In my blog posting last Saturday, I warned us all not to stipulate to having "lost" our system of democratic self-government, just because we have a president who is clearly trying to convince us all that our system of self-government is already "gone."
Citing to Joni Mitchell's great song, "Big Yellow Taxi," I pointed out that if we want to avoid the loss of our system of self-government, it is vital that we don't stipulate to claims that we have already lost it. It is vital that we continue to act upon the premise that "we, the people," are actually in charge of what the government does, and what the government is entitled to do. If we lose our faith that this is true, we are stipulating to claims that we should not accept - and that we don't have to accept.
That this kind of "Scaredy Cat" compliance is a real danger can be found in an article printed in The New York Times on Monday, February 17th, "Venting at Democrats and Fearing Trump, Liberal Donors Pull Back Cash," The Times reported as follows (emphais added):
While Mr. Trump has not taken action against any liberal groups or lawmakers, Democrats worry his frequent threats of retribution during the campaign have led to a chilling effect on the charitable foundations and nonprofit advocacy groups that have long been pillars of the country’s civil society.
Jeff Skoll, a Silicon Valley billionaire and a longtime friend of Elon Musk’s, said there was “an awful lot of pressure” to side with Mr. Trump.
This month, Mr. Skoll, who has donated tens of millions to Democratic candidates and causes in recent years but said he did not vote in the 2024 presidential election, posted a photo on social media of himself standing with Mr. Trump backstage at the inauguration. On Friday, he had breakfast in Palm Beach, Fla., with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, where they discussed the prospect of Mr. Schumer’s using Mr. Skoll to back-channel ideas to the president....
In an interview, Mr. Skoll acknowledged his unique position, saying he had heard from many others who were frightened to fund opposition to the administration.
“There are people who were absolutely against Trump, never Trumpers, who fear that they’ll be retaliated against and they’ll have to leave the country,” Mr. Skoll said. “Folks who wish to oppose him — it may take some time before they gather up the courage.”
When the billionaires start being afraid, that's a sign of real trouble. Let's not get infected ourselves!
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