Limits to Populism?

I think there are limits to popular movements and voting. I believe history gives us the lessons best learned – and those left unheeded by a lot of people. The latter group is sometimes large enough to sway elections. It is not because they are stupid or uncaring. Most likely it is because they are ignorant of the facts, the history and the logic of the lessons learned back when. The same logic is working with today’s current events. And the same phenomenon of people unwilling or too busy to study history prevails.

It certainly did in our most recent Presidential election. A lot of people were scared of their current situation, and fearful it would continue long into the future. What they didn’t know was the cause, effect, result pathway of human events and history. It is not surprising how things unfold. It is only surprising how human beings live with and react to those human events.

No one sat down and calculated how to undo the middle class. No one sat down and planned the death of countless American industries and commercial ventures. No; economics dictated the happenings and the result. Anyone interested in this while it was happening – or even before – would have told you what was happening and how it would play out in the years ahead.

But no one could predict how many people were too wrapped up in their lives to pay attention to what I’m talking about. And that’s the truth. That is fact. Too few people understand economics. Too few people understand what economics is telling us and how we can adjust to these facts and trends.

Commerce belongs to those who can beat others with the best product first, or the lowest prices on goods that are so similar you cannot tell them apart. They have become commodities and alike as such. The lowest price wins the race at the sales counter every time in such cases.

Now the strength of America is different from most other developed nations. Ours is a culture that researches and discovers new things, new materials, new methods, new markets and so much more. We bring those new things to market. We own those markets and products while they are still new.

When markets – both domestic and foreign – get hip to these methods and products, they make their own. Our markets domestically fade from home grown to foreign made. This frees up capital and labor to pursue the next new or best thing.

This is the ebb and flow current of change. It is constant in its presence but variable in its forward motion and speed. Eventually we cease making some goods and replace their manufacture with new goods to serve a brand new market of need.

Without the ebb of the old we would not have the capital or labor pool to invent the new.

This process is exciting and invigorating, unless, that is, you are in the labor pool being affected by the current change. Then you see unemployment or the fear of it. You may also see the dissolution of your industry and a host of employers. What to do?

The answer varies with each person and the age at which the change visits their lives. If you are 50 or older, a career change is painful and slow; most likely a reduction in circumstances and lower income will occur. Younger people will have the opportunity to consider new and exciting career opportunities in other areas. They can return to school for more education and certification as well.

But the basic reality is this: all things change. Each of us needs to be aware of the changes that will visit us throughout our life. And prepare for the change as best we can so we can adapt to it.

All change is not bad; all change creates opportunities. Change is healthy and vital. It is a fact of life. It is our job to live with it, adapt to it, and move on to what else makes us happy and productive.

This is not the conclusion drawn by 48% of the American voting public. Those folks felt changes were the result of policies and designs of others. Because they felt pain – still do – they think someone is to blame. They voted accordingly.

Because the remaining 52% of voters were split among other candidates, the weakest candidate won.

Time will tell if the 48% will come to understand their error. Or if they are big enough to admit their error.

Meanwhile the rest of us are living with the results and will adapt to the best opportunities we make for ourselves.

Populism only works well when all the participants are engaged in lively research, study and discussion. Those are the people aware of their world and adapting to change.

Democracy is messy. And it doesn’t always get it right. But then we have the opportunity to repair the damage and build a new, better future.

May 1, 2017