November 9th, 2016
You have spoken – you rejected the status quo, you got tired of business as usual . . . now what? It’s a tough question but one that as the potential to affect every one of us, especially mature Americans. Before we delve into the future let’s talk about why this happened, it might help us decipher what might be in store for us.
People worldwide are losing trust in intuitions, from Britain’s departure from the European Union to the rise of the right in many other nations. A sense that their government and the big money people in their country control them and that they have no say or power is at the core of this revolution. I think Americans got a sense that the government cares more about minority groups and illegal immigrants than it cares about the common guy working to make ends meet in middle America. This loss of relevance generated the tsunami that swept Donald trump into the White House. I’ve talked to many of you who felt helpless as Medicare was cut to pay for Obamacare, have witnessed the misuse of Presidential power to change regulations and stood by while the President used Presidential fiat to bypass Congress and even the Judiciary. You voted for good Americans to represent you, people you thought would make a difference, and saw them sucked into the maelstrom of Washington politics, their promise unfulfilled. You got tired of being ignored and opted to take a chance on an outsider, and who can blame you.
I think this election was America turning its back on the government and returning to the individual, the person for whom the Constitution was written. The Constitution speaks of unalienable rights – not entitlements, of individuals– not groups. The Constitution seeks to give us the freedom to pursue happiness – something no government can guarantee. I think America got tired of Washington telling you that the answer to every question was more government. I think the citizens of England saw their identity being lost in the European Union, they saw others, across the channel, making decisions that affected them but over which they had no control. A little like a group of people 240 years ago who were taxed by a government across the ocean without representation. You saw your vote shrinking in importance because unelected bureaucrats were enacting policies and regulations that impacted your lives and your anger turned to a revolution that elected Donald Trump President.
So, we’ve elected an outsider, what happens now? It’s a little like the dog who has been chasing cars forever and finally catches one, what does he do now he’s caught the car?
We know what business man Trump was, we know what campaigner Trump was, we don’t know what kind of President Trump will be. President Trump needs to surround himself with people who aren’t afraid to let America grow. It will be interesting to see if Trump chooses people who are smart or those who were loyal. Not that a person may not have both qualities, only that the first and primary trait should be finding the best person for the job. He needs to follow through on his promises to let the individual be free. He needs to expand his circle of inclusion but expect the individual to be responsible for their actions. He needs to restore the hope that hard work really will be rewarded, not by a benevolent government but by a free market that is free to reward hard work. America will never be great again by expanding our government, by increasing entitlements, listening to special interests, writing more regulations or increasing our taxes. It will be great again if the individual has the freedom to fail.
Our country will be great again if we prove that we can survive this revolution and return the power to the people. RetireSafe, along with all of you, will be watching closely. These really are times to be remembered.
Sincerely,
Thair Phillips – President