And Now for Something Entirely Different: A post from 2038
Dan Bidstrup

After 30 years of writing for the Examiner.com, I have seen most everything.  I thought I would write today on the watershed events around 2008 that reset the course of the last three decades in American politics.  Guns played an amazing part.  First, we had the election of Barak Obama, America's first black president who began to pick administration officials and cabinet members with obvious track records opposing gun rights. The intentions coming out of congress and statements by administration officials fueled the fears that our 2nd Amendment rights were in the sights of this new president.  The ensuing months after the election saw gun sales soar as previous owners bought guns they intended to own someday before they were outlawed, and first time buyers got off the fence and bought a gun "just in case" the new administration moved to outlaw guns.  Ammunition was being bought like the country was preparing for war.  About half way through the Obama term, supplies eased up as manufacturers finally added permanent increases in manufacturing capacity.  They decided that the level of consumption in our country had permanently increased with millions of new owners adding to the increased interest in shooting sports and self defense. 

In 2009, Montana threw down the gauntlet to the federal government on states' rights by passing a law stating that any guns and ammunition manufactured in the state and used in the state were not subject to any federal laws.  Additional states like Texas and Utah began to join in with similar legislation, and other states like Oklahoma created resolutions and laws asserting states' rights in other ways. There was a growing realization among Americans that the federal government not only handled negotiations with other sovereign nations and established uniform weights and measures, but also specified the allowable size of cabbages to be sold in grocery stores, and held investigatory hearings into steroid use by baseball players.  Congressional oversight was everywhere, into everything, and the states had become mere administrative units of the federal government.   The growth of government became so taxing, literally, that as a nation we said enough.

The Tea Party movement began in 2008 with mass demonstrations beginning on April 15th, tax day, seeing over 200 such "parties" across the country.  On July 4th of that year, the number of  "Tea Parties" taking place had grown to over 1,000.  FOX News which premised news coverage on the motto of "fair and balanced" continued its growth explosion in 2008, growing 30% that year over 2007.  Talk radio had become so popular that new car buyers didn't want new cars that had dropped the AM band in favor of satellite radio.  Efforts to stem the growth and intrusion of government crashed over the wall in the 2010 elections, with the Republicans retaking majorities in the House and Senate and many state governors' races. Americans had come to the realization that they themselves, personally, had better step up and run their own affairs responsibly.  Local government was better than farther away whenever possible.  Personal responsibility and accountability had become the watchwords of the day. The split between the congress and the white house kept the most egregious legislative efforts like microstamping ammunition bogged down, but the drift toward big, intrusive government was only slowed.

A nascent Constitution party didn't make much impact on the 2010 elections, but continued to grow year by year.  In 2012 they won some congressional seats and by the 2016 campaign they had enough structure and support in the country to field their own candidate for president.  She didn't win, but her presence in the race forced discussion in the nation about states' rights and the proper duties of the federal government.  Perhaps her campaign slogan of  "Cage the Beast" while memorable, was a bit over the top. She was an unabashed supporter of the second amendment and the constitutional freedoms guaranteed to individuals and states, and time and again made the point that free people allow themselves to be governed by elected leaders, so massive gun ownership by the populace was no threat. She believed that an armed society was a free and safe society.  The 5th edition of "More Guns, Less Crime" was the largest print run yet for that book, and she was often seen handing out copies at rallies.  In the 2020 election, the Constitution party candidate won the White House and a large number of congressional seats. 

The new president cut the cabinet back to 5 secretaries and banned czars from his administration.  The large cuts in federal agencies and payroll allowed for the federal income tax cuts that went into effect in 2021.  While states had to take up many functions that the federal government had cut, many more were never missed.  The states began to communicate more closely on issues of mutual concern outside of Washington, and congressional staffs were pared since senators and congressmen had much less to do.  Washington employment shrank considerably, and the lobbying industry had to disburse throughout the 50 states where the real political power now resides. The president finally finished selling to the private market all the nationalized banks and other businesses collected up by the Bush and Obama administrations, applying the proceeds to retire some of the national debt.

In retrospect, it is amazing to think that the second amendment rights were the touchstone for the American people to actually see and understand the misguided path of the federal government and take some positive actions for the American people and the good of the country rather than the political class.  New challenges will face America going forward, but she is strongest when she follows her founding document, the constitution.

Speaking of gun rights, one of my favorite things was the invention by the descendent of Samuel Colt of a pulsed energy pistol, promptly dubbed a "phaser".  Now that people can dial from stun to vaporize, everybody has one.  Even my sister has bought one!

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