It’s easy for populist candidates to tell people what they want to hear to get elected but much more difficult to govern once elected. Specifically, if you kick out of the country workers that are satisfied (though not justified) with low paying jobs, who is going to replace them? If wages are raised to attract a new workforce who is going to pay for that? Consumers through inflation? Corporations through a cut in profit?

In addition, removing the current standard of pre-existing conditions protections will have a very real effect on millions of Americans. Will people welcome their increased freedoms or will they instead see servitude to health care debt?

Ultimately, I think the best thing that could have happened to this country was a populist candidate sweeping all levels of government. He will be able to fully implement his policies and either the American People will love it or hate it. If they love it then we’ve found a pathway to American progress. If not, then the electorate will choose a different path.

I suspect my fellow citizens won’t be happy with the direction the country has gone and we will go back to the other party’s direction. However, that’s exactly how democracy is supposed to work: alternating between many opinions and finding common ground.

My message to my children is to be patient. The country has slowly progressed and improved over time and will continue to do so in the future.

Stephen Johnson

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