When Government Becomes Conditional, So Does the Union

 

Conditional

Originally published as a Civil InCivility Short.

What happens when a government stops honoring its side of the deal? The Constitution isn't just a top-down document — it's a compact. When that compact breaks, so does the relationship between the states and the federal government.

Watch the Short above, then keep reading to see why this isn’t just a dramatic question — it’s a necessary one. Because when the federal government withdraws funding, protections, or basic functionality from the states, it’s not just dysfunction. It’s breach of contract.

Conditional

Originally published as a Civil InCivility Short.

What happens when a government stops honoring its side of the deal?

We don’t talk about the Constitution this way very often, but we should — because it’s not just a set of laws handed down from on high. It’s a compact. A mutual agreement between the states and the federal government.

And when one side starts defaulting on that agreement, the relationship becomes conditional.

Lately, the federal government has started acting like it can make demands without providing services. Like it can punish states that don’t comply. Like it can pull back protections, safety nets, and benefits — and still expect absolute loyalty in return.

That’s not union. That’s extortion.

It’s not just about partisanship. It’s about a pattern — where federal leadership deliberately cuts off support to blue states, threatens funding, shrinks FEMA responses, guts healthcare programs, blocks infrastructure, and blames the states when everything falls apart.

If the federal government fails to uphold its responsibilities…
If it treats services as political weapons instead of guarantees…
If it abandons disaster relief or public health or economic fairness…

Then the states don’t just have the right to push back.
They have the obligation to push back.

Power is supposed to rise from the bottom up.

That was the founding idea. But what we’re seeing now is a creeping reversal — where the federal government stops serving the people, and starts treating the country like a hostage negotiation.

That’s not union.

That’s not governance.

That’s conditional rule masquerading as democracy.

And it’s time we said so — before the compact breaks completely.

Watch the original Short on Civil InCivility’s YouTube channel and share if it speaks to what you're seeing, too.

"Truth is powerful and it prevails." — Sojourner Truth

 

 

 

 

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