Opinion – Col Owens: It’s time for Republicans to take stock — is this what you wanted?

I write to address Republicans in NKY, about the first days of the second Trump Administration.

Donald Trump won the November election for several reasons. High food prices, and inflation generally. The situation at the southern border, the perception that Democrats support an open border. A general belief that Democrats have given the government over to a mix of minorities, special interests, and elites who do not understand or support ordinary people.

I do not write to re-litigate that election. Instead, I want to focus on what is happening now, how it relates to what was promised during the campaign, and more importantly, how it relates to what is in the country’s best interests.

What we are witnessing is a campaign of retribution against those that Trump and his closest supporters see as responsible for the legal actions undertaken against him during the Biden Administration, as well as those taken against the January 6 insurrectionists.

Our federal government has grown over 250 years, from George Washington meeting with his four cabinet members to our current complex of cabinets and agencies, with millions of employees, that manage the multitudinous areas of modern life and society.

As the federal government has evolved, it has been structured to provide services and protection to all segments of society, in a dispassionate way. This has been accomplished by blending leadership representing electoral victors with a huge civil service of employees chosen for merit and protected from political interference. This combination has served us well.

It is not hyperbole to say that the United States has achieved the most effective government and society known to the modern era. Thus the events of recent days should give pause. Because on their face, they suggest that this highly efficient system we have developed might be in serious peril.

Let me digress for a moment. This is not an election year in Kentucky. Thus this is not a campaign-oriented message. It is directed to Republicans, true enough. Because, at least for the time being, they have the greatest impact on events.

We have seen individuals nominated for leadership of key government agencies without the qualifications normally expected. Why? Because of their loyalty to Trump.

We have seen executive orders to remove top leaders from the Department of Justice and the FBI. Why? Because they did their jobs during the Biden Administration, enforcing the law. Trump has interpreted their actions as a conspiracy against him, and against the multitudes of “patriots” who attacked the Capitol on January 6.

We have seen an attempt to freeze almost all federal funding, an action reversed a day later by a federal court, and because of the chaos it unleashed across the land. He has announced his intention to enact tariffs against China, Mexico and Canada – our three major trading partners. An action that economists say will result in significantly increased prices for American consumers.

We have seen a campaign of terror unleashed against undocumented immigrants, resulting in disruption of families and communities across the country, with little fidelity to the stated purpose of capturing and deporting those who have committed violent crimes.

All of these actions – and more – have had the effect – if not the intent – of creating fear among Americans of all walks of life.

This is not an accident. It does not take too deep a dig into history to see what fear does to a populace. Actions people might normally take to object to events unfolding in their communities get stifled. Increasingly dangerous actions meet with less and less resistance.

Readers, especially Republican readers, might feel I am simply belaboring widely known events while offering biased judgments. Perhaps so. But I, like everyone, have to call them like I see them.

When I consider our present circumstances from the 30,000 foot level, I believe that our governmental structure and institutions are so strong – having survived even an incredibly bloody civil war – that they will survive whatever comes over the next four years. That may or may not be a given. We don’t know.

But when I focus more on what seems possible over those four years, I become more fearful. An enormous amount of damage can be done. And a lot of people can get hurt.

So: what am I asking of my Republican friends?

Consider not my take on this situation, but your own. Ask yourselves, is this what I wanted, what I voted for?

I wanted prices to come down. Nothing on that yet. Tariffs will increase prices significantly.

I wanted the border to be secure. Now we have U S. military soldiers there, doing domestic law enforcement. Is that a good thing?

Do I think these attacks on leaders of our major law enforcement institutions, many of whom have served in nonpartisan capacities, to replace them with Trump loyalists, is good for the country?

As Republicans, you have the upper hand. You are the ones who can make a difference – if you see the need for a difference.

I simply invite you to look at the big picture here. And then do what your mind and your conscience tell you should be done.

Col Owens is a retired legal aid attorney and law professor, author of Bending the Arc Toward Justice, longtime Democratic Party activist, and member of the Boards of Directors of Kentucky Voices for Health and the Kentucky Board of Elections.