This Election is a Referendum on Us

American Thinker ^ | 31 Oct, 2024 | Eliot Pattison

[MtnClimber]

Many around the world think America is great because of its Constitution. But America is great because of its people.

We are ceaselessly reminded of the high stakes of the pending election. Pundits and candidates warn of stark consequences for energy policy, taxation, defense budgets, immigration, and reproductive rights. No one speaks of the highest stake, and greatest threat, of this election: the fate of the social compact that binds our nation.

When most people speak of social structure, they nearly always refer to the laws and official institutions which determine how the government relates to you and me -- but for the most part they don’t determine how you and I relate to one another. Our daily lives are primarily defined by norms of behavior based on truth, virtue and mutual respect for persons and property, more integral to our society than the voluminous codes our government has imposed on us.

These social norms are inextricably linked to America’s exceptional nature; indeed, they define it. Many years working globally have taught me that while we share certain values with other western countries, there is something very special about the character of America and Americans. It is too complex to capture with one simple label, but it has much to do with honesty, morality, industriousness, gratitude, and cheerful self-reliance. Our exceptional nature was not a gift from a political party, nor the product of government, except to the extent that government stayed out of the way and let it flourish.

Our norms were never codified -- at least not since the Ten Commandments -- but the Founders gave us what might be considered a negative template. More than a few of them, including James Madison at first, thought it unnecessary to delineate inalienable social norms...

[MtnClimber]

Do those in government still think it is their primary duty to protect the rights of the citizens? Or do they think it is a mechanism to increase their own power at the expense of the citizens?

[Macoozie]

The old Social Compact was destroyed decades ago.
It’s The People vs The State.

Today, the Dem Party is “The Man”.

MAGA is the cool counter-culture.

“Stick it to The Man!” means vote MAGA.

[Brian Griffin]

America is mainly great due to single-family zoning.

Why are you voting for Harris, the Jamaican Communist?

Because I might get pregnant because I’m too lazy to take my birth control pills on time and I want to be able to murder the possible baby without having to travel hundreds of miles.