What now?

The US is in real trouble

{Warning: this blog post contains foul language and a bit of a rant}

The current regime in the United States is out of control. This is not up for discussion or debate as far as I am concerned. If you disagree, please stop reading because I am exhausted and in NO MOOD for you right now.

The leader of what had been the free world is an infantile narcissistic lunatic hell-bent on making money and keeping himself out of prison. He is wrecking the health (physical and economic) of the country while undermining the rule of law and fomenting war (both civil and international). He is actively sabotaging our educational system and the critical thinking it should be promoting while blatantly ignoring the Constitution and the democracy it was established to protect. The damage Trump has wrought keeps me (and many many others) up at night and it needs to end.

To say I am horrified and embarrassed is a woeful understatement of how I feel as an American citizen these days, and I wish I could apologize to the world while promising nothing like this will ever happen again. But I can't make that promise because this country re-elected Trump (potentially through illegal means), and currently, there are still a shocking number of Americans, including lawmakers, who are indifferent to the illegal detention, frequent abuse, and threats faced by innocent people at the hands of the American government. And, because everyday it seems that the government MUST FINALLY be willing to wake the fuck up and oust our leaders (all of them, please), I am left thinking about what the US will look like in a post-Trumpian world.

[I must preface this by saying that I am not a political scientist, I'm just another opinionated and somewhat outspoken American...] The way I see it, the United States, in the form it has existed throughout its nearly 250 year history, cannot survive this crisis even if and when the regime falls and Trump and his enablers are gone. There is such a profound divide in the US right now that, no matter what president & congressional leadership are in power going forward, I am convinced almost half of the population will automatically oppose everything they say, do, and propose; rendering the term "united" no longer applicable to the country. This is why I honestly can't understand the hopefulness many Americans have that the US will get through this intact. (I've never been an optimist.)

What I think makes sense -- and I know I am going to catch a LOT of flack for this -- is a true overhaul of the USA. Afterall, the values set forth in the Constitution simply are not what almost half of the population believes in (equal rights for all, separation of church & state, taxes which cover education and infrastructure, free speech, etc.). And, honestly, I believe that people should be able to live in a country which more or less represents their core values. It seems to me that when a large faction of a society is fundamentally angry with and disapproving of the ruling government, there cannot be peace and prosperity, much less stability.

So what does the post-Trump world order look like to me? I envision a few potential scenarios, though none are flawless, which could aid in healing us as well as our relationships with the rest of the free world.

1. A variation on a theme of the EU where different states (or blocks of states) become their own countries and freely trade between themselves as desired. Each country would have its own constitution, laws, government, and legal/economic systems, but there would be an overarching body which would function similarly to The Hague. The currency wouldn't need to change. And, yes, I understand that the EU is not without its challenges, however, the different countries have their own cultures and laws, and work together when needed toward common goals -- as several are now, in support of Greenland, against the current threat from the USA, which I think is a good model.

   
   

2. A break into two or more distinct countries. Something akin to the silent secession I have started to hear rumblings about. Afterall, our current Constitution is still a guiding document -- generally speaking -- for the majority of liberal states, while it seems not to be to many of the conservative states (which vote for prayer in school and against civil liberties).

   
   

3. Canada annexes parts of the US. Okay, this is obviously listed mockingly and to lighten the mood, but I do know of more than a few Americans who would be all-in for this (both northerners/ coastal elites as well as MAGAs who would be happy to see those liberal states go to Canada).

Should the US try to make a go of itself as it has been, the next government is going to need to establish new rules if there is any hope of avoiding a repeat of the current situation. Term limits, maybe senior age limits/cognitive tests, passing a civics test, benefits for only time served in office, lack of pay for legislators when the government is shut down, no access to financial deals or stock trading during time in office, stricter limits (or a ban) on corporate political donations, advance publication of tax returns before being allowed to be on a ballot, and an overhaul of the Supreme Court -- along with term limits that do not coincide with presidential election cycles and clear consequences of unethical/ biased behavior are just some of my top-of-mind examples. And, there must be actionable consequences for governmental representatives, including the President, breaking the rules (which clearly does not exist today). Hard stop.

Trump and his enablers have turned the USA into a shit-hole country that is aggressive, discriminatory, elitist, unsafe, expansionist, anti-environmental, untrustworthy, and run by wealthy white bottom-feeders. I suspect that this regime will be gone soon (God willing very very soon!), but I cannot feel any optimism for the successful healing of this nation unless and until something bigger than getting back to business-as-usual happens. It is naive to think that citizens and countries around the world would complacently return to trusting any government which was so incurably broken by one single administrative regime as we were, without deep and systemic (seismic?) changes.

I wish I had a panacea for this time in history to share with you, or actionable ideas to move us forward, but I do not. And, speaking as an inveterate planner (and pessimist), I think it behooves us all to prepare for some very tough times ahead. Anyone have any ideas on how to do that? Because I don't. I do really hope, however, that there is a cadre of honorable retired/ousted military and government workers secretly meeting and coming up with ideas that they will share with us as soon as they can.

May there be peace on earth.