Sensing a Shift?

I may be wrong. I may be deluding myself. But I’ll say it anyway – I sense a shift in public attitude toward Trump. This is coming after a week of executive actions that seem particularly offensive and insensitive. No nuance or attempt at balance and fairness. Just bald policy statements with broad intent and impact.

Perhaps that is what Trump’s team wanted – impact. It seems they have that intended or not.

As a nation America has learned to live with bald statements on the campaign trail but not from the White House. In the Halls of Congress, yes; in the home of our president, no.

We expect statements that carefully address the intent of a policy decision while  safeguarding those specifically not the target of injustice. Such is not what we have in the first week of Trump’s presidency.

He declared war on immigrants. Not just illegal, but legal too. That’s where the problem lies at the first instant. The second instant deserves a watchful eye as well: there are all kinds of immigrants and visitors to the USA; some may be in violation of regulations and laws. Most are not and are welcome in our nation to do their business, visit family and friends, or simply tour our country. We welcome you and open our doors to you.

In a time of terrorism more care and watchfulness should be expected. However such is no excuse for heavy handedness. Or downright inhospitable treatment!

Because the White House executive orders were so baldly powerful, millions of people have taken to the streets to protest. Rightly so.

Trump needs to understand there are limits to all power. Especially in a democracy. We elect leaders but they have to continue to earn citizen support every day. Election opens the door to a position of trust; faithful discharge of duty is required to actually earn trust and keep it. In a transparent democracy such as America's, earning trust is often an hour by hour arrangement. President is not king. Nor god. Rather, logic is king and religious faith is separated from government, so God is God, and not the politician.

In church yesterday both our director of music – while performing at worship – and our pastor in his sermon – spoke out against the war on immigrants in our nation. I’m sure a stir was caused; how that will play out within the congregation is yet to be known. But it was a gutsy move for both people and they spoke from their heart and their faith in a place of safety and faith.

Not so the White House. It is not a church or citadel.

America was founded by immigrants. They were seeking religious freedom initially, but also freedom from tyranny and all powerful monarchies. They sought individualism and self sustainability. They soon learned that they had to rely on others to survive and thrive. So they constructed communities in which group life served all inhabitants well. As the  population grew so did the need for social order and institutions. It was a slow go but in time strong values knitted communities together into counties, states and a nation.

More time and more complexities followed. The economy matured. So did education, philosophy, religion and science. Human behavior was challenged over and over again as it always has been. Behavioral norms changed but so did expectations and governance change to moderate and safeguard individual freedoms while making so much more possible.

An ungoverned people is anarchy. So government is in place precisely because humans require it. It is a fact of life.

Whether government should be large or small depends on the tasks needing to be done. The smaller tasks are left to local and regional governments. Larger tasks are left to national agencies and government. National standards for justice, military safety, interstate and international commerce, money and banking, and so many other aspects of our national life are the province of the federal government.

Commerce requires competition. It breeds greed, however, and that needs regulation to moderate or control. The negative behavior is the object of control to protect others; not commerce to control, although unintended results may be felt.

The same in other avenues of governance and related policies. But they must be managed with care and sensitivity. What is given up in order to gain what good? That balancing act is a companion to all policy making. It is not easy work. Quick and clumsy policy statements do more damage than the good intended.

Such is at issue today. And Trump must soften his stance. If not, the people will teach him a lesson of power he does not yet understand. And that’s how our democracy works. Always has.

The question at hand – is the shift happening now? And to what effect on current affairs? And the other affairs we know are targeted? What then will a shift portend?

Interesting times in which we live. Watch how all of this is resolved in a transparent and energized democracy!

February 1, 2017