The ‘Builders’ are coming….

Making America Great Again is going to have to be a joint effort. One man alone cannot achieve this lofty, yet essential goal.

I discovered a few weeks ago that the next generational identity to follow the so-called Millennials is going to be “The Builders”. This was exciting to learn. The name which had been bandied about before the “Builders” was the “Founders”. That made no sense, founders of what? But the Builders? Now that’s something we can all get behind and none too soon. If nothing more, it could serve as a sort of vision statement.

It was the “Greatest Generation” and the generation before them who were our last builders, in this country. They were the ones who built our dams and bridges, our foundries and factories, interstate highway system, and birthed the generation who ushered in the space program.

But since their day, we have had generations of boomers and more than a few whiners, who, rather than building, have been tearing down what was bequeathed to them. Instead of building our factories and foundries, bridges, buildings, and dams, they are tearing them out!

We’ve lost thousands of factories due to overregulation and over taxation, compounded by trade “deals” which have made some manufacturing impractical if not impossible. According to Ed Schultz at MSNBC trade deals have caused over 50,000 factories to close their doors. It really all started with NAFTA back in 1994, but it’s gotten worse. And the current proposal for a Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is worse yet.

It’s interesting that during the Republican National Convention this week in Cleveland, Ohio, a group called Prophets of Rage, a blend of Rock and Hip Hop, performed a protest concert the theme of which is to End Poverty Now. But what is really interesting is that front man and lead guitar for Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello, has become an outspoken critic of TPP, which ironically is the same position held by Donald Trump, the man he was protesting. Rage, leans a little too heavy towards anarchy for my liking, but there is a fine line between that and liberty. In this instance, Morello and Trump could cut a “deal” and become strong allies.

But either way if America is to become great again, we are going to need to build stuff, and lots of it! And in order to do that we are going to need energy. Not windmill whirly gigs, but nuclear, and hydrocarbon based energy plants. China understands this and is building nuclear at a furious pace, positioning themselves for future industrial expansion. While we will be forced to compete with windmills.

Trump has released a preview of his energy plan (featured in an article by Marita Noon on page 14). At least he is addressing the concern, which the establishment has done nothing substantive about. Noon feels it is a step in the right direction. What we need is to move towards full and complete energy independence. This is essential if we are going to provide the platform for our future builders and is a significant component of national security as well.

The problem is nothing new, but is not being addressed by the Department of Energy, which came into being under Jimmy Carter and has been a complete disaster. This is an agency which should be shut down entirely. Let the engineers and scientists lead the discussion, and the free-market capitalists fund their conclusions.

It will not be another generation of social and political theorists who will Make America Great Again; it will be our future generation of builders, freed from the shackles of government interference who alone can achieve this.

We are poised for a dramatic shift in ideology under a Trump administration. It is my hope that he will roll back the draconian policies that have crippled our economy. It really is a time that Americans can stand united again, as we did when Reagan came into office, with real hope and optimism about a future of building and achievement, not the industrial devolution we’ve been in for the past three decades.

And if this comes to pass, our social ills improve as well. Give someone a handout and they will resent you, provide them with an opportunity to succeed, with no artificial constraints, and look out! We could usher in a time of economic growth and prosperity, the likes of which we haven’t seen in our lifetimes.

We have a history as Americans, as the greatest example of freedom and prosperity the world has ever known. What is before us today is the opportunity to build on our past successes!

David Jaques, Editor