By Grant M. Dahl & Jason Greene
March 15, 2024
The State of the Union Address, as it was intended by the founders, is simply the president's duty to report to congress about the condition of the nation. There have been a few winter solstice executive speeches that have honored the spirit of Article II, Section 3 (see Calvin Coolidge's in 1924). However, in recent memory, the SOTU has been one hour- feels like three hours with the wind-chill factor - of groundless optimism, bitter complaining, delusion - finally leading to the conclusion that we're doing awfully well, but have a long way to go. Then, of course, there is more applause and the president trips over the microphone cord on his way out the invisible door.
The 2024 version did not disappoint, but, more than ever, a glaring contradiction was even brighter. The White House resident took seething rage and vitriol to new levels as he attempted to 'splain the chaos and lack of direction that characterizes his dying empire. The indispensable uni-party response was perfectly adequate as a pitch to moderates, people who hate the way Donald Trump looks, and embryo vial jugglers in the southeast...yes demographics are changing. The elephant in the middle of the room never left though, and it made itself at home in the circus. Apparently, foreign blundering just dangerous enough to be fun (for elites), tragicomic financial mismanagement, and knife throwing at political opponents duct-taped to the spinning wheel are the marks of a "union" that's worth coming back to see every year!
With politicians failing so spectacularly on the national stage, many individuals of some prominence came forward with their own "State of the Union" addresses, mentioning the problems which are currently afflicting America. It was particularly notable how differently each speaker addressed the key topics. They may have touched on similar points, but none addressed or emphasized these points in the same way. This spoke to a noticeable divide among those seeking solutions and highlighted the contrast that exists in their understandings of the roots of the nations' ills.
The elephant in the room is easy to find in the middle of a power struggle among low-minded incompetents. The glaring contradiction is in the title of the speech itself: the "State of the - What? - Address!?" As elites scramble to present solutions to root causes that they do not understand, it becomes clear that a nationwide application of one particular approach is impractical. The State of the Union is addressed to a landmass that is not a union, and can no longer continue under one set of increasingly illogical policies thrust upon everyone.
The only way the issue can be addressed is to allow the people of America to take back their own governance. Those closest to the situation must decide the policy by which particular problems are addressed. The abuse of wealth, power, and government/corporate connection can not be left unchecked to dictate the standard of living which ordinary individuals are forced to live under. The standard of living is most effectively decided by the individuals of a particular area who are uniquely concerned about their good and the good of their families and neighbors. Local people must be left alone without the hindrances from other coercive powers to build up their own local sources of food, resources, and knowledge which enable their communities to thrive.
Thanks be to God, there is a way for the people of America to realize these ideals: division of the so-called union. Imperial America must be divided up territorially and returned to the people who live in such culturally distinct regions so that local, effective solutions can be found and implemented. States must take back their sovereignty and assert their independence from Imperial DC. Local governments such as cities, towns, counties, and townships must assert their own sovereignty against elites in state capitols who refuse to address the needs of their constituents that happen to live outside the capitol or major population centers.
As the founding generation did in the American Revolution, the people of local areas must organize themselves into watchful organizations ready to defend their families, neighbors, and communities even if it means the displeasure of the king and his loyal-elitists. The idea of America was the fabric of original union among the colonies. It is this fabric that has been abused by political elites for centuries. Contemporary elites have found new ways to tear the flag apart and force the pieces back together into something that benefits themselves alone. Only by peaceful, principled, and final division of the "union" will the idea of America, as the founding generation envisioned it, be preserved for future generations.
It was the idea of America, the concept that people could govern themselves and come up with unique solutions for their own areas, which helped develop the country into the most secure and prosperous nation in the world from the late eighteenth century into the early twentieth century. As this concept was lost beginning in the mid-nineteenth century heading into the twentieth century, America's downward trend began. This trend has culminated in multiple crises which afflict the people of America and make prosperous living seems like an impossible ideal. So long as power is concentrated in the hands of an imperial capitol insulated from the influence of the people they govern, there will be no real improvement. Until self-defense becomes a matter of voluntary alliance rather than a tool of coercive power, it will always be turned against the very people it is supposed to serve. America must move from a state of union to a state of (peaceful) division where locals are allowed to govern themselves.