The Republican Party is a mess.
In the past, the GOP stood for certain values: personal freedom, equality of opportunity, support of the free market and limited government. These were the conservative principles which the party espoused even if they failed to achieve them. Trump has upended these ideals, revealing many in the party to be more attached to immediate power than any long-standing principles.
Those who once supported the gifts of the free market now decry the growing inequality between the top and bottom of American earners. Those who claimed a loyalty to the ideas of federalism now support an ever growing national budget deficit. Abortion was labeled as the greatest injustice of the modern age until Republicans had complete control of the federal government and conveniently forgot about the issue.
The resignation of Chancellor Folt may seem to have little to do with this failure — indeed there is very little direct connection between the two. Events surrounding the school administration and Folt display something which I find interesting: the benefits of local government.
The American federal government has become a bulbous mass. Those who run for office promise they will provide solutions for the nation’s problems from their seat. As a result, the federal government balloons. One only needs to take a look at the inscrutable bureaucracy which has spawned in reaction to ever increasing budgets.
Any ordinary citizen has less ability to impact their federal government than their local government, this much is obvious. The time which Folt has had here at UNC should make this clear. The student body knew exactly who was making which decisions and had the ability to put pressure on the administration. Small groups of protestors, such as the teaching assistants that participated in the fall semester grade strike (their grades were released by Dec. 17), were able to limit the time and options with which the administration might operate — often with only nominal numbers of UNC students.
This is the reason why a powerful local government should be lauded by both conservatives and liberals. Local government and visible administration creates accountability and capability. The sheer visibility of the decisions which local government makes and the ease with which such leaders can be identified means local governments can be more quickly forced to serve the specific needs of their citizens.
For an example of this type of dynamic, take a look at the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. I may not always agree with their politics or ideas, but the care and effort they put into serving their communities is commendable and admirable. Consider what local communities might look like with empowered local governments which could do even more.
Such an ideal should be attractive to both liberals and conservatives. Powerful and accountable local government can be affected by the desires of the citizens much more quickly than a lumbering federal bureaucracy might be. Folt’s unhappy tenure is testament to this.
