Kings

Williamsburg Reenactment

It’s been 250 years or so since the American Colonies were subject to a king and to supreme royal and religious authority. That authority governed all life in England, including religion, society, and economics. Everything. Some folks thought living under the crown and the Church of England was oppressive and unpredictable…subject to the whims of rulers who didn’t care one whit about the people who served them. Consequently, many of these malcontents left England to escape the shackles of royal power, to leave the single religious channel, and to discover economic opportunity.

It was not, however, only the freedom seekers who left England for the Colonies; as economic opportunities opened, people loyal to the King also emigrated or at least established businesses in the Colonies. These folks were called Loyalists or Tories. In those days, loyalty to the crown had an economic benefit and if you were a commoner, you wanted to suck up to some royal personage to get their patronage, that is, their approval and their business. There was a pecking list…king at the top, followed closely by the church leaders, landed members of the royalty, and successful businessman. Eventually we fought a war against England and against our neighbors we’d labeled Loyalists. England lost the war, many of the Loyalists escaped to Florida, Canada or England, most stayed in place and were brought back into society. And our forefathers vowed we would no longer be subject to kings and to autocratic, intolerant religion. The debate was ferocious, how much responsibility did the US government bear for all of its people versus the state governments. They compromised. They tried to frame a government and documents that created a balance so no matter the disagreement about policies, processes, etc., the overarching principle was balance.

Enter the Supreme Court of 2025. They have created a new position…still called President of the United States, but with all the powers and privileges of a king or emperor. I find the decision shocking and I don’t think it makes any difference which party you belong to when you consider the implications. In fact, parties will become meaningless within one election cycle, they probably already are. So here we are, on the brink of losing all the promise envisioned by the Patriots of 1776. It doesn’t take a deep analysis to discover that money is the main driver in elections, no longer policies or issues. The Supreme Court enabled dollars for votes several years ago by allowing dark money to flow into campaigns. The balance is gone. What will “trip the wire” to full autocracy? Hmmm. Perhaps the election. After reading trump’s plan for 2025, I know he and his loyalists have fully bought into the plan for an autocracy or oligarchy. But if the democrats move swiftly, couldn’t they “Officially Act” by postponing the election? It’s awful. And yet most of us just toddle along.

Most people will pooh-pooh my opinion. I’m pretty sure the Germans of 1927 were the same way.