LENOIR, N.C. – What is left of National Public Radio (NPR) is reporting that Donald Trump has shut down the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development.

It is beyond ironic that this move occurs while authorities are still looking for bodies in Texas following flash flooding there over the July 4 holiday, killing at least 135 people, including the young girls enjoying Camp Mystic. It is cruel.

According to NPR, the Office of Research and Development “ … analyzes dangers posed by a variety of hazards, including toxic chemicals, climate change, smog, wildfires, indoor air contaminants, water pollution, watershed destruction and drinking waterpollutants.”

In short, the first step of disaster preparedness – to identify potential threats in order to build plans for responding to them – has been shut down. (You can read how these analyses are conducted and can help prepare first responders and receivers for disasters here). So, if you think our response to disasters is a disaster under Trump, you have not seen anything yet. Yes, disasters happen during every administration. But intentionally eliminating the people that are quite expert at predicting hazards and threats will lead directly to more expensive disasters – and most disturbingly, more dead and injured people.

This is just one of literally thousands of decisions made by Trump since January 20 that is destroying the fabric of our society.

I, for one, do not place any hope in the Democratic Party making a decent showing next year – or ever again. It is a clueless, arrogant organization full of idealists completely out of touch with most Americans, including yours truly. It does not tolerate dissent, so is not open to new ideas.

In fact, the one idea I’ve heard from Democrats is not what you might call creative: The Rural Urban Bride Initiative (RUBI) argues that their party’s path to victory is to have their people become more involved in their communities.

Well, duh! That is a backward and cynical approach to gain back the confidence of the American people.

I speak from experience. My name has been on the ballot. I’ve lost, I’ve won. I’ve served on other campaigns. The key to my first campaign was that I was already well known because I had established myself in the community. The same criteria was required of any candidate I assisted.

But I did not do it with an eye to political office and power. I did it because it’s how I was raised. Our parents were deeply involved in our community, so I have as well, wherever I’ve lived, including Lenoir for 34 years. Before I ran for office, I worked as a paramedic, I served on local nonprofit boards, I was the CEO of a local ministry and an executive in another. I coached recreation league baseball and basketball for a decade. I taught school. Perhaps most importantly, I worked as a journalist before seeking office; I can think of no better way to learn a community.

In short, I think the Democrats are just not in tune with working class people. I have a college degree, but my collars are blue, not white. I am proud of that. I think for myself, meaning I have no home in a political party. That is true for the vast majority of us with minds at work.

In 1996, Bill Clinton – a Democrat – declared “The era of big government is over.” This reveals that Clinton, the first of the “new Democrats,” knew that the American people tilt conservative and believe in limited government. Every president since has forgotten that.

My community work was natural, not forced. By the time I did seek office it was out of a genuine concern and understanding of the challenges facing our community. It seemed that the next natural step was to seek office. But I did so because I believed I could learn from and contribute to the community, not because I cared about furthering a political party’s agenda.

The Republican-controlled Congress, of course, has done as much damage to the American fabric as has Trump. The Democrats, meanwhile, remain mired in the process of discerning and debating whether values and competence or money and connections is what guides the opposition party in our horridly divided land.

So, it’s up to us. We are left to fend for ourselves, our families and our communities. We find ourselves living in a real life version of “Lord of the Flies.” Cruelty guides Captain Chaos and his Cabinet. Nothing guides the Democrats.

We are descending into savagery. To survive, and perhaps even thrive, we must strengthen ourselves and our circles of family, friends and neighbors. We are beyond institutional reform for the foreseeable future.

The political parties have outlived their usefulness (indeed, it is arguable that since John Adams, the parties have simply been fanatical factions that – always – put their own interests first). It is time to bury them and just look after one another. That’s just the way it is.

Hopefully, as we rescue human beings from the cruelty of the GOP and ineptitude of the Democrats, the political parties will die in the process.

© Michael M. Barrick, 2025.