda that shifted an entire country’s election base.

However, we are observing actions that do not relate to potential corresponding solutions. Jobs “at home” are being slashed, literally by the day. Unemployment in both the public and private sectors is rising. Inflation is skyrocketing. The outrageous price of eggs is directly related to American restaurant franchises raising prices. Sundays’ classic after-church family breakfast just became – unaffordable. Average American budgets are unable to sustain these staggering increases under current wage scales. The next domino falling in the economic game is the imminent reality of continued, rising unemployment, which pushes the next domino of bankruptcies, repossessions, and – yes- homelessness. Where is our “greatness” as an American people if we are hungry and homeless? Our cities already mirror degradation levels previously seen only in 3^rd world countries.

Project 2025 and Trump’s own Agenda 47 are strategy outlines for a vaunted plan to re-build and put “America first”. Finally, hard-working Americans felt “heard”. Perhaps, we The People should have queried for a clarification of both methodologies and terminology definitions. Is America its people or its corporations?

A History of Promises and Reality Checks

America’s history of presidential campaigns is littered with broken promises. We are habitualized to expect it. Ironically, Donald Trump stands apart—not for making false promises, but for keeping his. The administration is scrambling under Elon Musk’s directives that support the rapid implementation of his vision, and we are, as a country, dumbfounded by this unexpected and sharp reality.

Trump’s first presidency peeled back the layers of America’s systemic dysfunction, exposing deep flaws in governance systems and social structures. We were forced to “wake up” and acknowledge the fragility of systems Americans once believed were unshakable. Then, we went to sleep again.

Project 2025 may be more than a radical, political agenda—it may, by action, be a coordinated re-assignment of the American version of “democracy”. A 250-year-old constitutional vision directing our country is being unmasked as a fractured model and potentially failed experiment. While this is nothing new in the history of countries, the process of facing our issues hurts. Governance systems are, simply put, differing versions of philosophical experiments in action. Communism vs socialism vs democracy vs fascism vs capitalism vs aristocracy vs autocracy. The list goes on. Humans are an inventive lot. However, as citizens of a country, we are obligated to either submit to our failures or, rise proactively to correct them.  Citizenship carries the responsibility of a country’s future.

A System in Freefall

Congress and the Senate, long assumed as guardians of our American democracy, have become little more than political placeholders. Their inability to act decisively has been magnified by the installation of self-serving individuals. Hostages of personal secrets, they are hampered from making neutral decisions. A public signalling of their ineffectiveness and susceptibility to external pressures. Servants truly bought and paid for. Civil? Not so much.

Trump’s return to power has initiated a wave of political acquiescence as government employees and politicians scramble to secure any place in this rapidly changing political landscape. Accountability has taken a new direction with an altered definition.

Our judiciary systems remain broken. Battered memories of justice rendered ineffectual by the pandemic.  Further, the woke declaration of diversity, equity, and inclusion deteriorated into an environment where people are afraid to engage in open dialogue for fear of “cancelling” repercussions. In touting equality, we engaged in the division of communities. There was no pivot to justice, only a reassignment of villains.

A Nation Divided—And Un-Accountable

Facing the current chaos and above personal emotions, we must acknowledge that Trump is, in fact, fulfilling his campaign commitments. The uncomfortable reality is that a fractured, misinformed, and deeply divided America made this possible. If there is a monster, we created it. The unprecedented Red Wave of the 2024 election was the gut response of a disillusioned populace seeking radical change. There was little thought for the consequences of our actions. We only wanted “change”.  The parallels to Brexit are undeniable: a nation voting for an outcome it did not fully understand, only to awaken to the stark reality of its decision. The surprise of promises being kept.

As key components of the federal government are dismantled, we remain equally immobilized by apathy and a victim mentality that permeates our entire society. In abdicating our responsibility as citizens, we have only ourselves to blame.

Biden’s Role in the Downfall

The Biden administration, rather than acting as a bulwark against accumulating levels of crisis, only deepened the divides. We revelled in the renewed mirage of our democracy while deliberately ignoring the visual facts of homeless tents and garbage piled in the streets.  Broken promises for student loan forgiveness, economic relief, and legitimate reform evaporated, leaving Americans in a state of suspended hope with a dream of security that was never realized.  We abdicated our responsibilities to a political DreamMaster and accepted our role as social victims.

The Crossroads of a Nation

Today, America stands at a precipice. A country torn between hope and fear. We hope it will get better. We fear for our jobs, homes, and families. We hope “America becomes great again.” We fear what that entails. We hope for peace. We fear for war. In classic terms, it is the “best of times, it is the worst of times”. We write our history every day, in every personal decision. Choices we make determine the trajectory of our nation’s future and that of the extended world. We are each and every one responsible.

As political and economic events unfold in continued chaos, one thing stands very clear. The American people must actively participate in directing their country’s future or passively submit to a new world order. The time for apathy is over. The moment is now.

Footnote:

Project 2025, previously titled the “2025 Presidential Transition Project”, is a conservative directive of The Heritage Foundation to restructure the U.S. federal government. Officially launched in 2022, its ideological concepts trace back to both the Nixon and Reagan administrations with ultra-conservative policymakers aiming to institutionalize long-term policy shifts via strategic personnel placement and re-framing of governance policies.

Established in 1973, The Heritage Foundation has historically played a determining role in directing conservative public policies. In 1980, it published its “Mandate for Leadership,” providing policy directives to the Reagan administration. Several recommendations were adopted, setting precedents for subsequent Republican presidents. Project 2025 is the 9th version. It expands beyond recommendations to a clear strategy for staffing executive branches with appointees aligned with the administration’s objectives to consolidate presidential power as an interpretation of the Unitary Executive Theory.

It outlines restructuring federal agencies and replacing career civil servants with political appointees and proposes significant reductions in the scope of agencies such as the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Additionally, it suggests the elimination of the Department of Education and the reorganization of the Department of Homeland Security. It advocates revising economic policies, rolling back environmental regulations, and modifying the federal approach to issues, including reproductive rights, healthcare, and diversity programs. The project supports an expanded role for the executive branch in re-shaping frameworks related to law enforcement, immigration, and scientific research funding. Measures regarded as necessary recalibrations for an overly bureaucratic government. Critics argue that UET strategies undermine constitutional checks and balances.