For the seven weeks I was a wannabe politician running for Congress in 2007, my motto was “Dignity, Justice, Hope.” I thought up those words about 15 years before when I wondered what would be the best campaign slogan for the time we lived in. Another 15 years later, I’d still use the same words today because their focus hasn’t changed. They’re aimed at representing the huge population of working men and women. For 30 years little has changed to serve Americans who work for wages or are small business owners. This Labor Day 2023, consider what dignity, justice, and hope could mean to so many Americans.
Every few years I write a piece about my fantasy of energizing labor with a union that represented the workers, not the stupid, socialist union fat cats. I know that’s a delusion – sort of a cross between a black swan, unicorn, and flying pig. Regardless, someone needs to go to bat for “this rabble you’re talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community” as George Bailey said in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Donald Trump became the closest thing to a champion since Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman with Make America Great Again. Yet, as I wrote in “Forrest Trump”, he found himself in front of the masses more by accident of his policies than by deliberate intent. And, certainly without Reagan’s coherent vision for significant change. Trump’s actions after the “15 days to slow the curve of Covid” are testimony to his flying blind.
Bringing dignity, justice, and hope to our huge middle class is about making life more livable. It isn’t rags to riches. It’s about making life just somewhat better for your children. And, them having the opportunity to do the same for their kids. Better, not perfect, not fabulously wealthy – just better.
That’s what eight generations of Bowdens that I know about in America tried to do. I got a work permit to labor for wages at age 15 in Virginia. When I was 16, I didn’t get a new car. I got my late grandfather Atticus’s union card. That meant a lot to my grandmother. In my working life, I’ve gotten job offers, promotions, won and lost contracts, been laid off, and fired. Through all the ups and downs, I, like my People, never quit.
Now, from my adequate retirement, I can see what needs to be done to bring dignity, justice, and hope to the good folks who don’t want to be ruled like peasants from men who live north of Richmond.
It begins with understanding government and business in a mixed economy. It requires rejecting every diktat from the Climate Change cult and every centralized intervention from the Federal Government. At the same time Federal and State taxes have to be cut, regulations repealed, and spending slashed. Yet, very powerful political coalitions oppose every simple, necessary step to get governments’ burden off our back and out of our lives.
The laundry list of politically challenging, but doable do’s, for Conservatives motivated by revolutionary zeal starts with undoing everything the Biden (actually Obama 3) administration has done.
But, it continues on a path different from the Establishment Republicans. Dignity, Justice, and Hope comes from un-funding the elites – both Democrat and Republican. That means taking on Big Media, Big Pharma, Big Food, Big Healthcare. Creating the simple financial incentives to produce things in America. Lowering taxes and regulations.
It doesn’t mean government spending on subsidies. It requires stopping illegal immigration and deporting as many illegal aliens as possible. Creating a stable, precious metals-backed currency.
Removing the “third rail” of politics by reforming Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to grandfather in who we must and sending it, Constitutionally, to the states to tax and manage. Yes, this really is a political fantasy, or likely will be until the US goes bankrupt.
At the same time I came up with Dignity, Justice, and Hope I wanted to create three on-line journals. In the early 90s the content wasn’t accessible on the internet. One journal would have been “Christian Populist.” That’s the how I see myself on the political spectrum. Conservative Christian is accurate, but Christian Populist captures my focus on we “deplorables.”
Yes, I still see the opportunity for service workers, office workers, and laborers to organize to get more money put in a common pot for their healthcare, education, legal fees, and retirement. I know how money makes money with the financial miracle of compound interest. Yet, there’s no labor leader to make it happen – and not go socialist stupid and greedily corrupt.
According to family legend, Grandfather Atticus was a union organizer as well as a railroad man. It was going to get very unhealthy for him in West Tennessee in the early 1900s, so he went to Arizona. He stayed working as a union man until he was forced to retire in his 70s.
America needs Christian men and women labor leaders and real political champions for working people, like Atticus.
Maybe DeSantis?
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