Are we winning, or just distracted by temporary victories?

Lisa Everett

Submitted photo/Lisa Everett

We have to ask ourselves a serious question: Are we truly winning, or are we just celebrating temporary victories that can be erased with the stroke of a pen? Are we being distracted by political theater instead of demanding meaningful, long-term results?

We are halfway through a guaranteed Republican-led presidency, House and Senate — something conservatives have waited decades to see. Yet we must be honest about what we’ve accomplished in terms of lasting change. Our government has been broken for a long time, and for the first time in years, we have the opportunity to enact real reform. Instead, we find ourselves fighting each other and applauding executive orders that will almost certainly be reversed the moment political power shifts.

Yes, RFK Jr. has made positive changes, but none are being written into law. The COVID vaccine was removed from the childhood schedule, but that can be reinstated instantly. Artificial dyes were removed from certain foods, but that too can be undone. President Trump banned biological males from women’s sports, yet several states ignore it — and the order will vanish under a Democratic administration.

This constant back-and-forth governance by executive order is unsustainable. It is not leadership; it is chaos. We cannot build a stable future if every four to eight years the rules are rewritten.

As a nation, we must stop cheering for symbolic wins while ignoring the absence of structural change. Temporary victories do nothing to secure the future for our children and grandchildren.

This is the moment to demand lasting solutions, not political window dressing.

Lisa Everett is former chair of the Arizona LD29 Republicans. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.