How to build a flourishing society
Part 2
Nearly two years ago I wrote a manifesto of sorts, detailing the kind of world I would like to see realized, and the kind of country and governance I would like to see implemented. Nearly everything I wrote there I stand by. Now I put in specific actions that may help us to get to that idealized state. For those who think my prescriptions are an over-reaction, I will only say that the last 8 years have convinced me, and a large subset of the country, of three things:
The deep state exists
The deep state is incompetent
The deep state hates us (Hilary spoke for the deep state when she called us “deplorables”).
Given the sclerosis and authoritarianism of our current system, I believe my scope of change is justified. Yet the objective is not to destroy, but to reform and renew. While complete demolition and reconstruction of institutions is preferred to the status quo, it will cause excessive upheaval relative to reformation. Here are my recommended actions:
Voting and advocacy
Vote for anyone who is implicitly or explicitly against the current regime, and will stall or shut down the government rather than acquiesce.
Vote for those who will take aggressive action in the case of a Republican majority. A big black pill for me was how the establishment (including many tea-party candidates) were caught flatfooted in 2016. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to pass laws. These laws can, and even should be, unpopular. Many deeply unpopular laws (eg, ACA) have become unimpeachable in a very short time.
Continue to advocate outside the Overton window at the local (municipal/state) level. The right candidate can shift the national Overton window.
Alternative institutions. In the event that current institutions must be abolished, these can step in seamlessly. In the more hopeful event that current institutions can be reformed, these will create competitive pressure on existing institutions.
Create regime-independent institutions at the local level. This is easy to say (many have written about this need), but it is harder to execute. Rufo and Doug Wilson may be the only two that have successfully implemented alternative institutions, and they are a drop in the bucket compared to the existing leftist institutions. I would suggest starting with a local church and creating institutions stemming from that church. This has the benefit of having a naturally conservative foundation from which to create these institutions, and many such institutions (eg, church schools) already exist. Only do this if you genuinely believe: don't take advantage of the church's infrastructure merely for political ends.
Create regime-independent criteria for excellence. Accreditation for universities is a monopoly, and can be a political cudgel. Alternative rigorous certifications can provide a path forward for conservative institutions.
Create independent financial services. This is perhaps the most difficult to achieve, and requires a large insular society to be practicable. Current KYC laws and the ubiquity of the dollar makes any independent financial activity impossible. All money funnels through the highly-regulated and potentially politically motivated banking cartel. Even Bitcoin requires conversion back to dollars to purchase anything useful, and that conversion is subject to onerous KYC requirements. Creating an alternative "money" as a means of exchange requires an economy robust enough to not require external transactions or trade.