This article supplements Marion Hill’s article, “Project 2025: A recipe for dictatorship” (see 7.26.24 edition of the Durant Democrat.)
Project 2025 is over 900 pages of radical plans for Trump to follow if he wins in 2024. Headed by the Heritage Foundation, with input from one hundred (plus) other extreme far-right groups, and with portions written by many of Trump’s former staff, Project 2025 will give Trump the direct control to legally do whatever he chooses.
How can Project 2025 function as a legal coup? The plan is to put the Department of Justice under the direct control of the president and purge from the civil service anyone not loyal to Trump. Thousands of vetted Trump supporters are waiting to replace anyone who is still loyal to the Constitution.
Project 2025 plans are to: Ban abortion. Allow no exceptions for rape, incest, or pregnant girls as young as 10. Resurrect the Comstock Act to ban contraceptives. Jail non-compliant women and doctors.
Ban no-fault divorce. Ban marriage equality and prevent same-sex couples from adopting children.
Use taxpayer money to fund private and religious schools. Teach Old Testament “Christianity” in public schools. Discontinue free lunches for children, summer feeding programs, food stamps and Head Start. Continue to undercut public schools and disband the Department of Education.
Reinstate the military draft. Limit the draft to those in public schools or state universities.
End civil rights. Ban diversity, equity, and inclusion protections, and ban Muslim immigrants.
Ban gender- and African-American- studies at all levels. Ban related books and teaching materials. Jail non-compliant teachers and librarians.
Raise retirement age, cut Social Security, cut Medicare, and ditch the Affordable Care Act. Stop Medicare from negotiating for lower drug prices.
Raise taxes on the working class and give larger tax breaks to corporations and the 1%.
Use the military to disband peaceful citizen protests.
End birthright citizenship. Round up immigrants. Separate families, confine them in camps, and deport them. (About 10-15 million people are at risk. These are our neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers, and many have been here for decades.)
Sell off national parks, wetlands, wildlife sanctuaries and other public properties.
If you value freedom, vote. This is no longer a contest between Democrats and Republicans but a contest between democracy and a cruel, repressive dictatorship.