On the Other Side of the Election

 What will we have? What if, God Forbid, the Other Side wins (doesn't matter who you are voting for - the point is the same for ALL)?

Will we be able to put aside the Feverish Speech, the Frenzied Defenses of Our Side, the Refusal to Interact with Those Awful People?

What will the holiday be like? Never mind that they will likely be different, because of this generally less-than-lethal virus. Will all sides be able to gather at the dinner table, and enjoy the family's bonding time?

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I'm not the only one that thinks we may be - at least for now - split into two or more factions, that will NOT interact. The difference in their position on what is real and what is "Fake" is too far apart.

And, that's a shame. If the North and South could eventually come to reconciliation, after the War Between the States, I'd like to believe that it's possible for us to do so.

The Atlantic posted about this recently. It comes down to trust - and, that's what we lack. We no longer trust that the opposition will operate within agreed upon limits. We don't trust that they will not lie, or, at least, purposefully be blind to the truth.

It's what finally breaks down a marriage - it's not the financial difficulties, it's not necessarily infidelity, it's not growing into people with different interests and opinions.

It's no longer feeling that you can TRUST that person to act honestly and with integrity.

That's true of governments and institutions, as well. And, if on top of that, you add in uncertainty, and the inability to anticipate some aspects of life's changes, such as the value of money, or what the regulations and laws are, well, it's over.

It will take a dedicated effort to re-build trust. It will take stability in government, as well as a willingness to rein in the unelected judiciary and bureaucrats, to get our nation's commerce to begin to function without cash handouts.

People will not put down their guns, as long as they cannot trust their government to respect their right to be left alone and manage their own life.

So, the solution is at least two-pronged:

1. Rein in the tech giants/business interests that pose a threat to Americans' rights, and have effectively set up a competing governing authority over every aspect of private life. 
1. Here's where executive orders can come in - FCC regulations that force the social media companies to choose - will they be publishers, censoring viewpoints, and opening themselves up to lawsuits for their actions, or neutral content providers, exempt from action?
2. Banking/finance/platform providers - again, regulations or executive orders can handle this (legislation can follow later). All are in industries that are regulated; if they will not comply, anti-trust actions can be used. (Not to mention discovery would likely uncover a treasure trove of communications they would rather not have exposed).
2. Reduce the budgets of agencies that have been abusive of citizens. If they have enough time to get into things that are not their job, they have too many people - aim for 20-25% reduction EACH YEAR.
1. Get Congress to pass legislation that abuses of citizens' rights, or partisan action ON THE JOB, is grounds for not only dismissal, but loss of pension (they can have back any money they personally put in), AND lifetime ban from any job in any level of government, even as a contractor/advisor. Any such person working for an entity that receives government funding will trigger that company or organization to lose any government contract/money. That specifically includes schools, colleges, and universities.
1. And, of course, such persons will have to surrender their law license and teachers' license.

This isn't punitive. It's the equivalent of forcing the soldiers of the defeated armies to turn over their guns, before accepting their surrender.