It's the weekend. Let's try something fun.
"How much revenue will tariffs generate?" came the question at Thursday's press conference.
@realDonaldTrump said it was the most important question.
And his answer revealed architecture:
"The External Revenue Service."
McKinley proved this model in America's first golden age. Strategic tariffs funding prosperity without internal taxation. The Founders knew this power. Tariffs funded American prosperity for over a century.
While those in Washington dismiss or denounce it, those who understand history see something profound taking shape.
Because Thursday's revelation went deeper.
When Trump keeps calling Canada's Prime Minister "governor," the media miss what's going on. They think it's an insult. A provocation. A threat.
But it's actually a blueprint being revealed.
Because what if Canada isn't a foreign nation at all? What if it's simply North America's 51st republic, temporarily operating under the illusion of independence? Look closer to home. Imagine.
The Republic of Texas.
The Republic of Florida.
Even the Republic of California.
Not states in the diminished modern sense, but true republics in the classical sense. Sovereign entities united by shared principles and mutual benefit. Each with its own character, its own solutions, its own path to excellence.
This isn't regression. It's evolution.
And as America approaches its 250th anniversary, a new architecture is taking shape. Beyond returning to greatness. Beyond fixing what's broken.
An evolution toward something greater.
A design waiting to be built.
THE ORIGINAL DESIGN
McKinley understood something we forgot.
External revenue means freedom.
When government operates through strategic tariffs and trade policies rather than internal taxation, natural prosperity follows. Simple architecture creating profound results.
But this isn't just about money.
Because America isn't a nation.
It's a Union of Republics.
What if Governors weren't just administrators, but actual heads of sovereign civilizations? State borders not lines on a map, but boundaries between distinct cultures and communities choosing to work together.
What if that was how this was all meant to be?
The Founders designed this brilliantly. They weren't building a country. They were architecting advancement. Each republic solving problems its own way. Each governor leading a unique entity. Each community creating excellence through local genius. All united by choice, not force.
This wasn't accident. It was design.
Now watch what happens as External Revenue Service subtly supplants internal taxation: Republics regain their sovereignty. Local solutions flourish. Natural wealth flows. Communities solve problems instead of hiding debt.
When artificial constraints fall away, civilization evolves.
THE RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
Picture an America expanded (in all directions) through peaceful integration, its borders grown to embrace natural allies and resources. Not through conquest, but through the same spirit that drove pioneers westward.
The pursuit of shared prosperity and purpose.
This isn't distant utopia.
It's natural evolution.
Each republic discovers its unique genius.
Texas revolutionizes energy through innovation, not regulation.
Florida transforms commerce by reimagining ports and trade.
California unleashes advanced technology unburdened by corruption.
Merit drives advancement.
Achievement shapes culture.
Purpose replaces politics.
When fifty+ distinct but connected civilizations compete to create excellence, something extraordinary emerges: a renaissance of American potential.
Not uniform, but harmonious. Not controlled, but aligned.
Each republic contributing its unique strengths to our shared advancement.
The design exists. Excellence calls. But there's one key that changes everything...
THE PERSONAL KEY
Here's the profound truth hiding in plain sight:
This only works when citizens embrace personal responsibility.
We know now that no one is coming to save us.
@POTUS and @elonmusk and @Kash_Patel
and others in the administration are fixing federal government.
But excellence starts in your own republic. In your own back yard.
True self-governance requires something deeper than just voting.
It demands citizens who build solutions instead of waiting for them. Who create greatness instead of complaining about its absence. Who lead through action, not just sharing memes (although memes are great).
You can see it in your head happening.
A mother opening a home bakery without endless permits. A homeschool teacher creating her own curriculum without federal oversight. A neighborhood building its own healthcare network without bureaucratic barriers. Excellence emerges naturally when freedom meets responsibility.
This is how we ascend.
Fifty sovereign republics. Millions of responsible citizens. One shared destiny.
The power is no longer in Washington.
It isn't even in your state capital.
It's in your hands. It belongs to you.
THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE
This thought experiment is meant to open a door to something greater than politics or economics.
As we stand on the precipice of America's 250th anniversary and look toward our 300th, imagine the civilization we could build.
Unique cultures flourishing through freedom, from all the way up to Greenland to all the way over in Gaza. Children growing up in societies shaped by achievement, not authority. Communities creating solutions no central planner could imagine. Innovation flowing naturally when artificial barriers fall away.
This isn't about returning to the past or fixing the present.
It's about architecting tomorrow.
Our Founders gave us more than the Constitution. They gave us a framework for eternal evolution. They understood that true governance flows from natural principles, not bureaucratic constraints. That sovereignty starts with the individual citizen. That excellence can't be mandated, only unleashed.
The golden age isn't a memory to recover or a dream to chase.
It's a choice.
And it begins with you.
What will you build?
<3EKO
Thanks for reading.
I invite you to add your own ideas on America's future!
And if you'd like to support this work, you can always buy me a coffee.
.
This essay reminds me of a point often made by Jordan Peterson, who noted that if everyone got up one day and was determined to focus only on improving their individual lives rather than trying to improve the world, think of how much better the world would be as a result.
Bravo. Such a vision brings a creative, resourceful nation to life— and reflects the actual diversity each state reflects in resources, culture, and problem solving. This is only achieved with minimal oversight from the Federal level. Extremely minimalist. 🤔