Over
the last decade, I have often written pieces that deal with the change in
generational, cultural, and societal morals, ethics, and values. There is little question that a large part of
my…let us say confusion…with the
evolution of our nation has been trending upward in sync with my age; these two
things are likely not unrelated. Just as
my parents and their parents before them were puzzled and somewhat resistant to
change, so too am I. Old habits are
simply hard to break and we all seek a comfort zone in our life’s
environment. That zone is largely based
on our personal beliefs and opinions and more or less establishes a model that
guides our lifestyle and values. I oftentimes wonder…How many people out there see the world as I do?
The
first confirmed American case of covid-19 was in the state of Washington on
January 20, 2020. In December of 2020,
the first covid vaccines became available to the public on an emergency use
authorization basis. May 11, 2023 marked
the end of the Federal Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration. This historically significant period of time
included the transition of the White House from Republican Donald Trump over to
Democrat Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.
Any person who lived during this episode in American history, having the
ability to experience and remember, will always recall the profound impact this
sweeping pandemic had on the United States, its people, and its
government. I have three distinct
recollections of the event.
First
there is the raw and tragic loss of innocent life as a result of covid. It seemed to indiscriminately and somewhat
arbitrarily seek out those among us who had inherent physical/biological
weaknesses and then maliciously stole their lives; leaving behind a trail of tears
and sorrow. Apart from this
personal loss, America’s citizenry voluntarily
ceded a large portion of their fundamental and legitimate freedom and liberty
to state and federal control under the auspices of public health concerns. Time has revealed to us that not all of these
concerns were factually-based, entirely noble in intent, and the efficacy of
their overall imposition was questionable.
Our governments, both state and federal, mandated many restrictions upon
the governed that have since been revealed to have been arbitrary,
contradictory, and little more than opportunistic power grabs by overzealous
bureaucrats. Oh…and one other
thing. The already exorbitant federal
spending by our elected officials was kicked into warp-speed overdrive to the
point where they were literally throwing money away like drunken sailors. There are some good references to this
feckless covid spending at the end of this piece: https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2026/01/venezuela-greenland-and.html
.
The
three unhealed scars…eternal sorrow of loss, unbridled abuse of authority by
those in power, and spendthrift lunacy by Congress and the Executive
Branch…have, to a significant degree, remained woven into the fabric of our
country even after the terrible scourge is considered passé. There are still millions…or quite possibly billions…of federal covid relief dollars still
sloshing around in our economy. Look
around you and note how many people are still
working from home in a largely ineffective and inefficient manner? Can anyone deny the withdrawal pains…both
real and imagined…many are experiencing from the cessation of covid relief payments?
Before
covid, America was predictably going about its business in an unpredictable
fashion…as it had for generations and decades before. Change is eternal, evolution is undeniable,
and nothing in America ever stays the same.
This is the normal chaos that is part and parcel of our democratic form
of government and society. But the
post-covid span of time that we are now enduring has clearly retained remnants
of those three elements previously mentioned.
Somehow …some way…the unwritten rules that were generally accepted
pre-covid were lost in the transition to post-covid. And now, in a very large and very real sense,
we as a nation are trying to come to terms with a new set of…as yet
undetermined…unwritten rules.
Many
of those select few who were presented greatly increased autocratic authorities
have fought tooth and nail to maintain possession of those powers. Having lost their understanding and
consciousness of federal debt, responsible federal spending, and the significance
of zeros in the definition of monetary amounts…elected officials from both
national parties show no desire whatsoever to return to the days when at least
there was some semblance of concern over spending multiple times the amount of
money above and beyond that which is available to spend.
While
dealing with this unique mix of national uncertainty and social upheaval, we
have continued to descend into a deep and dark abyss of partisan warfare. It would seem the combination of the covid
hangover effects with this political vitriol has somehow strengthened and
invigorated each of these two poisonous components. Covid somehow cracked the door and the
loonies have rushed into the room. They
appear to feed off of each other in an ever-increasing race towards diminishing
those qualities that make our country special, envied, respected, free,
virtuous, fair-minded, ethical, prosperous, and quite simply a good place to
live and enjoy life.
Who
knows what the state of affairs might look like had covid never occurred? Things might be better; things might be
worse; things might be remarkably the same.
But it did happen. Not like a cry or whimper, but like a thunder
clapping, earthshaking, cataclysmic event not unlike a deep, flesh ripping wound
that leaves a terrible scar.
There
are so many issues to take note of these days…the Iran conflict, the
gerrymandering wars, the cost of living, the bubbling controversies in
education, the state of health care, the need for national immigration reform, the
ongoing effects of AI and new technology, the pervasive incompetence of our
elected officials, the devolution of statesmanship and decorum in our
government. We as a nation and a people
will meet these challenges in the time and place presented to us;
notwithstanding what has come before. But
it is quite possible that we are approaching another seismic event on the scale
of covid that will lay down an historical marker for America and largely
determine its fate for decades to come.
That event will be the decision by
both national political parties of who they will select to lead their factions
into a post-Donald Trump America. For
all intents and purposes, the Democrat Party has been ruled by the Obama/Biden
political philosophy for the last decade.
The Republican Party is a full reflection of Donald Trump’s political
philosophy and has been beginning with his first term. Both of
these politically iconic chapters are coming to an end over the next two and a
half years. Inevitably, the new leaders each party chooses will usher in
their own political agenda.
Have
we as a people, a nation, or a government learned anything useful or beneficial from our covid episode or the
political death match that is now playing out?
Will we somehow realize that the function of our government will only
get better when the quality and character of the people running that government
improves? Will we ever again willingly
surrender the precious freedoms gifted us by our Constitution? Have we yet begun to realize that if we allow
ourselves to be empty vessels in need of filling, there will be no end to those
who will fill us with ideas that serve their
interests rather than ours? Here is our covid lesson: Power
corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. What should we learn from the ongoing partisan
warfare: Elections have consequences; we get the government that we deserve.
- - - - - - - -
Are
we approaching the end of the Ukraine/Russia War and the Iran conflict? We can only hope and pray…
https://reason.com/2026/05/03/a-fear-that-settles-in-your-heart/
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/08/trump-should-end-the-iran-war-now-with-an-ultimatum-to-tehran-not-negotiations/
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/09/will-the-yalu-river-run-through-the-strait-of-hormuz/
https://www.city-journal.org/article/council-on-american-islamic-relations-hamas-california
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/05/the-global-ripples-from-the-iran-war/
https://freebeacon.com/columns/america-and-russia-are-both-fighting-wars-only-one-is-in-a-quagmire/
https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/how-russia-inadvertently-expanded-nato/
https://nypost.com/2026/05/04/world-news/putin-zelensky-declare-dueling-cease-fire-dates-in-ukraine-war-for-this-week/
The
gerrymandering madness continues unabated, with no end in sight. Trump started this mess; it is not clear who
will end it…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/02/opinion/new-supreme-court-ruling-means-a-new-political-map/
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/virginia-supreme-court-rejects-dems-aggressive-mid-decade-redistricting-plan/
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/05/virginia-democrats-get-their-comeuppance/
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/05/09/the-gerrymander-debacle-in-virginia-leaves-the-democratic-party-with-a-dangerous-agenda/#more-244242
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/some-further-thoughts-on-the-end-of-the-virginia-gerrymander/
Podcast:
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/05/07/democrats-lose-gerrymandering-wars/
The
contest to elect the next president is beginning and is daily building in
content and intensity. Both national
parties are seeking new leadership in the person of their next presidential
nominee. Having lost the last run for
the White House, the Democrat selection process is running a bit ahead of the
Republicans. But even though President
Trump is loud and in charge, there is little doubt that the game is on behind
the scenes to be his successor.
Is this the message that both sides
will adhere to? We can only hope:
https://americanmind.org/features/the-age-of-america/the-meaning-of-the-american-creed/
For the Republicans:
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/marco-rubios-hope-for-america/
For the Democrats…
https://johnkassnews.com/the-boy-who-cried-trump/
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/07/the-democratic-party-is-dead-long-live-the-jacobins/
The
separation of powers between the Judicial Branch, the Executive Branch, and the
Legislative Branch is getting blurred; but this is likely the process our
founders envisioned…
https://reason.com/2026/05/07/federal-court-trumps-newest-tariffs-are-also-illegal/
https://thefederalist.com/2026/05/08/neil-gorsuch-is-wrong-america-isnt-a-creedal-nation/
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/05/04/colorblind-constitution-the-roberts-court-ends-a-sordid-business/#more-243994
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/05/05/baseless-and-insulting-three-justices-chastise-jackson-for-a-groundless-and-utterly-irresponsible-claims-over-the-finalizing-of-the-voting-rights-opinion/
Our
government…shrink it, cut it, downsize it, make it more efficient, demand
better performance, and hold people accountable…
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/05/federal-government-employment-down-again.php
https://reason.com/2026/05/11/dont-waste-time-arguing-over-the-surgeon-general-nominee-abolish-the-office/
Education…Education…Education…
https://americanmind.org/salvo/the-long-march-continues/
https://jamesgmartin.center/2026/05/student-loans-a-multi-generational-financial-trap/
Five
quick hits on the way out the door…
Coming to a farm near you?
https://reason.com/2026/05/07/expect-the-data-center-backlash-to-get-worse/
If you repeat a lie often enough,
it becomes the truth? https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/05/the-rich-already-pay-more-than-their-fair-share/
New technology does take some
getting used to… https://reason.com/2026/05/02/self-checkout-is-under-fire-across-the-country-is-theft-really-the-reason/
Precisely how much “Freedom of
Speech” should the media enjoy? https://americanmind.org/salvo/the-case-against-new-york-times-v-sullivan/
A candidate for our 51st
state? https://reason.com/2026/05/07/why-oil-rich-alberta-may-secede-from-canada/
