Focus on the Substructure
In the distance, a high-rise building stands tall and majestic. As casual observers, we tend to admire the building from the ground up. Yet there is more to the structure than what we see. Below ground, there exists an enormous foundation.
Reviewing how a high-rise building is constructed is instructive. The first order of business is to remove the soil, digging down as far as necessary to reach bedrock. Steel rods are imbedded in the stone. Then concrete is poured, forming a solid, flat, and level platform on which to build. On this stable substructure of rock, steel, and concrete, carefully designed and manufactured columns are put into place. These columns support the entire weight of the building.
Together, the bedrock with the steel rods and poured concrete is called the "substructure." Add support columns and the substructure becomes a "foundation."
A building is only as strong as its weakest component. Although the floors above ground may be designed properly and constructed with the best materials, cracks anywhere in the foundation can make the building unstable. In fact, if the cracks in the foundation are significant or numerous, the building may collapse at the slightest tremor.
Imagine if the bedrock was cracked, the steel rods were rusted, and the concrete weakened from the substitution of lesser materials. With the underlying bedrock splintered, the steel rods eroded, and the integrity of the concrete degraded, the building's support columns may just as well be standing on sand. If it were our job to steady a building with a weakened substructure, merely fortifying the support columns would not remedy the problem and the building would remain unstable.
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Every nation is built on a foundation
The way a country is constructed is similar to that of a building. The founders of every new nation begin by setting forth underlying principles that reflect the aspirations of the nation they are forming. In the planning stages, these underlying principles are subjective, arbitrary, and malleable just as in choosing the purpose of a building or in selecting its location. However, because all future decisions are based on these few assumptions, once a nation's underlying principles are established they become rigid and unchangeable (analogous to bedrock). Because these few assumptions are as basic as the inescapable realities of life, we refer to a nation's underlying principles as "Truths."
Having established the nation's Truths, the founders become faced with the task of selecting the strategies that will turn aspirations into reality. The strategies they select are analogous to the poured concrete in a building's substructure. Similar to the way concrete transforms the uneven bedrock into a flat surface upon which to build, the strategies of a nation make its underlying principles (Truths) achievable. We refer to the strategies of a nation as its "Systems."
The traits and characteristics of a nation's people are analogous to the steel rods that secure the poured concrete to the bedrock. Just as there are different grades of steel, some personal traits and characteristics are better suited for building a nation. We refer to the traits and characteristics of a nation's citizens as "Ethics."
Finally, like the support columns in a building, a nation's social policies and public programs must be adopted. We refer to a nation's policies and programs as "Institutions."
A nation's Institutions (D) stand on a substructure comprised of Truths (A), Ethics (B), and Systems (C). See the illustration below.
Analogous to a building supported by a foundation of bedrock, steel rods, concrete, and support columns, a nation is supported by its Truths, Ethics, Systems, and Institutions. Just as a building needs its foundation to be sound, a nation is dependent upon its foundation for its strength and stability.
There are cracks in the foundation of America
America's many social and economic problems indicate there are cracks in the foundation.
As demonstrated by our analogy featuring the way a high-rise building is constructed, America too is built upon a foundation. Similar to columns in a building (see letter D in the illustration), our nation's social policies and public programs support our civilization.
We are familiar with the uppermost component in America's foundation (the "support columns") because our nation's policies and programs are regularly debated in Congress and continually discussed in the media. However, America's foundation is comprised of more than just its support columns.
Beneath America's support columns (policies and programs) resides America's substructure (see letters A, B, and C). America's substructure is comprised of the Truths established by the founders, the Ethics of its citizens, and the Systems selected to turn the nation's aspirations into reality.
Unfortunately, after 200 years, thousands of elections, and over 100 sessions of Congress, the concept of a substructure has been lost. In fact, if asked to identify the Truths, Ethics, and Systems that define America, most administrators and representatives would not understand the question. Consequently, like a majestic building that has not been maintained for decades, America's substructure has fallen in disrepair.
Because "cracks" exist in the substructure (beneath the support columns), America's social policies and public programs are standing on unstable ground. This explains why Congress has not been effective. It has been working on the wrong part of the foundation.
With America's substructure in need of repair, modifying social policies and public programs would be like bulking up a building's support columns built on sand. We now see why more effort and more money has only made America's social policies and public programs more cumbersome, more sluggish, and more inefficient.
The cracks in America are located somewhere in A, B, and C. Yet Congress has focused its efforts only on D. Because D is standing on unstable ground, the work done by Congress to date was destined to fail.
If we are to save America from meeting a dismal future, we will need to focus on the substructure. More specifically, we will need to go back to the proven recipe that worked to perfection, propelling America to unimaginable heights.
Like going back to a proven family recipe, reinstating America's original Truths, Ethics, and Systems will surely repair the cracks in America's substructure. Once the cracks in the substructure are fixed, the support columns (public programs called Institutions) will become repairable.
The Patriot Party has adopted a set of social "blueprints" for making the necessary repairs to America's foundation. The particular tactics to be employed are the "planks" in the Patriot Party platform.
