The Next Step

Blog#240- 4/16/25

THE NEXT STEP
By
Richard Davis

Outrage and anger. Many Americans are feeling things that make them feel powerless to change. The talking heads are telling us what we already know. The Trump administration is ignoring the legal system and defying any constitutional restraints that a moral and ethical administration would respect. The dictator is firmly in place and no one is willing to make him accountable.

Can the people of this country figure out a way to stop the madness, to force a madman who has become completely intoxicated with power to follow the rule of law? Every day we wake up to a new assault on our freedom. The rest of the world looks at the U.S. and realizes that we are in turmoil and that we have become vulnerable to economic assault. The measures that Trump is putting in place are hurting Americans the most.

The frustration is mounting. There have been protests around the country and they have been helpful to send a message to Washington that a lot of people want to see a government that respects the rule of law and looks out for its own people. But Trump could care less about protests. They don’t change anything. We need to figure out how to take things to the next level.

In many countries that next level would be a militant coup to take over the government. That is not likely to happen in this country, but we have seen violence from the right in recent years and it is possible that Americans could take to the streets to react against Trump in a violent manner.

As frustration builds we need to figure how to do things that will force Trump to change course. So far, the leadership in Washington will not defy anything Trump does and they continue to bow down to him at every turn. Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez are crossing the country to rally people to let them know they have some support in Washington, but their words are not enough.

We need to start to do things that will block some of the Trump actions. The problem is that whatever we do will hurt us at the same time. It seems like a no-win situation but the time has come for personal sacrifice. If we do not act now we will end up living in a dictatorship where free speech and laws are meaningless.

One type of mass action could be a tax protest. If the government doesn’t get enough money to run the country it would send a message. It sounds like a good idea but I doubt enough people would withhold taxes to make a difference. We would also need support from the corporate community. The logistics would be difficult. Trump would most likely deficit spend if not enough money comes in.

If the people of this country can unite against Trump they could shut down the country. Truckers could stop working and block the roadways of commerce. Dock workers who move goods into and out of this country could mount a massive strike at all our ports and stop the flow of goods. Other sectors of commerce could join in.

We could start out with massive strikes one day a month and threaten to increase the frequency. The message would be clear that we are willing to make our own lives difficult because we are so fearful of the actions of the self-appointed dictator. If there ever was a time for mass action this is it.

We are living in unprecedented times and that means that we have to act in ways that will be difficult for all of us. If we do not make sacrifices now to defy Trump we run the risk of losing our freedom forever. No one thought Hitler could do much harm because he was espousing such extreme ideas. We must never forget.