misfitS pOLITICS
We talk. We write. We entertain. Or so we think.
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Several friends on Twitter referred to Braxton McCoy and his book “The Glass Factory” in extremely favorable terms. For the most part, these friends served in the military, unlike me. At my late stage in life, I often regret not at least attempting martial service, but I fully realize that I was overwhelmed by the delusion that I was an athlete. Despite not having served, throughout my lifetime I have attempted to learn about and evaluate large and fundamental questions by absorbing the writings and teachings of military persons throughout history. The literature ranges from historical to personal reflection to fiction to poetry. Each of these genres provide an insight into the human condition under circumstances of what I describe as its rawest crucible. War, genocide, conflict, revolution, post-revolution, and the arenas produced by violence typically strip away platitudes and fantasy leaving the essence of what it means to be a human being. Those referring to Mr. McCoy’s book expressed sentiment that indicated it was a book worthy of the others written about violence, noble or not, and its aftermath.
I ordered The Glass Factory and read it over the course of about three days. The biography stunned me in a good way on several levels. First, as a story, Mr. McCoy tells his own tale with a genuine and purposeful arc. I was genuinely surprised that out of 21 Chapters and an Afterword, McCoy only devotes two chapters to his own service and the incidents that led to his severe injuries. Essentially, after the second chapter of the book he devotes his writing to taking the reader through treatment, his process of recovery, and his status and lessons as of the completion of his book. I do not know the decorum in writing review of literature in terms of revealing the “plot,” but suffice it to say the story itself makes Herculean efforts at honesty, it provides details of both internal and external struggles, and presents advice to the reader in an accessible form buttressed by his real-life struggles and experiences. Another part of the book that surprised me perhaps even more was McCoy’s references to authors and thinkers that influenced me and continue to influence me in terms of my thought process and my view of life. The book pays direct homage to Dr. Jordan Peterson, quotes Alexander Solzhenitsyn, William Tecumseh Sherman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Cormac McCarthy, among others I have read in my journey of learning. I read The Glass Factory and wove these thinkers, with Mr. McCoy leading, throughout the story. I have debated all of them internally time and again, and McCoy’s story added another tapestry within which to consider these great minds. However, his intimate and honest portrayal of his life as a young man after injuries that I cannot even fathom spurred an off-the-cuff reaction in me. After finishing the book, I sent McCoy a tweet praising his book and adding that it reminded me of Charles Portis’ book “True Grit.” He thanked me and his reply indicated he would read True Grit. This brief interaction, however, stuck with me. My comparison between The Glass Factory and True Grit occurred with very little conscious analysis and was delivered rather spontaneously. After the interaction, I genuinely started to think about whether or not the comparison between a beloved book of fiction and a raw and honest testament of a real soldier was fair and accurate. True Grit is one of my favorite books, and a book that I believe should be read by every 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy. The characters of Mattie Ross and Rooster Cogburn are kindred spirits, both operating under their own set of rules (which is perhaps why not one, but two exceedingly good movies were made from the same book). Mattie Ross is an extremely smart, direct, headstrong, religious, committed, brave, and honest young lady. Rooster Cogburn is similarly direct, headstrong, brave, physically injured (he lost an eye in the Civil War), clever, and forceful as a character. However, neither is without flaw. Mattie can be arrogant and suffers from occasional outbursts of hubris. Rooster drinks too much, is not a hundred percent honest, and, as the character admits, “can be a strutting bird.” Most importantly, both Ross and Cogburn fiercely love their independence and self-reliance, and speak with truth, irrespective of anyone else’s opinions. The two main characters reluctantly join forces to find the killer of Mattie Ross’ father. Although initially the two joined the pursuit with different intentions, they eventually meld into the same pursuit of justice. Mattie Ross and Rooster Cogburn also repeatedly express a love for their geographical place. Mattie Ross when introducing herself throughout the book almost universally adds 'from Dardanelle County' (Arkansas), and Rooster Cogburn repeatedly describes the importance of the West (though waning) to his very existence. Ross and Cogburn are both contradictory and complementary characters as written by Portis. Their attributes and flaws give them dimension and allow the reader to admire them when they are suffering through mistakes and struggles, as well as when they are overcoming and triumphing. True Grit is an adventure story, but more importantly, it is a quintessentially American parable on the importance of character in the end and regardless of flaws along the way, speaking truth regardless of discomfort caused by that truth, and pursuing a just cause or worthwhile mission. How did I tie McCoy’s contemporary autobiographical diary to Portis’ fictional adventure story from the waning days of the old West? I reread The Glass Factory, this time in two days. As I reread his testament, I realized my initial expression to McCoy was not glib or off-the-cuff. His obvious love of the Rocky Mountains in the Utah area where he grew up and lives and its importance to his recovery and development parallels both Mattie Ross’ and Rooster Cogburn’s love of their physical “place” on earth. The love expressed in both stories is more than aesthetic. Braxton McCoy, Mattie Ross, and Rooster Cogburn tap into the current of their places in terms of where they are comfortable, challenged, and revived. This love of place is in no way trivial and is not limited to the United States in terms of its impact, but the literature of the United States more typically emphasizes the tie between who the character is and where the character finds their place. In contrast, as an example, Russian literature generally first focuses on the psychology and emotions of the characters. The place of the character is more of a vehicle or stage in which to act out the psychology and emotions. However, in rereading The Glass Factory, the blend of the characteristics of Ross, Cogburn, and McCoy’s experiences became mutually supporting. McCoy’s near obsession with honesty, both as a goal of the book itself and as a recommendation for living one’s life as a result of his experiences, is also reflected in the characters of Ross and Cogburn. Although Rooster may spin a yarn or fudge his expenses, he, like Mattie Ross, speaks the truth to others with a frankness that is both refreshing and occasionally harsh. Throughout McCoy’s testament, he expresses an appreciation of those who speak the truth to him and seeks to emulate their frankness. Obviously, this forms part of the basis of his conclusions of what can be learned from his experiences, laden with pain and suffering. Another similarity that emerges is the concept of “mission.” McCoy developed a mission through his recovery, influenced by his experience at Arlington Cemetery, his reading, and, although I do not believe he would express this himself, his will. He emphasizes the need to develop and pursue worthwhile missions, to sacrifice for your family and strangers alike. Cogburn and Ross, in pursuit of the murderer of Ross’ father, develop a mission that is worthwhile in a similar vein, and similarly pursue that mission through their own will. Ross seeks absolute justice for a wanton killing of a good man. Cogburn, although initially influenced by the reward, in the end risks much and acts with sheer bravery in pursuit of that same justice. At the end of The Glass Factory, McCoy disavows his previous hedonistic pursuits in favor of seeking and achieving a similar worthy, personal mission. In True Grit, although Mattie Ross represents the antithesis of hedonism, Rooster Cogburn puts down his bottle to both finish the mission and save Mattie Ross. Another interesting parallel between McCoy’s reality of and the fiction of True Grit emerges in the realm of physical injury and pain. As noted above, Rooster Cogburn was wounded in the Civil War resulting in the loss of his eye and his iconic eyepatch. At the end of True Grit, Mattie Ross is permanently injured as a result of her participation in the mission. Both she and Rooster Cogburn literally carry the pain and the obvious injuries of their lives, but that pain and injury does not stop them or deter them from pursuing further missions in life, and the essence of who they are. Although McCoy’s injuries, both physical and mental, are far more extensive than those suffered by the fictional characters, part of his story is the acceptance of pain and suffering, and continuing to move forward on a worthwhile mission. Finally, acceptance of responsibility for one’s own lot in life emerges in both The Glass Factory and True Grit. This acceptance of responsibility is not, in either case, ignoring that people suffer as a result of events beyond their control. Throughout True Grit, there are examples of errors, accidents, and just dumb luck that harm the characters or frustrate their pursuit. Blame may find its way into the dialogue of True Grit, in frankness as one would expect, in conjunction with these experiences. However, no character shirks or dismisses personal responsibility for either finding their way into the mess or figuring a way out of dangerous or bad circumstances. Mr. McCoy’s development through his autobiography and the examples he provides from his real life efforts, emphasizes this exact same theme, and the benefits of acceptance of personal responsibility. There are other parallels, complements, and lessons that line up between McCoy’s frankly amazing guided tour of his real-life experiences, struggles, and triumphs and the story of True Grit (I know and admit that I have ignored the Texas Ranger LeBeouf, and swear it is not a result of the acting performance of Glen Campbell in the first movie, but rather a conscious effort to limit length.). Mattie Ross in seeking out a man to pursue justice for her father requires one characteristic, “a man with grit.” I suspect Charles Portis wrote her character to actually mean ‘a man with grit like me.’ Grit is where the most prominent overlap occurs between True Grit and The Glass Factory. His life story from his horrible injuries in Iraq (and I believe before that seminal event) to his tripartite recovery at the end of his book is inundated with grit. That grit is found in himself, his comrades in arms, his grandfather and family, and, most touchingly, in the young lady from his hometown who took care of his property when he went to the hospital. In American parlance, the attributes of mission, sacrifice for others, physical and mental health, bravery, honesty with self and others, self-reliance and independence, acceptance of personal responsibility, and pure human will vetted and expressed by Mr. McCoy can, I believe, be subsumed within the meaning of the word “grit.” When modified with the adjective “true,” the story of Mr. McCoy’s actual experiences and the story of Charles Portis combine into an experience of both American origin and universal application. Why did I feel I needed to write this probably too long explanation of a comment to an author and too short literary analysis? I think of myself as a proselytizer for great stories and literature. I realize the tie between The Glass Factory and True Grit that I expressed to Mr. McCoy was not only an effort to praise his affidavit, but to promote another great story that, although fiction, lives in the same realm of his experiences. If you get a chance, when your child is on the precipice of puberty, give them True Grit to read. Then, when they are a little older but still going through the turbulence of being a teenager, give them The Glass Factory to read. There are lessons and comfort in both of the stories for a lifetime.
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As some of you know from a Twitter thread and related article I wrote about Greta Thunberg, I have a son on the autism spectrum (in his case, commonly labeled Asperger’s Syndrome). Asperger’s Syndrome is nicknamed the ‘Little Professor' syndrome because many of those with it become hyper focused, and even expert, often in extremely narrow and sometimes esoteric fields of interest, and often at a very young age relative to others in those same fields. As I wrote before, there is no one behavior or affectation that marks a person with Asperger’s Syndrome, but there are certainly commonalities for those who wade through life with Asperger’s Syndrome. Although this topic is never out of my mind because of my son, I have not had a moment until recently to digest the impact of the last year and half on my son (and I assume other autism spectrum individuals).
In the spring of 2020 a plan was in place to further help my son develop into a responsible, more social, independent adult. He had employment ready upon graduation and there were classes at the local community college that would further enhance his technical skill sets in his trade. If he locks on to his trade as a ‘Little Professor,’ we would have much relief that he will be valuable and valued in the marketplace when we are gone. The initial impact of the COVID shutdown on my son was a threefold hammer. My son lost a real graduation from high school and lost his genuinely meaningful employment opportunity. The loss of the graduation is not unique to my son, nor is the loss of the meaningful employment opportunity. There are many stories of high school students losing these same opportunities. He went to numerous graduation ceremonies for his brothers and sister and cousins, and this lost opportunity will likely be his one graduation opportunity for them to attend and celebrate. The loss of his employment opportunity had a longer-term impact in that the job provided skilled training in its performance, and an opportunity for additional socialization. The irony of the COVID shutdown in terms of those with Asperger’s Syndrome is that social isolation is easy for most. One of the indicators of a toddler potentially having Asperger’s Syndrome is difficulty with social situations that are instinctive for other children. The inability or muted ability to recognize instinctive social situations typically isolates autism spectrum children from other children in social settings. The COVID shutdown on one hand was extremely easy for my son to handle as it promoted his generally preferred state, but did nothing to help him confront, practice, and improve his social skills. The loss of employment also represented a loss of opportunity for him to practice and improve learned social skills in an adult environment. Further, the COVID shutdown resulted in the cancellation of the community college classes. One cannot learn the skilled trades remotely. I believe it is worth reminding people, especially degreed people, that precision, skills, and craftsmanship must be learned, practiced, and improved through tactile learning. Shutting down this type of training meant that no training could occur at all. In actuality, the shutdowns paused my son’s development but did not pause time, resulting in further delay in his independence. So, for a year plus, my son remained static through no choice of his own, both socially and in terms of work. Much has been written about the effects of shutdowns on school age children and college students. Less has been written about the effects of shutdowns on students transitioning from education to the workplace. Even less than that has been written about the effects of shutdowns on autism spectrum students transitioning from school to the work world, both in terms of skills and independence and of socialization. I can only imagine the difficulties of autism spectrum students in terms of remote learning and wearing face masks. Autism spectrum children have to learn what facial expressions mean in order to glean the social context of communication. The mask makes this learning process extremely difficult. It is akin to socially attempting to read someone’s lips as a deaf person when the speaker is wearing a mask. I have not seen very much commentary on the effects of shutdowns on autism spectrum students and young adults, to my surprise and distaste. Autism Speaks and the National Autistic Society are loudest when fundraising, and quiescent when it comes to what seems to be a serious challenge to those for whom they say they represent. However, my focus is not on the impact of those in school. The transition from a school environment (which is generally supportive) to an environment where results of production and social interactions are the only scorecard entries is often overlooked and is not a focus of the education establishment. After a year, my son attempted a job more akin to his skill set, but in an environment that was not conducive to his Asperger’s Syndrome. He was dismissed, rightfully, and he handled his dismissal extremely well in terms of understanding the reasons for it. It was a learning experience but was not the learning experience we hoped for him. He obtained and is currently working at a job that he likes but is not necessarily improving his trade skills. These events and results were concerning, but as I put it together, were not so pointedly impactful. However, one small event hit me especially hard and brought into focus the true impact of lockdowns. My son’s savings account is attached to my online account. This was originally done when he was younger, and there did not seem to be any reason to change this so that I can help him manage his finances. I glanced at his account the other day and saw a purchase that brought home the worst impact of these shutdowns on those higher functioning residents of the autism spectrum. My son purchased a single ice cream cone after work. The thought of a purchase of something that is a treat typically experienced among friends, purchased for himself by a young man I love because he does not have friends, is crushing. The friendships he was starting to develop after graduation from high school dissipated because of the shutdown. The social relationships he was developing at the job he was set to take after graduation dissipated with the loss of that opportunity. Despite the social support of our family, my Asperger’s son is further on an island of social isolation now than a year and a half ago. He celebrated something that pleased him or made a spontaneous decision for a treat by himself (I did not ask him about the circumstances), and that image actually brought a lump to my throat for the first time in about thirty years. I so much want him to develop interests and friends (not a ton of friends, just a core group) and so far I have failed. Lockdowns eviscerated the progress that seemed to be occurring, and the purchase of a single ice cream cone brought, like a concussion, the “starting over” with him home in concrete form. Parents of offspring on the Autism spectrum experience these moments often, I believe. The events generate simultaneous feelings of “I love that he purchased a treat for himself, with his own earned money” and profound sadness that it was not with peers. We will start again, with more hope and grit than Sisyphus. But if these repeated shutdowns continue, I cannot help but worry that millions of young adults and children on the spectrum will become locked in to single ice cream purchases for their lifetimes.
A favorite gif is one of a burning dumpster being carried down the street in a flood. This particular gif captures a situation where there is not only a dumpster fire, but also a flood and the two are synchronized in perfect harmony of a disaster. The new year in no way resulted in receding waters or a quenched dumpster fire. 2021 begins with two questions whose answers provide fodder in what appears to be a worsening US domestic relationship. What has the United States lost, and what is it losing? One’s answer to this question in this day and age appears to depend on the values of the answerer, rather than a series of shared values generating a mostly unified response. A time existed when the variation in answer to those questions would have been much narrower than in 2021. The truth of this pronouncement indicates a new phenomenon (not counting the Civil War) in the political world of the United States, a deep divide in the populace. The metaphor of a “thin line” existing that holds reality together is becoming more and more germane. Is there a way to strengthen the thin line while recognizing and accepting the deep divide in the populace based on politics? A possible solution exists that allows greater participation, greater control over one’s life, and reduction of extremism, all while preserving nationhood. There are many details and levels of proof available for evaluation of the humble recommendation to consider, but your humble correspondent has to work for a living and others are welcome to fill in details, raise questions, and debate the finer points. This is essentially an attempt to compel people regardless of their political beliefs to evaluate an alternative system with the best chance of success to preserve the thin red white and blue line of the “United” States.
Chasm Based on this actual and increasing divide, and frankly the promotion of this divide by much of the media and “Political Class,” Jesse Kelly raised and continues to raise the advantage or necessity of a “national divorce.” The arguments for a national divorce continue to strengthen based on real, confrontational, and emotional events. The more the country falls into two very distinct and increasingly mutually exclusive political camps, the more the divorce route becomes inevitable. Regardless of shorthand labels like Democrats and Republicans, the two camps are essentially the Left, supporters of a dominating State (“Statists”), and Individualists, whose desired environment is minimal State involvement. Frankly, the two camps are mutually exclusive, and cannot exist under the same roof. (“Centrists” cannot exist for long in this world, as explained below.) The current situation is untenable for a myriad of reasons, the first and foremost of which applies regardless of camp. The most dangerous political element, in terms of violence and destruction and horrors of the past, is frustration. When the Statist camp finds its political goals stifled by courts that preserve individualism, frustration increases without realistic outlet, which justifies more extreme conduct. When Individualists find their lives interfered with to greater and greater levels by the State without escape, frustration increases without realistic outlet, which justifies more extreme conduct. The frustration arises when there is no safety valve, or when people, regardless of where they fall in these camps, believe that they have no control over the circumstances of their lives and no escape in a political context. Two Camps A lone potential solution exists to the current climate short of an actual divorce. However, before presenting the solution, the “irreconcilable differences” need some macro enumeration. The chasm between Statists and Individualists essentially comes down to the most important political value held by each camp. For Statists, the highest value is the State, valued over everything else including themselves as individuals. Eric Hoffer’s book “The True Believer” very aptly describes this phenomenon, regardless of politics or the political spectrum. In the case of the Statist camp, the State is their life focus, and if not the focus, the protector-savior. In this country, the Left carries the mantle of the Statist. As the Statists in the US are from the Left, the value of the State, however, is extremely situational. If the State exercises its power and dominance promoting Left ideals, it is Nirvana. The value of the State is so great when Left oriented, the Left ignores the abjectly horrible results of historical, powerful Left states. If the State is not promoting Left ideals, it is anathema until it becomes Left oriented again. On the other side of the chasm are those that hold the individual as the sovereign unit in life. This Individualist camp is composed of those who generally want to be left alone to order their lives themselves without interference or compulsion by the State. The Individualists seek only the minimum amount of government necessary and view individual autonomy as vital not only to their own personal happiness, but to the success of the nation. The Individualists may have differences in terms of certain issues like law and order or willingness to use military intervention abroad, but by and large this camp is focused on individual liberty and a suspicion of the State and a cynicism towards its efficacy. (Although one recognizes the irony that the Left in its late-infancy in this country could have been described as suspicious of the State and promoters of individual liberty, but one also has to recognize the tectonic shift that occurred in the last 30 years in terms of the Left’s belief in Statism.) The description of the second camp as the Individualist camp is intentional. The term “Right” is not generally appropriate in an American context because the Right is actually statistically insignificant in this country in terms of truly “Right” people. The understanding of the “Right” as being the opposite of the Left is really a European concept, and the real Right denotes concepts of privilege by birth, titles, and rights by “blood.” The Right in the US consists of an extremely small number of Statists who ludicrously believe the State should exercise power, but only in favor of their particular race or class. Thankfully there are very few of these people, and the insanity of their position really only places them in a position of attempting to exacerbate the existing chasm between Statists and Individualists. Also, creating two camps raises the question: Are there Centrists anymore? I am certain that there are some Centrists that exist, and likely more that believe they are Centrists. However, the problem with the “middle” is that it is not a fixed point, but a shifting point on a spectrum. This shifting point is especially true in the face of the dialectics of history pursued and worshiped by the Left. The center cannot hold when pushed by history. The center is often the source of Solzhenitsyn’s “rabbits,” ground up when the center fails to hold. However, the solution short of a divorce actually strengthens the possibility of a center that holds. Failing Structure Assuming reasonable readers can accept that there is, at a minimum, a serious divide and that the two camps in this divided country roughly reflect Statists and Individualists, there are at least a few structural aspects of the United States in 2021 that exacerbate not just the depth of the division, but the radicalism or extremism of the divide between the two camps. Again, the greatest promoter of actual violent results, regardless of camp, is frustration. The dominance of the federal government does nothing but create greater and greater frustration and greater and greater extremism. Ironically, the dominance of the large federal government adversely affects Statists virtually as much as Individualists, especially as the Statists in the United States come from the Left. Two hypothetical illustrations: First, the United States Supreme Court strikes down a California restriction on firearms as being unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Second, Congress passes and Biden signs into law a national minimum wage of $15 per hour. Both of these federal actions apply to the entire nation, and both result in one camp or the other being frustrated because, other than the lengthy and often temporary process of winning national elections, there is no redress for either. Also related to the structure is the size and reach of the federal government. Since the 1960s, largely as a result of the Warren and Burger Courts, the supremacy of the federal government has expanded exponentially. (I will not address the constitutionality of those decisions in this essay.) At the same time, the population of the United States now exceeds 330 million people. The result of this equation is more people in both camps are governed proportionally by fewer people. Lobbying, a byproduct of an intentional feature of the federal government system, is concentrated in the DC City-State, and the results of lobbying are more expansive when occurring at the federal level as the federal government holds the lion’s share of the power to grant special privileges or to implement punitive plans. Accountability of politicians is also reduced by the distance both geographically and informationally between the DC City-State and the rest of the country. There is a big difference when you can drive down the street to raise an issue with your representative versus not even knowing where your representative lives, let alone an executive level politician. In addition, with the expansion of the power base of the federal government, an entrenched expansion of bureaucratic interests emerged. A large, entrenched, and shockingly powerful Mandarin class of vested bureaucrats now exists both in the DC City-State, and in significant federal enclaves throughout the country. For the Statists, this development is either positive or negative depending on the intent of the Mandarins. For the Individualists, these Mandarins are problematic when they become, as is historically the case, arbitrary and all-encompassing. The Statists on the Left quickly forget J. Edgar Hoover, and the Individualists fail to recognize the Federal Reserve system. One does not have to research far in the last four years to find examples of the dominance of the Mandarins at the federal level, now that we survived the end of net neutrality. The proposed remedy does not eliminate the issue of the Mandarin class, but does reduce and diversify it to allow both Statists and Individualists to evaluate the size and scope of a bureaucratic layer more directly and reasonably. Frustration, which everyone has experienced with the bureaucrat, has an outlet for greater change under the proposed solution. Finally, the “far away” and powerful federal government promotes blame and anger towards individuals or groups with whom citizens have no contact. “This country is a mess because of Nancy Pelosi.” “This country is a mess because of Rand Paul.” Each of the statements are made by people who have never been to California or Kentucky and have no real connection to either. The speakers have no effective way of knowing either of these people with any detail, turning them into caricatures. At the same time, such far-flung individuals, actually or as a result of perception, cannot practically rid themselves of these distant rulers’ “unwanted” influence. This example is a gentle introduction to another dangerous element that seems increasingly prevalent: Alienation. Like frustration, alienation leads to extreme behavior. In the case of alienation, the behavior may not be external, but emerges as a sense of nonparticipation because “no matter what I do, it will not make a difference.” The reactions from both the Statists and Individualists to the 2016 and 2020 elections more than demonstrates that frustration and alienation are alive and well in contributing to this chasm. Nothing good can happen if the current structure of the United States and current divide continue to feed and foster frustration and alienation. Solution A solution worth thought and consideration exists. The irony is that the solution once existed in this country, and with one asinine exception, allowed this country to thrive. The solution is real, genuine Federalism. What is genuine Federalism? At its essence, genuine Federalism addresses issues at the most appropriate level of governance while recognizing the various states’ sovereignty and, more importantly, the regional variations in cultural, economic, and social norms and preferences. Genuine Federalism acknowledges that state governments carry the vast bulk of political decision-making, while reserving to the federal government only actual national issues. Real Federalism also permits Thomas Jefferson’s vision to emerge. Jefferson envisioned the states as mostly autonomous political realms where experimentation in policy and implementation occurred, the results of which are obvious, and capable of duplication as well as rejection. The 2021 United States is so overlaid with federal involvement that the ability to experiment and to observe untainted results is virtually suffocated. Examples exist, again, on both sides of the Statist versus Individualist divide. Kansas attempted to roll back government involvement at the state level in people’s lives in line with the belief that individualism promotes prosperity. However, the levels of federal taxation and regulation arguably squelched genuine results from this experiment because federal intervention is not tailored to the unique circumstances in Kansas. On the other side, Obamacare at first blush appears to fit within the Statist model. However, with the imposition of Obamacare, one payer healthcare financing lost steam. Under genuine Federalism, Statists could more easily elect people to implement a one payer system at a state level, the success of which would manifest itself in the results. As the federal aspect of genuine Federalism is the smaller realm, it is easier to begin listing areas of federal governance. From a genuine Federalism perspective, the federal government’s responsibilities fall into a few, limited categories. First is national defense and foreign relations. The federal government is accurately and Constitutionally suited to address the relationship between the United States and all other nations. This includes the diplomatic corps, national defense, border control and citizenship status, foreign intelligence, and foreign counterintelligence. Second, the federal government is responsible for ensuring under the Commerce Clause that no state discriminates against the citizens of another state in terms of economic treatment. Wisconsin can lower its drinking age to 18 years old as long as a citizen of Illinois who is 18 years old can legally drink in Wisconsin. This intra-state consistency also applies to taxation, regulation, and legal status. Third, the federal government would still be tasked with jurisdiction over national financial markets like stock and commodity exchanges, preserving a single currency, investigating political corruption at all levels, and ensuring equal voting access and integrity at all levels, as well as few other specifically enumerated powers of the federal government. Using a rough estimation, the federal government would be responsible for approximately 10% of its current sphere of governance and influence. There may be other items that are arguably appropriate federally, but this list is fairly comprehensive. The individual states would under genuine Federalism determine all of the rest of political decision-making. Statists and Individualists would be closer, more directly affected, and more directly influential in decisions affecting them if these smaller units were where most of the items in the political arena are determined. This also allows for Jefferson’s vision to take hold and succeed. Most importantly, genuine Federalism eases frustration and alienation because of one central, nonpolitical feature. Under a real Federalism system, citizens can more easily vote with their feet (or in this day and age, moving vans). Currently, if Statists or Individualists are angry, displeased, frustrated, alienated, or otherwise just plain pissed off by the laws that they either live under or lack of laws they wish to live under, their choice is either the more removed, grinding, and divisive process of changing political governance in D.C. or leave the country. With actual Federalism, US citizens could move, certainly more easily than to another country, to a state that more accurately reflects their values. There seems to be nothing more democratic than voting with one’s feet. Vast resources spent on lobbying the DC City-State could be spent on assisting people to move to the jurisdiction of their choice. Statists could raise money to move people who wish to move to a State with a more extensive government. Individualists could raise money for the opposite purpose. This relief valve from frustration and alienation is only heightened under a system where each state is free to experiment on policy without interference from un-tailored, heavy, and unwieldy federal interference. People move from state to state today, but the impact is mitigated by the weighted blanket of federal dominance, and clear choices are muted because you cannot escape the federal overlay interference. A very straightforward and obvious example of the strength of genuine Federalism for both Statists and Individualists is the minimum wage. Imposing a national minimum wage is simply asinine. A $15 minimum wage in Manhattan objectively does not have the same impact as a $15 minimum wage in Laramie. Allowing each state to determine a minimum wage, if any, permits the experiment to happen. People have the option of moving their capital and resources to the location that makes the most sense to them with the results for the rest of the citizens to observe. This freedom of choice applies to financial and social issues equally. States can determine the status of abortion, discrimination, marriage, and a whole cadre of issues important to Statists and Individualists, with the ability to genuinely affect the policies either through having one’s vote count to a greater degree or the ability to vote with one’s feet. Genuine Federalism allows both Statists and Individualists greater control and access to their desired manners and means of ordering their lives, while minimizing frustration and alienation by allowing movement without the almost impossible task for most people of leaving the US. In some ways, implementation of actual Federalism would be easy, but there are also complicated aspects. Genuine Federalism requires not only the reduction of the size and scope of the federal government, but a commensurate reduction in federal taxes. There would also need to most likely be an allocation of Social Security contributions and benefits proportionally among the States. These implementations are not an easy pill to swallow, but well worth it to avoid divorce and a groundswell of frustration and alienation. There are many details, many benefits, and many considerations involved with real Federalism, and if real Federalism finds its way on the main stage, more details can be added to the above outline both in terms of causes and effects. Will actual Federalism create a healthier, more successful political environment for the US? The answer may depend on whether you sit in the Statist camp or the Individualist camp. The Statist camp is, by its very nature, expansionist and parasitic. The Statist camp may not survive in a system where people have greater choice to either live under its tenets or not (no Left regime survives long with open borders). However, if Statism works well, the real Federalist system gives the Statists an opportunity to prove their worth. Similarly, Individualists have the opportunity to demonstrate that they are willing and able to live with little to no government safety net involvement in their lives. Again, the proof will be in the pudding. Finally, these types of choices allow Centrists to survive because there is an opportunity to move to locations where the center point either does not move or moves less. Actual Federalism creates circumstances where frustration is mitigated, alienation is reduced, and the political choices become less about national domination, and more about regional experimentation. If the US is not already at the point of irreconcilable differences, real Federalism is an opportunity to bring down the emotion and allows natural schisms to play out through results. Otherwise, the entire nation will continue to bend back and forth like a piece of metal between federal election cycles, and like metal, with each bend it will become more and more brittle until it breaks. |
MisfitsJust a gaggle of people from all over who have similar interests and loud opinions mixed with a dose of humor. We met on Twitter. Archives
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