One of the central themes of Donald Trump’s campaign this year has been “Make America Great Again,” or MAGA. While this notion suggests a certain period and quality of life that represent greatness, Trump is less clear about a specific definition of “Great,” and what chapters of history represent this greatness.

As I contemplated this, I thought that Mr. Trump might be discussing a period of U.S. history sometimes thought of as idyllic: the 1950s, or even more specifically, 1954, the year I was born. Would Mr. Trump define this period as “Great”?  If so, what has changed since then to make this country less great, and would returning to those “Happy Days” Make America Great Again?

As 1954 began, segregated schools were common, including in Topeka, Kansas, until May of that year, when the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional. Does MAGA include a return to segregated schools? What other significant events since 1954 either created Greatness or undermined it? Would  rescinding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (thus allowing states to prevent Blacks to vote) return the United States to a period of greatness? Would a return to bans on interracial marriage (declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Loving v Virginia in 1967) Make America Great Again? Would a ban on gay marriage (illegal in every state in 1960) represent MAGA? How about a total abortion ban, which was illegal in every state in 1954?

Rather than speculate about Mr. Trump’s answers to these questions, it is more appropriate to identify Trump’s expressed views, which can be taken as hints of what he means by MAGA. One such issue is immigration. I agree with Mr. Trump that the current system is terribly broken and needs reform. I am, however, skeptical that “deporting” all undocumented immigrants would Make America Great Again until some questions are answered. First, who will replace “them” to grow the food “we” eat? Estimates of the percentage of farm workers in the U.S. who are “undocumented” range from 25% to 40%, and even the lower estimate would produce a monumental shortfall of farm labor. An article in Businessweek in June 2017 quoted a farmer in Kansas to headline an article, “I Need More Mexicans.” The enormous loss of labor would produce significant food shortages, which in turn would create large increases in food prices. Mr. Trump claims that he will deport all (he claims 18,000,000) undocumented immigrants. How many millions of federal workers will need to be hired to go door to door across the country, and how much would this effort cost? Moreover, would this really Make America Great Again?

A second issue that Mr. Trump discusses at length concerns what he calls, “The Deep State,” or employees of government in (for example), the Department of Justice and other federal agencies. Moreover, Mr. Trump pledges to “go after” his “political enemies,” fire those working in government and replace them with Trump loyalists. During the 19th century, the practice of hiring government workers based on loyalty rather than merit was called “The Spoils System” (to the winner go the spoils), and was viewed as extraordinarily corrupt.  This practice worsened until passage of The Pendleton Act in 1883, which created  a system of hiring government employees based on merit (rather than loyalty) for all but the highest political appointments.  It is hard to imagine that returning to the corruption of “The Spoils System” would Make America Great Again.

A third issue significant to MAGA concerns energy production, with Trump emphasizing increased production of fossil fuels rather than alternative sources of energy.  While I may be nostalgic for the “good old days” of 30 cents/gallon gas when I first learned to drive, I am not blind to the consequences of climate change. Increasing temperatures in our future are certainly not consistent with any understanding of Make America Great Again.  Moreover, wind now produces more than 40% of all the energy consumed in Kansas, and last year surpassed coal as the number one producer of electricity in the state.  How much more expensive would energy in Kansas be without the contribution of energy supplied by wind?

I understand the nostalgic appeal of MAGA, but I also understand that those who crafted the Constitution in 1787 did NOT claim to create a “perfect union.” Instead they made a modest claim “to create a MORE perfect union” than the one that had existed since ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781. In so doing, they left it to future generations to continue an ongoing process that would liberate slaves, confer the right to vote to women, and make the other reforms since the 1950s that I have noted. In that sense they were fundamentally future oriented, in contrast to the backward-looking Make America Great America. With that said, I am nostalgic for one aspect of our history that I deeply and sincerely wish we could return to: the days when politics was less polarized and less demonizing of “others,” whether immigrants or Blacks or LBGTQ+ or women or Democrats or Republicans or any other group. If we do not transcend such demonization, I fear that it will be difficult to Make America’s Future Greater (call it MAFG).

— Mark Peterson

By Hadrian Zurek

Right now, the odds are good that you and your family are contributing to the collapse of our democracy. Now that may sound like an impossibility; you aren’t promoting the monarchy, committing terrorism, or just furthering the aims of an oppressive upper class to the detriment of your peers, but you are contributing to this decline by not voting. For example, school board elections whose candidates oversee the futures of around 50 million children, only get at most 5-10% voter turnout from an estimate made by the National School Boards Association. In America, these local elections are the most important votes you can cast during an election cycle.

The first and most noticeable difference in local elections that makes them so much more important is the level of connection with candidates. In local venues and meet and greets candidates can discuss more in-depth policy issues, and you can have the chance to cross-examine them and find understanding. To find these events all you have to do is go to local Facebook groups, show up to forums, or meet and greets, and talk to the candidates personally. In contrast, for someone like Kamala Harris, you would be lucky to get the chance to shake her hand, let alone have an hour-long discussion about policy issues.

Another difference is winnability. Federal elections are held in every state, they are influenced by more than 350 million people whereas in local elections such as Kansas’s Congressional District 2, there are only 780,000 people, and much fewer in individual counties and house districts. This makes organizing more a matter of finding family and friends to knock on doors and buy signs, not hiring teams of door knockers.

Some argue that Federal Elections are more important because of a sense of scale, but this is blind to the actuality of policy-making. To go back to the example of School Boards, they influence directly your curriculum, your school policy and handbook, and school staff. A lot of the issues that matter to local, hardworking Kansans are decided at the local level.

So don’t destroy democracy. Remember the importance of local elections, and how they affect your family. Find your local candidates, and go to their events. Talk to people you know, make sure they’re registered to vote, and if you aren’t sure, go to ksvotes.org to check voter registration.

By Mike Sand

I personally think that the concept of Trickle Down Economics Is a huge con. The mistake starts innocently enough with equating the qualities of water with the qualities of money. Water flows downhill, always has, always will.

Money is taken or sent to where it collects. True, a little money is sent down from the rich, who store it, to the poor, who consume it. But only a trickle of the whole amount is moved. We should make ourselves aware of this because “trickle down” is portrayed as a good thing. In reality, it is shameful.

Ronald Reagan is credited with coming up with the concept in the 1980s, however it goes back to the 1930s and Will Rogers. It’s a pretty safe bet with Will Rogers using the term, that it wasn’t especially complimentary. The Republicans have gotten a lot out of this misdirection. They continue to cause the average American Republican to vote counter to his own wellbeing. Just say the words “tax cut” and you own them.

To give a tax break to those who already have more money than they can spend, accomplishes exactly Jack Squat. The Federal revenue which is lost by these tax breaks must be made up, and it will be, by people who can’t be heard. The poor and middle classes will have to cough it up.

The very rich: Jeff Bezos with nearly $200B, Elon Musk with $251.6B, Mark Zuckerberg with $177.3B, cannot spend all the money they already have, though Musk may manage to lose all his. The money they can’t spend is money that no one can spend. It’s out of circulation, in a vault somewhere. And if they were to spend it on more business enterprises and hire more employees, a lot of the profits from those businesses would also disappear into those same vaults and be out of play as well. Note that Bezos and Musk are not ideal employers. They have proven to be a mite stingy.

So don’t waste time looking for much of a puddle at the feet of any working men or women. If you find any moisture at all, it’s probably sweat.

The Crawford County Democratic Headquarters, located at 217A N. Broadway, has scheduled hours of Monday-Friday, from 10-4 and from 1-3 on Saturday, The HQ phone number is 620-670-6867.

If you are interested in volunteering or participating in CCD events and upcoming activities, you can fill out a volunteer form about your interests. We invite anyone interested to join our groups which include: the Young Democrats, the High School Democrats, the Outreach Group, the Liberal Ladies who Lunch, the community garden group, and the book group.

The headquarters depends on two things to keep the doors open — monthly financial support and Democrats giving of their time.

Volunteering at the HQ is a place to visit with likeminded friends and meet new friends while supporting Democratic wins in elections.

Whether you could work on a regular basis or could just fill in occasionally, your time will make a difference.

Calling or stopping by to fill out a volunteer form would be greatly appreciated!