The Great American Disappointment

The Trump administration is setting America back.

But let’s be clear—this isn’t about Republicans or Democrats. It’s about power.  It’s about a system that has left Americans vulnerable, unprepared, and divided, while leaders chase their own global ambitions.

This is not a partisan blog. It’s a common-sense one.

Both parties are to blame for:

• The competitive disadvantage of American citizens

  
  

• The dismantling of national security protections

  
  

• The deliberate division of Americans for political and personal gain

Our leaders—including Trump—aren’t acting as citizens of this nation. They’ve become global players, with assets, networks, and interests spread across continents. Meanwhile, you—more than likely a citizen of one country, at most two—are left to navigate the consequences of their decisions.

We Are Losing the Global Brain Race

We are losing the race.

Not a race for medals or titles, but a technological arms race that will define the future of work, security, and global influence. Artificial intelligence is advancing at a pace most Americans can’t fathom. Machines are learning at the speed of light—an intelligence built on mathematics, data, and innovation.

Why does this matter? Because Americans are falling behind.

• In 2021, STEM occupations in the U.S. had an employment rate of 86%, compared to 79% for non-STEM jobs. Yet only 24% of the workforce worked in STEM fields【The STEM Labor Force: Scientists, Engineers, and Skilled Technical Workers】.

  
  

• In 2022, just 26% of 8th graders scored at or above proficiency in mathematics—a critical skill for fields like AI, engineering, and data science【NCES】.

As global competition intensifies, we are failing to prepare the next generation for the realities of a borderless economy.

It gets worse.

The Trump administration’s efforts to disrupt state funding of schools and dismantle the Department of Education will have devastating effects:

• Data Loss: The National Center for Education Statistics, which tracks America’s educational progress, is being gutted. Without it, we lose the ability to see where we’re failing—or succeeding.

  
  

• Innovation Stalled: The Institute of Education Sciences, which develops new educational technologies and evaluates programs, will no longer guide what works in classrooms.

  
  

• Equity Undermined: Federal support for low-income students and those with disabilities—through Pell Grants, work-study, and student loans—is under threat, impacting over 30 million students nationwide.

In a world increasingly powered by technology and innovation, cutting off access to education is more than shortsighted—it’s sabotage.

Why This Matters

At this moment in history, quality education is not just a social good. It’s a national security imperative.

If our leaders won’t prepare us for the future, who will? Can a nation thrive if its citizens are no longer competitive in a global economy?

The answer will define America’s place in the 21st century.

When National Security Became a Private Chat Thread

If the American education system has left its citizens unprepared for the future, the Trump administration’s approach to national security has left the nation itself dangerously exposed.

From handing a tech billionaire unprecedented access to sensitive federal systems, to downplaying violent insurrection, to weaponizing private channels for military operations, these failures aren’t isolated incidents. They’re symptoms of a government that no longer prioritizes the safety of its people.

Consider this:

• DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, gutted critical agencies under the guise of saving trillions, leaving America’s infrastructure vulnerable.

  
  

• January 6, 2021, saw the U.S. Capitol under siege—a domestic attack that would later see 1,500 criminal participants pardoned, signaling that loyalty to the president outweighed loyalty to the Constitution.

  
  

• In private Signal chats, top officials—including the vice president—shared operational plans to strike the Houthi in Yemen, and on another occasion discussed cyber initiatives against adversaries, all with minimal oversight or accountability.

Why This Matters

National security isn’t just about defending borders. It’s about ensuring that power isn’t concentrated in the hands of those willing to use it recklessly.

We’re no longer just talking about threats from foreign adversaries— we’re talking about the corrosion of the systems meant to protect us from ourselves. 

When private conversations replace public accountability, when loyalty to power trumps loyalty to the Constitution, we lose the very essence of a democratic society.

When national security becomes a private group chat, we all lose. It's not just about politics—it’s about whether you’ll have clean water, working power grids, or protection from threats foreign and domestic.

Division as a Strategy.

In the absence of an external threat, internal division becomes more prominent.

Today, political identity functions less as a set of beliefs and more like a tribal affiliation. 

Newsfeeds, algorithms, and media echo chambers reinforce worldviews, and politicians capitalize on fear, immigration, race, and gender to deepen tribal loyalties. Issues are rarely debated for resolution — they’re weaponized to fuel campaign dollars and divide voters. Even apolitical people are often forced into sides. What’s coming is not just a divided government — but a divided reality.

Today, politicians use “identity politics” to distract from economic policy. It’s increasingly framed as a zero-sum game, where acknowledging one group’s struggle invalidates another’s. 

For example, if you do not agree with the ethnic cleansing and starvation of the Palestinian people in Gaza- you are now “anti semitic”- this rings true to the tone of $200 million- a settlement to be paid to the US government on the behalf of Columbia University.

If weaponized, identity politics will erode social solidarity. Instead of collective progress, it becomes a game of oppression Olympics. 

Why this Matters

When Americans are split into tribes, we become easier to manipulate, distract, and control. We stop seeing each other as fellow citizens and start seeing each other as enemies. 

This weakens our ability to solve shared problems—like declining education, national security lapses, and global competitiveness—because we’re too busy fighting each other to hold anyone accountable.

While we argue over identity, those in power quietly undermine the systems that should protect us: our schools, our data, our defenses, and our rights.

However, if reframed as intersectional justice — honoring multiple truths simultaneously — identity politics could become a blueprint for global empathy and equity.

Hyper-partisan identity politics have replaced shared national purpose.

How can we Make America Great Again?

Politics has splintered our attention and diluted our responsibility. 

We’ve been trained to choose sides instead of solving problems. But greatness requires more than slogans—it requires structure, substance, and shared responsibility.

To make America great—truly great—we must:

• Create bipartisan public education campaigns on civic duty—not just our rights, but our responsibilities.

• Teach critical thinking, media literacy, and global history—not sanitized patriotism or partisan narratives.

• Build policies that reflect lived realities: from maternal health and economic mobility to environmental racism and digital inequality.

• Support leadership pipelines that center marginalized voices—not as tokens, but as architects of the future.

To truly make America great, we need a nation that values critical thinking over blind allegiance, where disagreement doesn’t mean disloyalty. 

We must stop trying to return to a version of the past that never served us all—and instead build a future that does.

The truth is: America was never meant to be great again.

It was meant to become something greater than it has ever been.

If we want to lead the world, we must first lead ourselves—with humility, clarity, and courage.

MAGA should not be a return. It should be a re-launch. A commitment to rise—not for power, but for purpose. Not for the past, but for the planet.

-365