Who Put the Kids in Charge?

Juveniles. All of them.

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Everyone Sucks

All week, I’ve kind of been putting off writing this newsletter largely because I’m incredibly frustrated with everything political right now. I debated writing about something else not politics related because I don’t like writing out of frustration. There is plenty of negative pieces written daily that one can read, and I don’t like contributing to the general sense that everything is awful.

So, I want to be clear before I start that everything is not awful. In fact, things are actually pretty incredible here in America, especially compared to the rest of the world. Please read my newsletter laying out how great we have it from just a couple of months ago here if you need reminding.

And yet, I can’t help but look at those who lead our country and think about how much they suck. I think it’s abundantly clear that we are thriving in spite of our leaders, not because of them.

I think my main issue with so many politicians at the federal level right now is their complete and total incapacity and unwillingness to think past their nose. There is absolutely zero forethought or consideration of how their actions (or in some cases inaction) now will negatively impact future generations.

To be fair, this isn’t just a politician problem but a human problem. It is notoriously hard for humans to forgo momentary pleasure or short-term gain for that which is better in the long-term. Going to Starbucks every day in your twenties is much easier than putting aside that money in an IRA that you won’t be able to touch for 40 years.

I would argue that one of the hallmarks of growing up and maturing is growing in our capacity to sacrifice in the present for what is better in the long run. Kids want what they want now and really don’t have the necessary self-control to think past their immediate desires. This is the job of parents- to teach (i.e. force) their kids to play the long game with the hope that one day their kids will be able to think ahead on their own.

Adults sacrifice the present for the sake of a better future; kids are only concerned about the present.

The Kids are in Charge

Now, let’s consider our national politicians. I think we would all have to admit that the latter is a more apt description of how our politicians act than the former. In other words, our politicians more closely resemble a child who wants to eat all of his Halloween candy in one night than the adult who limits himself to just a couple of pieces.

Let’s just take the last couple of weeks as an example. Biden decided to forgive more student loans, issued (preemptive) pardons for family members and political associates, issued more executive orders, and arbitrarily declared the Equal Rights Amendment as law, which he doesn’t have the power to do. President Trump, not to be outdone, signed 26 executive orders on his first day alone, declared two national emergencies (immigration and energy), and issued 1,500 pardons for the vast majority of January 6th defendants… in less than a week.

This expansion, and abuse, of the power of the executive branch did not start with either Biden or President Trump, but both have made the problem exponentially worse with complete disregard for what that portends for the future. I mean what has ever gone wrong with centralizing a bunch of power and decision-making into the hands of one person?

Surely, Congress has been rushing in to reassert itself as the most powerful branch of government as intended in the Constitution though, right? Ha.

And don’t get me started on our out-of-control entitlement programs that not a politician in the country has attempted to rein in since Paul Ryan. We can’t reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid because that would be too hard, so instead we will just pile the debt on for future generations to suffer the consequences.

The common thread is a childish refusal or inability to consider how one’s actions now will impact the future.

Conservatives are (usually) the Adults

“It stands athwart history, yelling Stop, a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.” These are the words William F. Buckley famously wrote in the mission statement for National Review in 1955- the magazine that would go on to launch the modern conservative movement.

This is the embodiment of being an adult. No one likes to be the person that has to tell others “no” or “stop” but that is exactly what adults have to do with children. Likewise, this is exactly the role that conservatives have to play in our political system: they are the ones that tell everyone “no” or “stop.”

To use another analogy: conservatives are the brake while progressives are the gas pedal. Progressives are all “go” all of the time. They see a better future, a better world, have great ideas, and no time to wait to implement them. Part of being a conservative is being inherently skeptical of these new ideas and proposed changes and saying, “wait a minute, slow down.” This makes conservativism unpopular (no one likes being told no) but also makes conservatism essential to ensure things don’t go off the rails.

It’s also why I am so much harsher on Republicans and Donald Trump than I am on Democrats. Republicans claim the label conservative. They claim to be the ones who are willing to say “no” or “stop”. Not only that but they are essential in ensuring things don’t go off the rails. Their refusal to act like adults and make the unpopular but necessary decisions now to ensure a better world for future generations is more consequential because it leaves no one left to hit the brake.

Instead, we are left watching as our leaders, both Republicans and Democrats, put pedal to the floor and ratchet up the speed in which we fly towards more powerful presidents, more significant presidential elections, and further away from the original design of the Constitution. Oh, and an inevitable financial disaster to boot.

Where are the adults?

God Bless,

Hunter Burnett