We’ve seen what good people can do when they’re outraged, having been subjected to the kind of indignities the current administration likes to inflict with no regard to right and wrong.  But we’ve also seen what brute force can do, and the threat isn’t over. Hard times and societal volatility are ahead, I believe, thanks to the destruction caused by the present administration.

The government in Washington is not helping. The institutions built to give us the sense of Good Government might be more dysfunctional than ever. Budget cuts in the name of increased efficiency have been misguided in the extreme. Probably everyone is weary from all the infighting. We have to restore the Constitutional checks and balances among the three branches of government in ways we learned about in civics class, recently high-jacked, so that no single branch of the government overtakes another. The next several elections will be critical and must not be tampered with; states have done a good job conducting elections, but their integrity is threatened by those who would destroy democracy and take power for themselves.

Big Money is not helping. Fewer and fewer people see the American dream; more and more are experiencing the American nightmare. Marketplaces have been wrecked, lifelines have been severed, health and health care are in the tank, and the demand for relief from charitable organizations has already increased mightily; it will probably double or triple when the shortfalls from today’s cruel governance trickle down. Capitalized medicine is ruining us, capitalized philanthropy is hobbling us, capitalized politics is killing us – new models will be necessary to ward off the extremism likely to hit from both ends of the spectrum.

It would be good to take a step back and take this opportunity to re-seed the gardens of democracy and let the Constitution’s flag fly. That garden needs watering and tending, and we’re all empowered to be judges in making the process work better. Beginning with ourselves, letting loose of high-strung partisanship will be the hardest part, because everyone has to give up something to restore the balance.

A multi-party system, financed by people and not corporations, could reduce the I win/You lose mentality that defeats co-operation. Leadership has to allow good people to come forward and be given roles, resources, and encouragement to do high stakes work with more freedom and imagination than has been permitted recently, so we can build the best damn constitutional government this country has seen. Idealistic, aspirational, and without a plan, I know, but it’s time to give more attention to our ideals and prioritize a more workable governance.