It seems that the two major candidates for President are currently focused in opposite directions in time and circumstance. Vice President Kamala Harris talks about such things as bringing back social justice for women as producers of family, finding ways to reduce the cost of everyday living and reintroducing the defeated legislation designed to take better control of immigration on the border among others.
Meanwhile Donald Trump is still grieving about his criminal convictions, the 2020 election that he lost and his political contest with President Biden that no longer exists. There is however, commentary on bits and pieces of something called Project 2025 written and published under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation, a Conservative think tank that does offer definitive plans for governing in the second Trump term.
Although the former President is disavowing Project 2025 because its publication, once read, is creating major negative reactions across the country. At the same time, it is hard to disavow a document that mentions the former President 300 times, involved over 200 employees of his administration including six former cabinet secretaries.
The first thing that is very noticeable is a plan to dismantle major institutions of the executive branch like the Department of Education and Homeland Security as well as change or restrict the work of others based on a theory called Unitary Executive. The theory in its purest form would make everyone in the executive a direct report to the President. It would expand presidential powers by making employees political appointees that can be hired and fired at the pleasure of Donald Trump. There is even a database of applicants, a Presidential Administration Academy and training modules so that the new employees are taught to behave properly.
Christian nationalism and its family values is in the plan that also includes the notion that viable life begins at conception. Abortion is not recognized and protection is provided only for heterosexual marriage and family.
The Federal Reserve is to be abolished. There is also a move away from federal income taxes to a national sales tax as the instrument for funding the government.
In Education, Title I, Head Start and other early childhood programs will be ended and replaced with a voucher system for both public and private schools. Under the plan, healthcare will be handled mostly by private sector insurance.
There is a special emphasis on arresting, detaining and removing immigrants anywhere in the country that are illegally here. Project 2025 also changes the focus on civil rights by attending more to what it calls anti-White racism.
A way to enforce the rules of an authoritarian state to use the military. This can be done in America by the invocation of the Insurrection Act. There was talk of doing that by the Trump administration during the George Floyd demonstrations. The Insurrection Act is a very dangerous tool in the wrong hands.
Project 2025’s plan for the bureaucracy in the Executive Branch is clearly a set-up for a one-man rule. Also, like a king, emperor or dictator there is a plan to look to the religious class to provide the necessary partnership for ruling.
The planned emasculation of the Article II institutional bureaucracies takes away much of the protection of the constitutional concepts enshrined in those institutions. Project 2025 plan goes a long way to clear the field for the former Presidents dictatorial style of management. It is indeed true that the stakes are very high in this election. Project 2025 controversial plan offers a contrast to those that honor our Constitution.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
