I did not vote for Mr. Trump, but I have to applaud the general shake-up resulting from his election. People, families, cities, states, countries, and even the world needs a good shake-up now and again to help us reassess our values and goals.
Generally, I think that rules, regulations, and organizations grow out of perceived need, and over time they can easily become inflexible and can even work against their original purpose. Then we must find or make the opportunity to revoke or revise them, again as we reassess our values and goals.
So what are the current values and goals of our government? They admit to including the “deconstruction” of those parts of government that purportedly work to protect the environment we all live in, support public education for all, make sure we can all afford health care, support the equal rights of ALL people, protect wildlife in such a way that it can continue to exist and fulfill its role in the ecosystems we all depend on, and so on.
Theoretically at least, the ultimate purpose of these organizations and regulations has always been to benefit every one of us so that we as individuals and families can pursue our own personal goals and values. To me, that is freedom: not having to worry too much or all the time about the issues mentioned above because I have helped choose larger groups of more knowledgeable and specialized individuals to work together to support all of us in those ways.
If I know that healthcare and education and national parks are being taken care of responsibly — with my conscientious in-put — then I can focus on the other things that make my family and my friends and me unique individuals. That is why I willingly pay taxes — IF I think that they are for the most part being used for the good of all of us in this country.
I have close friends who disagree and believe that we should all be taking care of each other on a more personal basis. That’s how we all started out and I hope we continue so, but I don’t believe there is a country on this earth that has not grown beyond that model simply because of numbers of people.
So the present government seems to consist of ever more of the wealthiest Americans deconstructing the services intended to support the rest of us in our individual quest for responsible freedom and fulfillment. How does that fit with our values and goals as individuals and as a country?
Always open to civil conversation at winwin48@charter.net.
Mary Fahnestock-Thomas
Hamilton