Think About It with Michael Leppert

Hear ye! Hear ye, America! It's Inauguration Week! But please don't confuse it with infrastructure week. The swearing in of a convicted felon actually did happen on Monday.

The striking components of Donald Trump's second inauguration speech weren't filled with goodness, with inspiration, or with charm. Of course they weren't. What child of our nation was expecting a highlight real like that?

The sequel to his 2017 "American Carnage" inauguration address was not terribly different in its tone or in its fundamental wrongness. This speech's title will likely come from his promise of the beginning of a "Golden Age of America." Again though, the erroneous assumptions contained in it are strikingly similar to eight years ago: everything is broken and terrible and his presence in office will magically fix all of it and make it wonderful.

Just like eight years ago, it was a speech grounded in civic ignorance directed only at those who share the same fantasy-laden view of the office he reclaimed on Monday. But it is that ignorance that is necessary for much of his agenda, if one can call it that, to become reality.

Exhibit number one is the executive order Trump signed on Monday attempting to end birthright citizenship. No, this constitutional provision cannot be repealed by executive order. If it could, the entire document that effectively defines America, could also be ended by the same pen. This is not new posturing from him, but the certain legal response from an army of litigants will force another branch of government, the courts, to defend the jurisdiction of our founding document again.

Exhibits two and three are not as clearly unconstitutional, but merely illegal.

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January 15, 2025

At a beach in south Florida ten days ago, I was halfway through my daily walk, listening to an excellent book, and occasionally scanning the Gulf of Mexico for any passing dolphins. Public parking at this particular beach is located at both ends, so that's where the beach camps, picnics, and sandcastle makers tend to gather.

My down-and-back walks there are highlighted by the crowds at each end. On this day, a group of ten people had formed a circle around a large Trump flag flying on a pole at least ten feet high. The shrine was positioned right at the end of the sidewalk leading to the south end of the beach in the middle of a few hundred people who had planned on spending their Saturday free from politics.

A thousand miles to the north in Indianapolis, State Rep. Kyle Miller (D-Ft. Wayne) was preparing to file HB 1259. The bill inserts two words, "a flag," to Indiana's statute governing campaign communications. Adding flags to this specific section of the Indiana Code would require that those pesky disclaimers be added to them. The "sponsored by" lingo on yard signs and billboards, and the "I approve this message" sound clips on video and radio ads are already required in Indiana, as they are in most places.

Let's pretend for a minute that a Democrat-led campaign regulatory initiative can become law in the era of supermajority control by Republicans. What would the impact of a law like this actually be? No, I don't think it will bring the ridiculous and hostile flags down, but it will require the money making machine of the Trump campaign to at least pretend that the rule of law still applies to it.

Flags have a fascinating history. I've researched and written about them before, because it is another unique feature in this political moment in America. They are more demonstrative than bumper stickers and yard signs. They are harder to ignore. They also take more of an effort to fly.

For example, I watch people struggle to put umbrellas up on the beach almost every time I'm there. That ten-foot flagpole I saw ten days ago did take a little effort. I imagine the flags flying behind a Harley Davidson do occasionally get tangled or dragged whenever the bikers approach a speed trap or a stop light.

But these symbols do have a history. As explained in Brittanica, "Flags originally were used mainly in warfare, and to some extent they have remained insignia of leadership, serving for the identification of friend or foe and as rallying points." And that is still what flags mean to me.

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I vividly remember the first time I heard the expression, "this bill is a solution in search of a problem." I was a young legislative liaison for a state agency, and we were supporting legislation that the industry we regulated believed was unnecessary. Their spokesperson used the line in his committee testimony against the bill.

"That was a good one," I thought with an envious smile regarding the quip. But after the hearing, the agency went to work documenting the alleged and elusive "problem." Then we had a meeting with the industry to discuss solutions that would eliminate the need for the legislation. Problem solved.

That was thirty years ago. Politics and legislative strategy have both changed since then.

The 2025 legislative session in Indiana begins this week. After the holidays have passed and the ceremonial and celebratory dust has settled from the most recent election, the big ideas start landing on paper and become introduced as bills. There are always some doozies. Many of them comically looking for the problem to justify their own hilarious solutions.

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Maggie Rose has landed her first Grammy nomination for her latest album, "No One Gets Out Alive." It's nominated for Best Americana Album, a fitting category, though on my first listen of it earlier in the year, I declared it to be the album of the year in every category.

I walked away from cable news after the election two months ago. I just needed a break, I told myself. Now, I can't imagine ever returning. In my brief time away, I have come to realize that those platforms aren't all that meaningful to me. Their product is the argument, the disagreement, the conflict. That product wasn't provoking thoughtfulness in me, it was preventing it. So, that break I needed has become a lifestyle change for which I'm grateful.

There are far better sources for perspective, yes, even coming from this political columnist, than the pundit world. In 2025, I recommend we invest more of our time listening to those better voices.

Rose has a beautiful and powerful voice, and her years of Nashville experience combine to make her a true professional at her craft. The metal-head inside of me was drawn to her hit's title—I was expecting something dark and nihilistic—which was my mood at the time. Wrong. The title track is a guide on how to embrace life and living, because we only live once. It's an Americana lesson, through a voice that sounds like a combination of Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin. It's perfect.

The song is simple. "Call the boy. Ask the girl. Have no regrets when you leave this world. Cause you know no one gets out alive."

What else is an example of simple? The benefits of a fluoride-enriched public water supply. The CDC has all the data to show how we are healthier as a result of fluoridation, and don't confuse that term with the state. Collier County in southwest Florida, where I spend some of my wintertime, will remove fluoride from its water supply on January 1. There's no evidence-based benefit of the move, just barbershop theories that likely came from the cable news playing on the shop's tv.

Turn it off. Read the data. Don't trust the CDC? Pick any of the countless other scientific studies that reached the same conclusions. It will be five minutes well spent. Then go listen to some new music, watch a new movie, or read a new book.

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I remember when, as a child, this time of year was filled with unmitigated joy. Like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story," dreams really could come true. But as a nine-year-old boy, I never thought to ask Santa for a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle. By the time I was nine, I didn't believe in Santa, and my best friend already had a BB gun. We didn't need two.

Almost fifty years later, most of that joy has returned for me, and it's no mystery how. I really only have two holiday goals. First, as a gift to myself, I keep it simple. Next, all of my "shopping" for others is replaced with simple acts of kindness.

Johns Hopkins Medicine writes, "4 Mindful Tips to De-Stress This Holiday Season," to describe a plan that can make a difference for many. I don't teach math, but even I can count to four.

The first tip is to "accept imperfection." Over the years, I'm glad I didn't keep track of all the angst the drive for the perfect family holiday caused people around me. Clark Griswold's failed attempt at it in "Christmas Vacation" is hilarious, yes, but only unusual in the details. Hosting or participating in the "perfect" holiday is a goal fraught with peril.

The crowded house I grew up in was the entirety of my holiday universe then. School would be out for two whole weeks, there was no available room for pesky relatives to stay, and the food, oh the food, was the primary feature of every one of those days. The holidays of my childhood were perfect, right? Of course they weren't, and even though I remember them as if they were, I wasn't the one creating them. The adults did.

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It's been fifteen years since the state of Indiana violated the sixth commandment, "you shall not kill," from Exodus 20:13. The translation of the original text to "you shall not murder" in the last century by many churches is not without controversy. Professor Wilma Ann Bailey of the Christian Theological Seminary devoted an entire book to the debate in 2005.

Either way, Indiana is scheduled to kill Joseph Corcoran on December 18th. His sentence for murdering four men in 1997 was upheld last week by the Indiana Supreme Court.

It's a sad truth in a modern society that 60% of Americans support this barbaric practice, according to Pew Research. Their research shows minor ebbs and flows of support and opposition over time, which indicates to me that some dramatic change in the national perspective on the matter is unlikely anytime soon.

Twenty-two states use the death penalty as a legal criminal sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Take a look at that map of states. Now, take a look at the state map from The Guttmacher Institute showing the new restrictive laws on abortion access. It's not a perfect match, but it's close. Life is so precious in these states that an embryo is worth statutorily protecting, to the detriment of a human woman. In primarily the same places, a human adult can be destroyed, specifically by the state's government, because the people of that state are mad at them.

Yes, the reasons states and the federal government sentence people to death is almost always officially for murder, but not every murder, only the really bad ones. I often wonder why this killing qualifies and that one doesn't, even though deep down I know the answer. Some horrific killing happened in a state and the people responded angrily by adding that type of act to the list of acts worthy of a death sentence. The anger is the key.

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Fans of the movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," will remember the scene. Ben Stein plays a famously boring high school teacher giving a lecture about economics to a room full of teenagers fighting to stay awake. In about a minute, he covers the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act and the Laffer Curve, fundamental economic topics, desperately trying to get the students to engage with him.

"Anyone? Anyone…" is the memorable device Stein uses, to no avail, to engage an audience who couldn't care less.

Some analysts say the economy is the reason voters chose Donald Trump for a second term in last month's election. His economic plan is rooted in the broad and cavalier use of tariffs on imports from friends and foes alike. Last week, he announced his plan to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The announcement prompted a surprise visit from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and a phone call from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Meanwhile, the American public, particularly Trump voters, remain in an economic daze much like Ben Stein's class.

The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was passed in 1930 in an attempt to thwart the impacts of the Great Depression. It was legislation initially designed to provide relief to the American agriculture sector but became "a means to raise tariffs in all sectors of the economy." It also marked the end of an entrenched Republican platform of protectionist policy making during that era. The policies ended because they were...anyone…anyone? Failures.

Ignorance has become a vital asset in the political space these days. Yes, it is an asset in politics, but it is the devil in economics.

As a political asset, there are voters who believe that simply throwing a tariff at any nation they are mad at has nothing but benefits. Mad at Mexico because of migration? Slap them with a tariff and border crossings will go down, right? A good number of voters believe the answer is yes. Though this is almost entirely wrong, politically speaking, that ignorance served the pro-tariff candidate in November.

Economically however, the only real certainty that a 25% tariff on Mexico will have, is a 25% price increase in America. There actually is no disagreement on how tariffs functionally work, but I will refer to PBS for a simple explanation. Importers here pay the tariff, otherwise known as a tax, and remit that payment to the U.S. Treasury. How they pass that increase in costs along may vary a little from merchant to merchant, but ultimately it ends up in the price the American consumer pays.

The late John Prine, in his 1971 classic song, "Illegal Smile," wrote: "You may see me tonight, with an illegal smile. It don't cost very much, but it lasts a long while." The journey marijuana has traveled in American culture during my lifetime is a fascinating one. A quick review of the music written about it alone, lays out a chronology of an embattled, yet steady shift in perspective since Prine wrote about it.

Last week, Leslie Bonilla Mũniz wrote for the Indiana Capital Chronicle, "Prominent Republicans back 'safe and regulated' marijuana legalization group." Republicans? Yes, Republicans. This election issue varied in prominence from state to state this year, but one thing that has become clear across the country is that the once prominent partisan lines of disagreement among citizens are gone.

"Safe and Regulated Indiana" has produced a thirty second ad encouraging Hoosiers to contact their legislators to support legalization, though they steer clear of that word. They also don't announce on their website specifics about who is in their coalition, though I do like the site's anonymous scroll of individuals, listed by first name and hometown only, showing the volume of support.

It's this anonymity that is easy to identify as a campaign weakness. This is no longer 1971. Supporting a safe and regulated marijuana market in a state surrounded by existing markets, really doesn't have much risk. More accurately, support is the viewpoint of the majority, just about everywhere in America.

Last year, Ohio voted to legalize marijuana for both medical and recreational use by a 57-43 vote. While Kentucky hasn't legalized recreational use, legalized medical usage goes into effect on January 1, completing the surrounding of Indiana with markets.

But it's not just our neighbors. Earlier this month, Florida voted on its own referendum. And while the vote failed to achieve that state's needed 60% threshold for adoption, it did achieve a 56-44 percent majority of support. Talk about winning by failing.

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I went to see a movie on Friday night. It's one of my favorite things to do. I can walk to Living Room Theaters from my townhouse in ten minutes, and their popcorn is fantastic. There's nothing strange about going, except it had been months since I had been there. Now I have been twice in a week.

"A Real Pain" is a new film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, who stars in it with Kieran Culkin. They play a pair of mismatched cousins who go on a Holocaust tour through Poland to retrace the experience of their recently deceased grandmother. They are opposites but are united by their shared loss and the enormity of the history they are experiencing.

Life goes on. That was the message I left the film with, though admittedly, I was primarily at the movie for that very reason myself. I recommend my strategy to anyone struggling with the recent election's outcome.

On Sunday, I deactivated my Twitter/X account. No big deal, really. Except the app had become a habit and ditching it would mean a change in my daily routine. Oh no, not a change! I will admit that all of what I saw on that cesspool wasn't terrible. But I really didn't want to give up the Super 70's Sports feed or Rex Chapman's account.

I already had a good sized Threads following, but never really liked the clunky and algorithmic control of it. In the days that followed the election, I quickly became exhausted with the vibe there. Doomscrolling, or as my students refer to it, "rotting," was absolutely that on my post-election-Threads feed. It was filled with people I agree with politically, but most of them seemed to need a fatherly kick in the ass to encourage them to return to the land of the living.

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There is no substitute for just showing up. Sometimes I wish there was one, but there just isn't.

The relentless polling that exhausted Americans during the last three months of the presidential campaigns never really swung all that much, no matter what the drama of the day was. By the time Labor Day arrived, the persuasion part of the national campaign was largely over.

I was skeptical of every undecided voter this year. The presidential choices were so stark, remaining voter indecisiveness was really about whether they would vote at all, not whether they would choose Harris or Trump.

10 million fewer Americans voted for president this year than in 2020. Based on the estimated adult population in the country of 271 million, that means about 54% of eligible voters participated in the presidential election. That is down from 60% in 2020 but is an identical participation rate to 2016.

The old adage that Democrats perform better when turnout is better rings true again this year. I believe the adage is true on a macro level, and the swings over the last three elections confirm that. But 2020 was a year like no other, so that likely deserves as asterisk more than a medal.

It is difficult for a civic minded person like me to accept that nearly half of Americans aren't participating in their inherited gift of self-governance. It is truly a gift. And when I say, "it is difficult" to accept these shameful participation rates, I am editing out the necessary profanity while speaking through grinding teeth. What is truly difficult to me, is forgiving those who don't show up for this most basic civic duty.

That's America. And that data is maddening in and of itself. But then there's Indiana.

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