Right now we are seeing changes—in behavior, in finances, in speech, in norms, and in values—across our nation that are transforming our relationship with all levels of our government at a speed that is simply breathtaking. As is always the case with change of any kind, some are very happy, some are really upset, and some are warily optimistic. The remainder of the year ahead will tell us much about the direction of our country for many years to come.

Most of what is happening now is a result of the outcomes of the 2024 election, which indicated a perhaps inchoate (but likely definite) national yearning for declaring war on a decade of Wokeism and cronyism. It has given us Donald Trump (again) kicking over the D.C. bureaucracy and political establishment. Today we have the addition of the Department of Government Efficiency, which is revealing lots of dirty secrets about how our tax dollars have been lining the pockets of the chosen few at the expense of the many who have been just scraping by after the Great Recession and Covid-19 insanity that briefly made hand sanitizer more valuable to some than Chanel Number 5. A lot of sacred cows are currently being slaughtered on the banks of the Potomac, and the rage across the political spectrum is palpable and sometimes a bit frightening.

When I was in college, I lived and taught for a summer in a revolutionary country, Iran in the last days of the Shah, and I get a queasy feeling when I see Teslas being torched by protestors and vituperative rhetoric becoming commonplace. Worse yet, supposedly sane elected and appointed officials are abandoning the dignity of their offices and their responsibilities toward our citizens to rage against America because they find the beliefs and values of the average American are not to their effete and extremist tastes—so violence, they readily suggest, is the only answer. 

As much as the social engineers and scolds might wish it to be otherwise, most humans prefer plodding predictability, although a dash of incremental change is often acceptable. Our innate unwillingness to turn our lives upside down for someone else’s grievances is understandable, but we somehow are still stuck enduring a mob of self-appointed experts berating us for being bigots, idiots, and sadists. The wild and abusive attacks on Americans and America thrill those who feel their lives deserve unending and unquestioning validation, but constant rages frustrate many who feel their sullen and silent compliance with what they feel in their hearts is wrong cannot—and should not—be the price expected of any citizen.

Donald Trump has dominated American politics for a decade, a fact that cannot be denied. Every day he is in the spotlight brings with it an unexpected twist or revelation that sets us to questioning what we think we know and want. It is true a great many people would agree that President Trump’s penchant for breaking things is a little bit scary, but it is equally true the Woke status quo has been putting us on a path to national bankruptcy and accelerating societal breakdown. 

This past year’s elections felt very much like a frustrated nation deciding to roll the dice and see what happens. So far enough Americans seem quite willing to go along with this experiment in governance that has all the charm and subtlety of a bar fight, and to this point Donald Trump and his allies have been gleefully kicking in the faces of Democrats who, until only a few months ago, were convinced they were unbeatable. 

The swift and unprecedented collapse of support for a broad range of Liberal policy initiatives speaks to an intense distrust of the power, intrusiveness, and expense of government, which has been growing for many years. It is still an open question, given we are only a few months into Trump Part Deux, whether voters will ultimately be happy with his chainsaw reforms of government, but the early reviews seem to be that the predictable unhappiness of the political and cultural Left is gladdening the hearts of Conservatives—and more than enough Moderates—to give elected Democrats an electoral heart attack.

Just how deep the rabbit hole of lies and corruption goes as more and more secret spending and regulatory malfeasance are revealed is a question no one is currently in a position to answer, and the many “expert” predictions of impending doom concerning how today’s reforms will work out in the long term for our country and citizens cannot be trusted. 

If even half of what we suspect about the financial chicanery that has driven America to the edge of fiscal and societal disaster is true, the consequences might be worse than we can possibly imagine. However, what is certain is that transparency and sunlight must be encouraged in order to restore the tattered faith of Americans in both the operations of our government and those who are now operating it. What has already been revealed about out-of-control spending has been a revelation. Should they wish to retain any credibility with voters, Democrats should be as anxious as Republicans to root out waste, fraud, and abuse so that our budget can be balanced and taxes reduced.