If you were looking for evidence that America’s ruling class has completely lost touch with reality, look no further than the latest headlines. A governor with rock-bottom approval ratings clinging to failed policies that have driven people out of her state, and a federal transportation funding strategy that finally prioritizes family values and national security—yes, this is real life.
The bigger question is: who is actually benefiting from the policies of the left? Because it sure is not the hardworking American people.
Take Trump’s latest battlefront—New York. The Empire State is desperate for federal funding to fix its crumbling trains, tunnels, and bridges, but Trump has a new condition: Want the money? Strengthen your communities by promoting marriage, family, and law and order. You read that correctly. His administration is prioritizing federal transportation dollars for states that invest in their own future by encouraging stable families, increasing birth rates, and enforcing immigration laws. It is a move that has left New York politicians fuming, but can you really blame Trump for wanting to reward states that take responsibility for their own well-being instead of relying on endless handouts?
New York, after all, has become a prime example of what happens when you abandon traditional values and replace them with government dependency. The state is already hemorrhaging residents at a historic rate. U-Haul’s latest migration report ranks New York 47th in the nation for inbound moves, meaning more people are fleeing the state than ever before. High taxes, skyrocketing crime, and a government obsessed with woke ideology rather than real governance—it is no surprise that New Yorkers are packing up and heading to places where their tax dollars actually provide basic services.
And yet, state officials remain in full-blown denial. Governor Kathy Hochul, despite facing dismal approval ratings, is doubling down on big-government spending while simultaneously pushing for higher taxes on the wealthy. Because clearly, nothing fixes a failing state faster than forcing the last few successful people left to pay even more.
Meanwhile, New York’s biggest cash grab—congestion pricing—is now under threat from the Trump administration. The city’s new $9 daily fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street was supposed to generate billions in revenue for transit improvements. But Trump is now considering killing the entire program, citing its devastating impact on businesses, commuters, and working-class families. Naturally, city officials are losing their minds, warning that without congestion pricing, NYC’s already mismanaged transit system could spiral into full collapse.
But maybe the real question should be: Why does the MTA need a $65 billion capital plan in the first place? How many times can New York ask for more money, more taxes, and more fees before someone finally demands accountability?
And while Americans are growing tired of their leaders prioritizing pet projects over basic governance, some are taking it a step further—renouncing their U.S. citizenship entirely. A 2023 survey found that nearly 20% of American expatriates are considering giving up their citizenship, citing complex tax laws and lack of representation. Some are even looking to Canada as a better option, willing to navigate that country’s rigid immigration system just to escape the financial and bureaucratic nightmare of being an American abroad.
Speaking of policies that should be getting more support—let us talk about Trump’s plan to detain criminal migrants at Guantánamo Bay. The left predictably exploded in outrage, but the plan itself is not radical—it is common sense. The facility has been used to house migrants before—just not at this scale. Trump’s idea? Take the worst offenders—violent criminals, drug traffickers, gang members—and send them offshore, away from sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with ICE.
Of course, critics are already claiming it will spark international backlash, legal battles, and human rights violations. But should Americans really be concerned about what foreign governments think when their own citizens are being killed by illegal migrants who should have been deported years ago? The Laken Riley Act, which mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft and violent crimes, just passed with bipartisan support. So if even some Democrats are agreeing that criminal migrants need to be detained, why the outrage over Guantánamo?
Let us also not forget the White House’s ongoing economic battle—this time, defending tariffs as a “necessary solution” to protect American jobs and industry. Trump has once again imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, arguing that they will pressure China on fentanyl production, rebuild American manufacturing, and protect workers from unfair trade practices. The usual critics claim these tariffs will raise consumer prices and disrupt supply chains.
Is there truth to both sides? Perhaps. But let us ask the real question here: How else do we stop China from flooding our streets with fentanyl? U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 21,148 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border last year alone—enough to kill nearly 5 billion people. That is not just a crisis; it is a war. And Trump is treating it like one.
Which brings us to an even bigger question: Who exactly is fighting for the American people? We hear a lot about “leadership” from politicians, but leadership is not about maintaining the status quo—it is about fixing what is broken. The country is unraveling at the seams, and instead of solutions, we are drowning in political theater, bureaucratic waste, and a ruling class that treats governance like a personal enrichment scheme.
Real leadership requires sacrifice, courage, and a willingness to challenge failing institutions—even at personal cost. That is why it is worth remembering Four Chaplains Day. On February 3, 1943, four U.S. Army chaplains gave up their own life jackets to save others aboard the sinking USS Dorchester. These men—Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish—stood together in unity, prayed as the ship went down, and sacrificed their own lives so others could live.
That is real leadership. That is service. That is what true selflessness looks like.
And yet today, we live in a world where leadership has been reduced to empty words and personal gain. Politicians hoard power instead of using it to lift others. Bureaucrats enrich themselves while the country crumbles. The people who built this nation—our working-class families, our veterans, our entrepreneurs—are treated as disposable, while those who exploit the system are rewarded.
So say it with me: Leadership is the beacon that guides me, for it is through selfless service that I illuminate the way for others to find their own greatness.
America does not need more politicians. It needs leaders. And it is time we start demanding them.
