Don’t Let the “Experts” Rewrite America

Reagan’s Warning for a New Era

Ronald Reagan, the patron saint of a generation of conservatives, said it best. “Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” For a variety of reasons, this seems to be more true today than when those words were first uttered.

The Rise of the Modern “Expert”

Whether the topic is race, our economic system, or even the country itself and its governance, there is an abundance of “experts” who urge more strongly than ever that, given the facts that our history on such matters is less than perfect, the time has come to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We need to tell them absolutely not.

The definition of “expert” has come to mean an individual with a credential who agrees with you. This approach suffers from many shortcomings. It begins with an education system that is little more than an incubator for progressive politics. Add to it, while proclaiming freedom of speech, relentlessly silencing any voices of dissent.

Government Power and the NGO Pipeline

The permanent government (Deep State, if you prefer) exacerbates the problem by both exerting pressure to silence voices that disagree with their policies and funneling our tax dollars to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to amplify the share of voice of these “experts.” Think Planned Parenthood, Concerned Scientists, etc.

A recent report by the Urban Institute (hardly a conservative source) revealed that two-thirds of non-profits get at least one government grant. They get an average of 25 percent from government sources. For those with expenses of more than one million dollars, the percentage doubles to 46 percent. Shockingly, these groups do little more for the common good than advocate for progressive policies and belly up to the bar for more public dollars.

Media and Culture in Lockstep

All the while, our legacy media behaves in near unity to report that everything about progressive policy is great. Plus, we have the world of entertainment celebrating the virtues of progressive thinking and what they contend are the shortcomings of individualism.

History’s Imperfections and Today’s Narratives

Is it true that white men of European heritage dominated much of American history? Yes. Is it true they endured, even embraced, policies that today we find wrong and unacceptable? Again, yes. Does this require the group to apologize and atone for those shortcomings? Not for this old white guy. If race is to account for everything, then a balanced approach might argue there should be (but surely does not have to be) some connection between heritage and the accomplishments of our Founding Fathers, leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, the Greatest Generation, etc. In other words, while the shortcomings are real and often vast should not mean we need to treat the entire group with disgust and disdain.

Capitalism Under Fire

There is no shortage in reporting on the lack of perfection for an economic system driven by capitalism. Indeed, outcomes are not equivalent for all citizens. It is also true that no other system has ever come close to creating the well-being and wealth for its citizens. For the record, the top one percent pay 40.4 percent of taxes collected, the top five percent 61 percent, and the top 10 percent 72 percent. Another way to say this is that the remaining 90 percent collectively pay 28 percent. Addressing subjects such as economic inequality should not result in producing a socialist government that controls the means of production.

Is America Still Exceptional?

What about the country itself? Should we be proud or not? A 2025 survey by the Pew Foundation found that 53 percent of Americans have a “unique character that makes it the greatest country in the world.” 46 percent say we are “no greater than other nations.” Among younger voters, the numbers are not even this patriotic. Creating the first actual Democratic Republic, the Constitution, progress on race and gender through the years, literally saving the world twice within 50 years, and bringing down the Soviet Union. That and a lot more is pretty impressive to me.