Citizen Writers Fighting Censorship by Helping Americans Understand Issues Affecting the Republic.
Jeffery Marshall Ed.D., BG(R) 
The Hippocratic oath tells the doctor to do first no harm. Yet that is what a surgeon has to do. Sometimes we need to do harm to do good. The trick is to balance the harm and good, so the good far outweighs the harm.
The media has hyped and fueled American partisan conflicts since the birth of the Republic. That was one reason that instigated the infamous Alien and Sedition Acts.
Is DOGE a thief, a thieftaker (modern usage: bounty hunter) or a diversion? With all the contradictory reports and poor information, it is hard to tell what they are. Both judicial review and thieftaking are rooted in English Common Law, but those that use judicial review are loath to employ thieftaking. To make matters even more complex and muddled, DOGE has not taken a single thief yet, but stories abound about Musk companies getting sweetheart deals. What is the truth? Few know for sure since most of DOGE’s work is done behind shuttered windows with maybe a few slats left open to tantalize the populace. We need open windows and actionable information.
I don’t think we want DOGE to be just a wrecking ball. If DOGE is not a change agent than the Trump administration needs to identify the change agent(s) and develop change management plans. Someone needs to be the architects that re-build government with the Constitution as a blueprint. If we do not rebuild, the tear down will leave us to the barbarians at the gates. Is DOGE a change agent, an audit agent, or just a wrecking ball?
DOGE appears to be taking a short-term approach to change. Audits are rearward looking and point-in-time. While important, they will not systematically change the federal government.
Now what is the President’s DOGE Agenda? I have yet to find a clear, written statement that lays out this agenda. Yes, there is a lot of talk, but perhaps still no written policy statement and objectives.
A series of critical inflection points led us to the point where we currently are with a strong central government with several corrupt and potentially criminal acts. If it was not the federal government, elements of the central government could be subject to RICO. The key inflection points center around the Progressive Era in the early 20th century and include the Wilsonian bureaucratic reforms, the 16th Amendment and the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. Real reform must address these areas. Otherwise DOGE may save some money this year, but will not fundamentally change how the government is structured or operates.
Strategy needs to recognize conflict will happen and where and why. Culture needs to bring it in the open and keep it positive
Government, regarless of form, should be an enabling function for prosperity, stability, and peace.
We hear a lot about democracy in the elections today. But what is really, and what does it need to sprout and flourish?
We hear a lot about democracy in the elections today. But what is really, and what does it need to sprout and flourish?
We hear a lot about democracy in the elections today. But what is really, and what does it need to sprout and flourish?
We hear a lot about democracy in the elections today. But what is really, and what does it need to sprout and flourish?
George H.W. Bush was riding high after the 1st Gulf War. Then he was beaten for reelection by the governor off the 3rd poorest state in the union, “throwaway candidate,” Bill Clinton.
The big question is, under what circumstances can we hold party leaders responsible for the actions of their agents, and how do we do so?
Even though, as Machiavelli said, change is hard, if we want to save the country, we need to put our atavistic fears behind us. To understand that those who seek to divide inspired those fears.
Most people dislike paying taxes, but they see the need to fund the government. But very few people understand how much they really pay in taxes. And that is by design. The politicians and bureaucrats do not want us to know.
This is Part 5 of a series on accountability and responsibility. This part looks at the voters and to whom they are accountable. As the graphic from My Comic Shop shows, voters are accountable to themselves.
This is Part 4 of a series on accountability and responsibility. As the graphic shows, the two should work together, but can but can get jammed. But often the two are divorced, or at least separated, in this case, by Judicial Review and life-time appointments.
This is Part 3 of a series on accountability and responsibility. As the graphic shows, the two should work together, but can but can get jammed.