The Morning After

It seems that the 2016 Presidential Election results have generated much happiness and excitement for some, and much anger and angst for others.  I think this is a good moment to take a step back and ask ourselves why this need to be the case. 

For the dispirited Hillary supporters, I would suggest relaxing a bit before lashing out at those that cast the opposite votes.  I know that to many of you, a vote for Trump means ill motives.  The media has told you that Trump voters must be motivated by bigotry, sexism, racist, xenophobia, or any other disparagements they thought might stick.  I would ask you to consider the possibility that Trump voters were voicing concerns not given the megaphone of mainstream media.  Trump talked about the harmful effects to average Americans inflicted by unenforced immigration law, high and disproportionate taxation, “free trade” deals that hurt workers, and questioned the foreign policy apparatus that has led us to involvement in global conflict essentially unchecked since the Spanish American War.  I think it is quite reasonable for Americans hurt by federal policy to voice their concern peacefully by voting for someone who promises to shake things up.  The sky is not falling, quite the opposite.  If individuals do not have a peaceful means of trying to effect change, violence is the only remaining option.  Everyone loses in that world.

To the elated Trump supporters, I would recommend tempering your enthusiasm.  We have elected a new president, not a King.  The executive branch is established in Article II of the Constitution for a reason.  Congress is the real seat of power in our system.  President Trump can make all sorts of promises of how things will be, but congress is the real decider.  It remains to be seen whether the will enact any of his agenda.  Additionally, while Mr. Trump may have accurately identified many of the problems facing average Americans, it’s possible that his proposed solutions will not help.  I’m of the opinion that at the root of most of the problems we face lies a government interference in the liberty of individuals.  Liberty is not a word I heard Mr. Trump use much in his campaign.  Our illegal immigration problem is due in large part to an enticing welfare state and labor laws that artificially drive up wages causing employers to look for cheaper options.  Our stagnant standard of living is in no small part due to the high levels of taxation, seen and unseen, levied on us by the federal government.  Mr. Trump proposes scaling the rates back a little, but they would remain far too high.  The tariffs Mr. Trump proposes in hopes of restoring manufacturing jobs would do little more than to increase the costs of good we buy.  The one area I am most hopeful is foreign policy.  Mr. Trump correctly sees that the United States is far too involved with the matters of other nation states and has proposed decreasing our involvement with international organizations such as the United Nations and NATO.  Incidentally, foreign policy is actually a Constitutional domain of the Executive Branch.

For the big picture, I think the extreme outpouring of emotion on both sides reveals the problems of centralization of power and majoritarianism.  When so much power is in the hands of a central government, everything in life is up for grabs by majority vote.  When 51% have complete say over 49%, friction is sure to ensue.  This need not be the case.  Our constitution was structured to prevent the centralization of power so that one group would not be able to lay abuses on the rest.  Power was intended to be left at the lowest level possible.  Domestic concerns of daily life were meant to be left at the state, local, and individual level, I would reference the 9th and 10th Amendments.  The federal government’s role was primarily to be externally directed, highly checked by the state legislatures which gave its birth.  How far we have drifted from that system, where the Federal Government is supreme and the states basically exist to carry out federal directives and issue different looking drivers licenses.  If you are upset by the Presidential Election, you might ask yourself; Does it need to be so important?