What is to be done?
February/March 2023
So what can save us from the obvious conclusion of my rantings, i.e., the near total collapse of a coherent, sane society. People seek a plan. A way forward. Sadly, like Churchill, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, sweat, and tears. Or as H.L. Mencken put it: “My business is not prognosis, but diagnosis. I am not engaged in therapeutics, but in pathology.”[1]
People, especially conservative people, believe that pragmatism—what works—is a way forward. I believe that pragmatism is a trap. We have seen this in my home state of California, where for years Republican elites preached that the party had to drop all of the divisive social issues (abortion, gay marriage, guns, immigration) to ensure its continued relevancy. “There is no Republican or Democratic way to fix a pot hole,” they’d say. The result is that we now live in a one-party state and many of the people who made those (or similar) statements have either left the party, left the state, or abandoned politics altogether. And I can attest, the potholes are more numerous than ever.
As we have seen time and again, people are willing to sacrifice utility in pursuit of a Glorious Cause, which is why Communism survived for nearly a century. It is why the social welfare state persists in our time, despite the evidence that poverty and want persist even after the appropriation of billions (trillions?) of dollars toward their eradication. It is why the public school system survives, more or less in the same form that it has since the early 20th century, despite substantial evidence now stretching several decades that it has failed to produce a literate citizenry (and by that I mean a citizenry that has a broad fluency in history, literature, composition, numeracy, and critical thinking beyond simply being able to read). No, people need a reason to believe that goes beyond simple utility. Or, to once again quote Chesterton, “Pragmatism is a matter of human needs; and one of the first of human needs is to be something more than a pragmatist.”
But what about the moderates, undecideds, and independents who are supposedly so ripe for conversion if only were it not for poor candidates and misplaced priorities? I say forget them. No amount of rebranding or messaging or outreach will ever sway a significant portion of them. Trying to change minds is a waste of time. There is nothing that can be said that will change someone’s mind, especially someone who thinks he can have it all: a comprehensive welfare state and low taxes; a managed economy and the benefits of capitalist system; the destruction of the traditional nuclear family and the stable society that institution produces; a government that caters to every human need and individual liberty. There is hope for them, but it is the hope of the ancient Greeks. They must be forced to suffer to truth. I am not saying that they must be coerced into believing or punished for their beliefs, only that they must, through time and chance, be made to feel the error of their ways. This goes double for progressives. In fact, many self-identified conservatives and libertarians themselves don’t quite seem to get it. They view all of the social issues, which have now been expanded to include CRT and transgenderism, as being somehow separate from and unrelated to the “really important” issues. They prefer to retreat into the fantasy of “live and let live.” But that is the motto of losers.
I have spoken previously of the two broad camps in American political life that were born in the strife of the 1960s and have only become more entrenched since then: the traditionalists and the counterculture. Broadly speaking, the one is committed to the pre-revolutionary social, economic, political, and moral order and the other is determined to replace that order. In particular, to be a conservative in the American context is to believe in limited government and the Constitution as written. Unfortunately, the primary mission of the counterculture has been to override the Constitution and expand the government in order to make every American dependent on the government in some fashion, whether they want to be or not. This is the net effect of every government program, transfer payment, and subsidy. If one doubts this, just note the apocalyptic rhetoric employed by the beneficiaries of such largess at the mere suggestion that some benefit be reduced, let alone eliminated. In total, this transformation has created a country of weak people.
This dependency has been compounded by the many social innovations that have undermined society’s ability to produce independent, well-adjusted, free-thinking individuals.
These include: The 50-year project to redefine the family into non-existence; the now mostly successful effort to remove God from the public square and downplay or co-opt all Christian cultural references; and, erasing the distinction between citizens and residents. These have not been solely the result of “changing social attitudes” unfolding in an organic, democratic way. They are instead the result of purposeful attacks—usually in the form of court rulings—that have imposed these changes, often far in advance of society’s willingness to adopt them voluntarily. (Again, gay marriage is the most obvious example, but see also the current attempt to use a codicil of federal education law, namely Title IX, to foist transgendersim on a reluctant nation.)[2] All of these developments contribute to dependency and dysfunction and moral confusion just as much as any outright welfare program, and probably more so. Such direct assaults on the country’s foundations are the reason why the idea of focusing solely on taxes and regulation and good governance—and avoiding polarizing social issues—is so misguided. You can’t have limited government when a significant and growing segment of the population is incapable of taking care of itself.
And it is not just individuals who are dependent on the government. Whole economic sectors would not exist (at least not in the form they have taken) and could not function without government support. The defense and aerospace industry, obviously, but also the construction industry, the real estate industry, the education industry (public and “private,” primary and secondary), the healthcare industry, and much of high tech. This has in recent years been expanded to include the banking industry, which in theory should be the most independent sector of the economy, relying as it does on the most fundamental elements of free market capitalism (primarily risk and reward). All depend, in total or in large part, on the generosity of the American taxpayer.
And it’s not just economic sectors. Whole countries have come to depend, directly and indirectly, on American taxpayers and the American economy. And I am not referring to foreign aid. Canada, Mexico, Western Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Israel all depend on the United States for weaponry, aid, outright defensive commitments, and access to the greatest consumer and financial markets the world has known (while they last). Most recently, Ukraine has been added to the list of countries that have become almost entirely dependent on the U.S. for their very survival. Simultaneous with these foreign commitments has been a domestic willingness to absorb whole nations within our borders. There are 5 million Danes living in Denmark. According to the Migration Policy Institute, as of 2021 there were nearly 11 million Mexican immigrants living in the United States, legal and illegal.[3] In turn, Mexican immigrants make up nearly half (48%) of the 11 million people in the country illegally.[4] In other words, there are twice as many Mexicans immigrants living in America[5] as there are Danes in Denmark. Mexico is just one example of a country (now including also most of Central America, Cuba, and Haiti) that is now dependent on the United States to alleviate it of people it cannot feed, clothe, or otherwise provide for by giving them to us to take care of. Because, unlike when my Italian and Irish ancestors came to this country, American society now believes it has a moral responsibility to take care of anyone who sets foot on American soil…and their children…until they die.
All of the above is not to make a case against certain foreign affairs or immigration policies but to make the point that the current situation is not sustainable. Add to this the country’s debt obligations, entitlement programs, and demographic trends that increase the number of dependents while the number of people to support them is declining and you have a catastrophic scenario in the making. This state of affairs is aggravated by a ruling elite that instead of recognizing reality continues to add to the country’s burdens and an electorate that now rewards good intentions rather than basic competency. Both adhere to an inexplicable belief that the normal laws of the universe do not apply to the United States. Ironically, the pursuit of pragmatism and “common sense” solutions has instead given rise to dangerous flights of fancy.
Another, underappreciated, factor contributing to the country’s sorry state is the outsize role of big cities and states in our national politics. Believe it or not, there once was a time when big cities did not uniformly embrace the most left-wing approach to every policy question. While New York City has long had a reputation as a bastion of left-wing politics, it was also kind of an outlier. Other big American cities, even if Democratic-run, had subtleties of difference that prevented them from acting as a unified voting bloc determining not only state but national politics. Mayor Daley’s Chicago was not a hive of radicalism. Until very recently, Boston was dominated by a mix of both Puritan sensibilities and Catholic traditions. Usually, every city had a local elite based on the regional industry that kept the city’s elected representatives tethered to reality. This also meant cities had differing interests. Today, every big city—and most of the small and medium ones—have adopted essentially the same philosophy of governance on every single issue, from abortion to climate change to trans rights to education. Other than the weather and some of the local charm, there is now no difference between Boston or New York or Miami or Chicago or Denver or San Francisco: public services suck, taxes are rampant, policing is lax, social disorder is the norm, and goofy ideas abound. And this mentality has cascaded down to even unglamourous, mid-sized cities such as Portland, Austin, Madison, and Sacramento, which are dominated by the same antics that used to make places like Berkeley the butt of jokes.
Then there is the State of California. Due to the size of its population, economic and cultural influence, wealth, and the special place it holds in the American imagination, California is able to dominate American politics to a degree that profoundly undermines the country’s constitutional order. As those politics are, without exception, left-wing, the implications are obvious. This dominance rests on two pillars. First, there is the obvious fact that any presidential candidate who wins the state, which has 54 Electoral College votes (far exceeding the next highest, Texas, with 40), has a very good chance of being elected. And any state that can consistently be counted on to support a certain party will have an extraordinary influence on social, political, and economic outcomes. When California was still in play, the nation as a whole had a much healthier political environment that is hard to imagine today. Much of the polarization in American politics is between California (and maybe New York) and the rest of the country. Second is California’s ability to dictate social outcomes through regulation, particularly in regard to the environment. In the 1970s, federal regulators gave California the ability to develop its own pollution standards due to truly horrific air quality in places like the Los Angeles basin[6]. In the intervening decades, this power has been transmogrified to turn California—one state—into a behemoth capable of imposing its desired outcomes for automobile mileage standards[7], energy standards[8], recyclables[9], and pig farming[10] on the entire country, and sometimes the world[11]. In this, they have been abetted by compliant corporations who share the state’s woke progressive goals and seek a single regulatory regime.
Despite these crushing realities, I will attempt to end this work on a note of qualified optimism. First off, at its core, America is a Christian and liberty-loving nation. The country must continue to be such or it will continue as something entirely different altogether. If America can return to those traditions, particularly the former, it may be able to extend its run for another two centuries. Religion and morality are particularly important to the American system, which is designed to give maximum latitude to the individual. Temperance, propriety, sober-mindedness, reverence, self-sacrifice, all of those good old-fashioned Protestant values, are the country’s inheritance and could be its salvation. As we have abandoned those values the pathological dysfunctions have exploded.
Along those lines, American concepts of individualism, not the individualism of self-expression but the true individualism of self-reliance, must be restored. Every so-called sign of social progress has served to undermine any sense that the individual—not the government—is responsible for making his or her way in the world. It is not society’s responsibility to save people from their mistakes or to protect them from all of life’s misfortunes. That is the role of friends and relations, charities, volunteer organizations, churches, insurance, and the goodwill of neighbors. This goes double for the corporations that must be rescued after their folly and imprudence have resulted in catastrophic failures that threaten to harm the whole country.
Finally, America is an extremely resilient country. Its size and scope have always been a great advantage, which is why our ancestors knew inherently that they must establish an empire from “sea to shining sea” (and beyond). One region of the country can be experiencing tremendous economic strain (the rust belt) while others are simultaneously booming (the sun belt). One industry, such as steel in the 1970s, can be undergoing historic downsizing while another, high tech, is poised to make transformational change. Even as the country has come more and more under the thumb of the federal government, each state is still its own ecosystem with a separate, if not entirely independent, economy or business climate, and distinct school, welfare, law enforcement, and healthcare systems and regulatory frameworks. Furthermore, The United States is impervious to invasion. Unlike a smaller country, such as Israel, which can be completely destroyed by one misfortune, America has tremendous advantages at its disposal, which combined with its natural resources and God’s favor, have been its saving grace.
Likewise, although it has been distorted beyond all recognition after decades of progressive assaults, America’s Constitution is still a genius organizing document and, if allowed to function as intended, could have amazing restorative powers. However, that’s a big “if.” As exemplified by the recent attempt to forgive student loans through presidential edict—a clear violation of the role of Congress in appropriating funds[12]—the left continues its campaign to make the Constitution merely advisory. Sadly, the only ray of light I can find on this matter is that the current conservative majority on the Supreme Court has bought the country some time until the forces of consolidated and centralized power take over completely.
Which is a fitting note to end on. A serious recession or other economic disaster, a war, a disputed election, or some kind of epic national embarrassment could up-end the entire system. Short of those calamities, any alternative future for the country is contingent on the willingness of the American people to change, which is itself dependent on the widespread realization that the shining, progressive future we’ve been promised is a lie from beginning to end. Both are unlikely to occur without a serious disruption. If recent press reports are accurate[13], the country is moving even further and further away from its historic roots and closer and closer to becoming a cipher devoid of any meaning or purpose. As it does, the disorder and dysfunction will become intolerable. In other words, as someone one said, if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.
[1] Notes On Democracy
[2]“Biden proposes rule for transgender student athletes that allows for some restrictions, opposes categorical bans.: CNN.com. April 6, 2023.
[3]Online Journal of the Migration Policy Institute. “Mexican Immigrants in the United States.” Raquel Rosenbloom and Jeanne Batalova. Oct 13, 2022. Accessed March 12, 2023.
[4]As an aside, Harvard professor George Borjas, who has made a study of the economics of immigration, noted in his 2016 book “We Wanted Workers,” the 11 million figure is a fabrication. PP 60-62. We really don’t know how many illegal immigrants are in the country, especially after three years of essentially open borders under the Biden Administration.
[5] This terminology is a simplification. I understand that many “Mexicans” living in the United States are citizens, natural born or naturalized, thereby making them Americans, not Mexicans, although many of the multicultural hardliners would not recognize that difference.
[6] Chiara Pappalardo, What a Difference a State Makes: California’s Authority to Regulate Motor Vehicle Emissions Under the Clean Air Act and the Future of State Autonomy, 10 MICH. J. ENVTL. & ADMIN. L. 169 (2020)
[7]Broder, J. M. (2009, May 19). “Obama to toughen rules on emissions and mileage: U.S. to accept california auto standard-- 35 miles per gallon for fleet by '16.” New York Times,
[8]“California points the way, in the United States, to an energy-efficient future.” New York Times (Online), New York: New York Times Company. Oct 29, 2008
[9]EPA Releases Bold National Strategy to Transform U.S. Recycling, California Stands at Forefront. Waste360 (Online), New York: Informa. Nov 24, 2021.
[10]“Supreme Court decision puts pig policy under California control but the fight isn't over.” Agweek; Grand Forks, N.D. May 22, 2023.
[11]HAVEMANN, JOEL (1992, Apr 10). “EC calls california recycling law a trade issue: Commerce: The statute, which requires that a percentage of glass sold in the state be recycled, is cited as 1 of 8 recent U.S. trade barriers.” Los Angeles Times.
[12] Article I, Section 9 states that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Congress approved the loans with the intention that they be paid back, with interest. Forgiving the loans is a gift to borrowers which imposes a cost on the taxpayers that Congress did not intend.
[13] “America Pulls Back from Values that Once Defined It, WSJ,-NORC Polls finds,” Wall Street Journal. March 27, 2023.
Excellent Writing. Glad I signed up.