Should I be concerned about our country’s future?

A Surviving Facts Blog

Because of some of the perspectives I have expressed in my blog, I’ve heard some concern about my politics. While anyone’s political beliefs are personal, I have been open about mine. So let me be clear: I am not antibusiness, Antifa, far left or anticapitalist.

I am, however, questioning where our country has come to and how we got here. I am questioning the gigantic divide between our, largely, two parties, the intolerance of disparate views, the echo chambers we surround ourselves with and the assumptions and divisions that pervade American politics today. I am profoundly concerned about our country and the direction we are moving.

As I write this, I am aware that those with opposite views from my own could say the same thing. We actually share the same concern. There’s a commonality. We diverge on how we got here and how it can be solved.

So let me be clear about what I am concerned about.

1. I am concerned about democracy, the republic and our political infrastructure. Equality has been a theme of American life for centuries. Yet, we know objective evidence exists that this equality has not been shared by all. The 13th Amendment, passed the last day of January 1865, abolished slavery. And yet, Black men did not gain the right to vote until the 15th Amendment ratified in early 1870. Women did not get voting rights until the 19th Amendment in 1920. Clearly, we have not all been equal in this country. We could say that 1920 solved that, but objectively, we have numerous examples showing otherwise: Jim Crow laws, lynchings, women’s financial access to banking and credit cards and even equal access to education.
   • Based on these facts, I hope we can all agree that equality is an ideal our country is still working on. Unless one believes that equality was achieved in the late twentieth century. If so, let me point out that the Equal Rights Amendment, which passed Congress in 1972 with more than the two-thirds majority required, has only been ratified in 38 states, the last being Virginia in 2020 (the twenty-first century, which means equality was not solved in the late twentieth century). Twenty-seven states have state-level equal rights amendments. And yet, although it has met all requirements to become an amendment to the Constitution, only 27 amendments to the Constitution exist. The 28th ERA amendment has not been recognized officially and incorporated. Also, all the rights set out in the ERA have not been implemented, and some are now being undone.
2. I am concerned about fascism. This is a concern of both the left and the right. Yet, each claim the other group is fascist. The features of fascism include: authoritarianism, nationalism, elitism and militarism. Let’s break these down:
   • Authoritarianism enforces obedience at the expense of personal freedoms. Both far left and far right have examples of this position. Communism, for example, espouses a belief of a specific truth. But on the right, so does Project 2025. I am not and will never be a communist, but right now, I am more concerned about Project 2025, which lays out a sacred truth and is being implemented already at various levels.
   • Nationalism supports the state above all else, which is close to patriotism, right? Ok, got that. But nationalism does that to the exclusivity and detriment of rights or interests of other nations. To some, this may sound just fine. Let’s note, then, that Nazism is an example of nationalism. Nationalism in its extreme defines itself narrowly and can lead to, as history has proven, horrific atrocities. NATO was formed after WWII to bring nations together toward common interests while also supporting individual nations. We know now that left and right positions on NATO vary. Project 2025 imposes a Christian nationalist agenda in that it believes the Christian Bible (as defined in certain ways- this is too complex to go into now) should be recognized as the basis for American law, freedoms and institutions. I know of no document on the left making similar claims.
   • Elitism supports the singular influence of a select group of people over others and further believes that group should hold power. Project 2025 does support political litmus tests to clear people for positions in government as well as a training program to ensure government employees follow a specific political ideology. This is shown in the Project’s point about Christianity as a framework for American government. While far left-wing enthusiasts can share similar commitment to a singular viewpoint, they have not written a plan to enforce such viewpoints nor have they organized to do so. Project 2025 has. I am, therefore, more concerned about its implementation right now.
   • Militarism believes that military should be used to promote nationalist interests both outside of and within a country and that the military should be used to achieve a government’s goals. Project 2025 states, and I quote, “Our goal is to assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State.” I’ll just leave this one here.
3. Given these definitions, our most current advocacy of fascist ideals sits with Project 2025, supported by the far right. Wait a minute, I hear you say, the lefts want socialism. Not necessarily. We already have many examples of socialism in our country today. Our national school system is a social construction. Perhaps this is why Project 2025 supports dismantling the Department of Education. However, our public water systems are also an example- 75% of which are owned by public entities. Our bridges, roads and sewer systems are mostly government owned and operated as well. Drivers licenses are governed by the state. The question is: how far do we go in dismantling such systems? Who decides which are acceptable forms of socialism and which are not? Ah, then, we must refer to #2. Hence, Project 2025 is the closest document I know of in the US today that expresses beliefs closes to fascism.
   • I do want to deal with the interrelation of socialism and the left a bit more. In general, today’s democrats believe in strong public institutions which provide checks and balances on government with the goal of preventing a singular ideology or dictatorship. The far left aside- which is a minority representation within the Democratic Party- most left-leaning people I know just want us to have protections and insurances of human rights for all and access to education and healthcare. Whether this is good or not, I won’t go into for now. However, I will point out that fascism requires nationalist socialism. This means that a singular ideology, shared by a specific and elite group of people, defines what is acceptable and what is not.
   • In addition, I want to address the idea that democrats or the left are anti-capitalist. While many democrats believe in strong social institutions, they also believe in a free-market system. I could write another blog on this entire subject.
4. I am concerned about biased media and news. Both the left and right agree on this. The FCC had a fairness doctrine from 1949 until it was removed in 2011, under President George W. Bush. This has led to polarization of media with the claim that most mainstream news is left-wing. It’s interesting to note that many, if not most, media are owned or led by Republicans. These include CNN, Twitter, Fox, The Washington Post, Newsmax, Oanon, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, among others too numerous to list. The Pew Center for Research has studied which media Americans consider mainstream, and there is huge consensus among all Americans on which ones are. The top 12 in 2021: ABC News, CNN, New York Times, MSNBC, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, HuffPost, Buzzfeed, Sean Hannity , Vox, Newsmax. At least half of these are conservative and even more are owned and operated by right- leaning people.
5. I am concerned about the perception of culture wars. This is where I find the greatest area of disagreement between parties and left and right ideologies. Project 2025 puts forth that gender identity, sexual identity and gender roles are part of a “culture war“ (this term is specifically used). I struggle with this perspective. Don’t we have differences in opinion and the right to hold differences in opinion? Even more so, some of these “opinions” are supported by scientific research and medical facts. Facts do exist, unless we want to go down that rabbit hole. The main point, however, is that the US Constitution gave us the right to hold these different positions. It did not allow enforcement of one position over another. Project 2025 asserts that Christians have been forced to accept certain definitions. But not all Christians agree with this. In fact, the majority of Americans do not agree with strict definitions around the concepts I’ve listed. Project 2025, if it goes forward, would require adherence to specific beliefs which an elite group of politicians oversee and manage. This is fascism.
6. I am concerned about the rights of women and our ability to control our bodies, our rights and our roles. Project 2025 has a lot to say on this topic and most of it limits women’s rights. This terrifies me. Already states are working to give fetuses personhood rights. This means a fetus within a woman’s body, which could not survive without her, has its own rights the woman cannot control. In 2022, for example, the state of Georgia defined personhood as a “Homo sapiens at any stage of development that is carried in the womb.” West Virginia, Alabama, Texas, Arizona, Florida, and Alaska and other states have or are legislating these definitions. A lot of people, not just me, are wondering how this will work. We women are not just baby-carrying vessels responsible for populating the state- Hitler, by the way, rewarded German women for having more and more babies. We are thinking human beings who have the right to self-determination.
7. I am concerned about freedom of religion. Project 2025 specifically calls out Christianity as the governing norm. Whose Christianity? Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Seventh Day Adventists, Charismatic? All of these are different, sometimes dramatically so. What about our Jewish family and friends? Our Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist family and friends? Project 2025 does not make exceptions. It does not say, “unless you are married to…”
8. I am concerned about the corporatization of America. Political lobbies have taken over our country. I recently read a social post from someone who supports the incoming administration in which they noted Trump stopping this trend. I’m so confused. He never resigned from his companies, as he said he would, and there are no documents to support that he did. He is selecting executives with clear corporate interests to lead cabinet positions. He wants to “drill, baby, drill,” which supports big business. What am I missing?
9. I am concerned about Russia. Putin is a dictator. He is close to North Korea, a horrible regime. When Russia is excited about who was elected and the influence they will have- and I’m stating this based on translated quotes across numerous news sources- well, I think we need to be concerned. It’s seems clear that Russia is using the same tactics on us that it has on other countries it has overtaken. I don’t see any examples of Russia supporting the US Constitution and principles. Please share if you have seen otherwise.
10. Given what I have outlined above, I am concerned about First Amendment rights applying to all Americans rather than a disproportionately small, elitist group. I want the America that expanded and adjusted to change. Change is inevitable. We can’t prevent it. But that seems to be what Project 2025 is doing- turning us back hundreds of years.
11. I am concerned about the mainstreaming of extreme beliefs ON BOTH SIDES. Ironically, both extreme left and extreme right are authoritarian in nature. There’s a great article on this in the National Library of Medicine database. The extremes are the problem, but, unfortunately, many extremist positions are being positioned and pushed as mainstream beliefs today.

I know I’m treading on sensitive ground. I never voted by party. I voted by what I thought upheld our Constitution most strongly. I believe fervently in the separation of church and state. I believe passionately in equal human rights regardless of gender, sex, color, nationality, race, etc. As you can read in #1 above, I don’t believe we have ever reached true equality in America. If we had, the ERA would be the 28th Amendment, women would be equally paid as men and racism would be eradicated. In my reading of Project 2025, I don’t believe it supports our Constitution and basic tenets of American rights.

There’s so much more to say on this topic… but then I’d be writing a dissertation rather than a blog. And this one is long enough! I want to note that I HAVE read Project 2025, all 887 pages of it. These ideas come from my analysis, not others. If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so. It does not reflect the America I know and have loved. It terrifies me. I am scared for the future of all Americans.

I would love to hear from you, even if, especially if, you disagree. Perhaps we can bring back the American tradition of civilized debate. Please like and share this blog with others. Subscribe to receive it by email and go directly to the Walk the Moon website to peruse the full collection of articles and updates.