The Good Brought by the Pandemic

These are crazy times we are living through. Unprecedented times for any of us. What can we do?

Even before this pandemic announced itself into our lives our society was in an upheaval. It had taken place gradually over decades but picked up momentum in recent years.

do not post this as a subject for debate for there can be no debate. It is fact. You can express your like or dislike, but the fact remains. Our country has changed from the vision our founding fathers had for it.

Our founding fathers were against a powerful centralized government, not just opposed to a monarchy. The original version of our federal government was not even funded. The political power was found locally. Over time, a very long time, our federal government has grown and become ever more powerful.

The source of federal government growth in power can be traced back to taxes. This writing is not meant to be a history lesson on taxation. You can do that research on your own beginning with the Revenue Act of 1861 imposing an income tax during the Civil War through the failed attempt to re-institute such in 1864 through the Revenue Act of 1909 and ratification of the 16th Amendment in February of 1913 through replacement of the patronage system with career employees in the 1950's to the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.

Our federal government has grown to proportions that would have horrified most of the the founding fathers.

Even before the pandemic of 2019-20 set in the country was faced with growing momentum to move the needle once again. The Bernie Sanders Democrat Socialist movement. Although Mr. Sanders is not the presumptive Democrat nominee, the movement he leads has moved the Democrat party ever closer to socialism.

Enter the 45th president of the United States and the Pandemic of 2019-2020.

Now, I have found no one willing to argue Donald Trump is not brash, buffoonish and politically incorrect. That's simply who he is. He is also an extremely intelligent man although people can be less eager to agree on this. But the real source of controversy concerning Donald Trump's presidency is found in how he believes a president should govern.

The man is old school in a modern world.

And that might well be exactly what the republic needs to save itself from an ever growing federal government that has become evermore intrusive in individual lives, liberties and rights.

Here's the short version of President Trump's philosophy of governing: the Federal government's role is to be supportive of State managed and Locally executed efforts.

This is in stark contrast to what We the People have become conditioned to believe the role of the federal government is supposed to be ... and decidedly not what the Democrat party big government platforms have been increasingly built upon.

President Trump has begun to move the country away from reliance on big federal government that has enslaved evermore people through dependence on government assistance.

When the pandemic began to become recognized as a life changer, governors of the States looked to Washington D.C., the President and Congress to take the lead in fighting back against it.

The incohesive response from the federal government has truly been something to behold. The roles of the Democrat and Republican parties have been reversed or at the very least intermingled so one has difficulty discerning which is which at times. Republicans trying to push through money to the people being stonewalled by the Democrats who have always used giving money to the people as a means to exert ever greater control over the people.

Seriously, what the hell is happening in Washington, D.C.?

Then there is President Trump leading the federal response not by telling the Governor's of the States what to do, but by asking them what they need . Ventilators? Okay, he marshals more ventilators than has proven to be needed and did so by bringing private and public sectors together. PPE? You got it. Private companies and individual citizens retooling their efforts from normal production to produce needed products ... of their own accord. Although President Trump did invoke the PDA, he has had to use it very sparingly.

Let's not wallow in altruism though. President Trump believes in a capitalist system and knew that where there is money to be made, people would jump on the opportunity to do so. And they have and will continue to do so until that source of money runs dry. This different than the Democrat party's philosophy only in execution. The worst by-product our President has had to deal with is price gouging and he has stepped forward a number of times to squelch attempts at doing so.

The good coming from this pandemic?

A reestablishing of government of the people, for the people, by the people. The power is shifting back to the local governments. This is coming to fruition as we speak and if you doubt me simply focus on the movement to allow local health departments to set the guidelines for reopening the economy. It's Federally suggested (not mandated) guidelines being given to the States who in turn are providing their own suggested (not mandated) guidelines to County and Parish level governments. The power is being given back to the People where the founding fathers were insistent it should rest in the first place.

That is a very good thing.