Lynne Stevens
There is a false narrative that claims people who have not gone to college are not educated.
Anyone who thinks this does not know very many people. Many of the smartest people I know have not been near a college.
Being educated or not educated is a choice each person makes. One of the best tests of an educated person is being inquisitive when confronted with new concepts of interest and choosing to investigate the issue.
No college required!
Explore a controversial political issue you want to know more about to determine which side of the fence is right for you.
No college required!
By taking initiative to explore on your own, your world expands dramatically rather than having your thoughts held captive by limited viewpoint media or others who may not have taken the time to look at other sides. Now you can confidently say to your peers, “Yes, I have studied that and know quite a bit about it.”
No college required!
Now comes Project 2025, which is the GOP Presidential transition plan should Trump win. Primarily created by the Heritage Foundation, it guarantees your world will not be the same and the U.S. Constitution only a suggestion. We see large corporate footprints in Project 2025 and a variety of hard-right extreme and well-funded political think tanks. Some funding comes from non-disclosed dark money sources.(Berkeley Political Review).
In other words, we might not be able to follow all the money. These financiers do not represent most of us who are not hard right or hard left.
Career Civil Servants serve in the government as a means of continuity from one administration to the next. Project 2025 sees them as impediments to getting things done ordered by the Executive branch irrespective of the propriety of what is asked. These career workers are often referred to by the right as the deep state. (Political Research Associates).
The idea that certain classes of career civil servants serve irrespective of political ideology has been in place over 140 years. They are often highly skilled with deep knowledge of government mechanics and their cumulative career expertise is the glue that holds the government together in time of crisis or transition.
The 2025 plan is to re-classify all civil servants to at-will employees, which means they can be fired for any reason including political affiliation. There are about 47,900 federal employees in North Carolina and it is unlikely they are all Republicans.
Project 2025 seeks to control all levers of government with a clear intent of blocking input from Democrats or the millions of people they represent. Project Strategist Paul Vought has called on new recruits to abandon democratic norms and make sure any orders of the executive branch are carried out without question.(Berkeley Political Review).
Out of nearly 900 pages, this is only the tip of a very deep iceberg which will significantly affect women, education, health care and more.
Go ahead, investigate both sides.
No college required.
Lynne Stevens writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. She can be reached via email, geminga@mailfence.com.