Envision our 2029 Democratic Future to Bring it to Pass

 Date Published: July 12, 2025

Introduction: "Envisioning the 2029 State of Union Address"

When trying to effect change in a country’s socio-economic, political or spiritual environments too many institutions and individuals focus on the recent past to highlight damning indictments. Because of this, too many times the overall effect on the electorate is an overly generic and simplistic acceptance of one overriding message: “I don’t know what I will do when I get into office, but I will definitely not be like ‘the previous administration.’ ”

Although this has proved a compelling—and winning, message in many recent elections, it is not an informative, positive or substantive message on which to build a newer, stronger, more defined socio-economic, political or spiritual foundation. I would propose, instead, that as a country we should envision what the 2029 State of the Union Address could look like and what its key messages could be, so that we can vote in 2026 and 2028 to bring a positive, enlightened political vision to pass. By doing this, we will recognize those officials with overly simplistic, emotionally-charged, negative messaging and elect officials of reflective, unifying and positive natures.

In a federated, democratic republic it is on us—the electorate, to place ethical individuals in positions of responsibility all the way from our local school boards up to the corner office in Washington D. C. Essentially, it means not ignoring but putting the party system in its proper perspective—one that was very abhorrent to so many of our founding fathers. It means once again voting for those individuals who can be trusted—no matter the party affiliation; it means casting a vote for an individual who is closest to our overall values, while avoiding the unethical politician who preys on single-minded, single-issue voters—only to betray them after the election; it means voting for those who carry within themselves the inherent values that founded this country.

What are those values you may ask? I believe you will recognize them when you see, read and hear them. They will tug at your heartstrings and pull us together as a nation rather than dividing us along colored, red-blue lines. After all it was not just a new political and socio-economic experience that ultimately founded this country of ours; it was also a new system founded on spiritual values.

In the next two elections vote with your deepest of spiritual values based on a singular, spiritual rule: elect those who treat you--and your neighbors, as they would want to be treated. In the United States we most commonly refer to it as the Golden Rule.

This spiritual ideal is referenced in many, if not all, other major religious organizations around the world. Historically, the Golden Rule has been at the top of mind for many of not just our spiritual leaders, but also our finest political and industrialist trailblazers [Read about two 20th Century Industrialists].

So, starting today let’s envision “The 2029 State of the Union” Opening Ceremony to be held on February 7, 2029.
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If we can envision the future, we can bring it to pass.

Peter E. Greulich, July 2025

This list is from a Thomas J. Watson Sr. Think Magazine Editorial
[Read: Ideas and High Ideals for the 21st Century]

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2029 STATE OF THE UNION
Opening Address: Wednesday, February 7, 2029

The 48th President of the United States walks out on stage in the AT&T Stadium located in Arlington/Dallas, Texas. He is greeted with a welcoming roar for initiating this new, unfamiliar but spectacular setting for his first State of the Union address.

The President  motions to his left and right and two other individuals come onto the stage. The new President yells: “Ladies and gentlemen the Vice-President of Domestic Affairs and the Vice-President of Foreign Affairs.” The crowd goes wild as it realizes that this is a momentous occasion: For the first time in U.S. history it has three executive leaders standing before them. They are witnesses to history in the making.
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The Vice-Presidents wave, take a bow and leave the stage.

Democracy Is Absolutely the Worst Form of Government

​On the video screens—where the entire stadium can see, a shining rotating message appears.

"Democracy is the worst form of Government."

It rotates slowly. The President walks around the stage studying the words, as a questioning silence fills the stadium. No one expected such words – not from this leader.
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Finally, it is updated with …

"Democracy is the worst form of Government . . .             

         . . . except for all the others that have been tried!"

Winston Churchill

A roar of delight greets the now-smiling President.

He starts:

Now before you leave here and start pounding on social media how attributing this quote to Churchill is questionable, let me acknowledge that.

I love it though, because this is how Patricia Ann Tomes from the great state of … wait for it … Nebraska ... ... 

The President points at the Nebraska section in the audience and cheers rise up from its citizens and from their representatives who are intermixed in the seating on the stadium floor as their state flag appears overhead.

Yes, this is how Patricia Ann Tomes -- from Nebraska -- started her document that won the 1964–65 Annual Veterans of Foreign Wars “Voice of Democracy” contest. I am now going to deliver this article as if it were my speech.

Why?  ​Because it reflects so truly what I believe that I wish I had written it! …

​The least I can do is honor Patricia Tomes by delivering it from this stage.

The President then walks to the front-middle of the stage and pauses so that everyone knows he is starting Patricia Tomes’ award winning article.

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried."
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Churchill here expresses my feelings on democracy.

Even though we realize that our democratic system is the greatest, we are not always satisfied with the ways of our Government! (the President smiles)  We wonder at some of the policies in our democratic society, but there is one thing we must be convinced of: the success or failure of a democratic society depends on each and every one of us as individuals.

A definite challenge to citizenship is the ongoing perfection of our society accomplished by the working together of individuals—by giving our fellow man the respect he or she deserves.

To illustrate my point …

A woman once stopped in her friend’s yard and mentioned how beautiful the stately evergreen was that stood before them. Her friend confided that years ago, her marriage had suffered from boredom and neglect. Then her husband planted this tree that was at the time a young spruce.

They decided, together, that if it died, they would get a divorce; if it grew they would stay together.

‘You know,’ she said (the President hesitates for a moment … a little chocked up), ‘we caught each other … carrying water to that tree.’

Just as this couple, we citizens also have differences.

Perhaps I want the farmer to have better representation while you favor the city dweller. Maybe I want socialized medicine, and you are against it. Not all people think alike, but we must have similar basic values—not biased because of skin color or the size of a money pouch. …

Just as this young couple nurtured their marriage by solving their differences—arising from boredom and neglect, we must nurture the tree …  of … democracy containing individual differences—we all need to ‘catch each other’ watering our tree of democracy. To ensure growth we must perform certain duties which most certainly includes voting. As we stand in the voting booth with our country’s future depending on our decision, we must vote for the benefit of all citizens, not just for our own selfish gains.

It must not be the ‘Eeny, meeny, miny, mo,’ type of voting—our voting must be good, honest, and informed. We must know what is right and vote accordingly for the good of the whole country. We must also help our fellow citizens to vote correctly--not by spreading malicious propaganda against people who are opposed to our views but by presenting honest, unbiased facts, by distributing material which will alert our fellow citizens to actual circumstances.

We must consider our laws. Since laws were established for the benefit of all, we must do our part in enforcing them as well as in obeying them. But just observing the laws and being a conscientious voter isn’t enough.

If we cherish peace and freedom for ourselves, we must see that other citizens also receive their rights as human beings. Making laws and enforcing them isn’t the whole solution. In our daily contacts—our economic dealings, our social interactions, and educational considerations—we must treat all fairly.

It is by the perfection of the individual citizen that we obtain a truly great country.

To ensure freedom and democracy, we all must have moral, spiritual, and intellectual strength which includes our recognizing, loving, and considering the rights of all citizens.

That is the challenge of citizenship.”

The President steps back to let everyone know he has finished Patricia’s work.

Thank you Patricia! Can you believe that this was written more than sixty years ago? I was thirteen years old at the time of its publication. … Patricia Ann Tomes, thank you again for writing this part of my introduction tonight for me.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am truly thankful for all those great individuals—like Patricia, who have gone before me; who have written down their thoughts for us to read, to consider, to analyze, and to either adopt, reject, or adapt to our own particular belief systems.

I believe that there is nothing new under the sun.

We just need to keep rediscovering lost truths.
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And adapting them to our times.

Intermixing of the Members of all Parties

In this spirit, if you look out at those gathered together on this stadium floor today—your government representatives, you will not see the seating as it has been for way too long: separation of individuals by their position in government, by their political attainment, or their party affiliation. Supreme Court judges aren’t separated and aligned all-in-black, front-and-center but are intermixed with and spread out within the judicial, legislative and executive communities.

I hope you find it even more interesting and inspiring that your state representatives from all three branches of your government are distributed in the same manner.

When I started working with this team before and beneath you in this stadium on this seating arrangement, I was completely surprised—and I might add absolutely elated, that very few objected to this manner of gathering your representatives in the three branches of government together for this 2029 State of the Union address.

I told them that I disliked the term used too often when representatives from different parties worked together on an issue. The press writes in such situations that ‘they’ crossed the aisle to actually talk to someone from the other party. So I asked them to let me “ ‘liminate ‘da aisles!” I like to think (the President chuckles at the coming self-deprecating humor) that it was my wonderful speech to them that brought them on board, but I think the idea was just so … darn … logical … that everyone looked at themselves and said, “Heck, yes! Let’s do it.”

So, sitting in front of you today you see opposing party members sitting next to each other. I have my fingers crossed that no fisty cuffs break out! (many representatives chuckled as this was one of the concerns expressed by not a few of them) It is my hope ladies and gentlemen that as I speak, these members will be leaning over and talking to one another asking: ‘What do you think about that?’ ‘Is that the approach you would have taken?’ ‘Can you get behind something like that?’ or even ‘I like it, but the devil is in the details … will you work with me to keep the devil contained?’

I believe this is the start of a great team. After every play—even if I fumble or throw an incomplete pass or an interception, I believe that every member will come back to the huddle and make observations on the strengths and weaknesses they are finding.

They will adapt as they find it necessary to achieve their goals: initially just scoring points, but foremost and finally to have the four-year scoreboard reflect this as a team that is expert at winning the game.

So, ladies and gentlemen, what is my most basic goal for the next four years?

For those of you who have listened to my campaign this should not be a surprise. Each of you in this stadium have a copy of the worldwide Golden Rules beliefs attached beneath your seats.

Eight different religions with "The Golden Rule" at their heart.

The Most Basic Foundation of this Administration: "The Golden Rule"

Almost a century ago a retailer decided to conduct some research and determine how many of the top religious institutions in the world had ‘The Golden Rule’ integrated within their guidance on how to pursue a more-perfect spiritual path.

This retailer even named his first store ‘The Golden Rule’ Store.

An image of the “Golden Rule Store” appears and rotates above everyone's heads.

It was located in the absolutely great State of … wait for it … Wyoming!”

The State of Wyoming section and their representatives on the stadium floor cheer and laugh.

I would like to say to those in this stadium, to those watching, and to those who will watch from within or without our country that it is our intent that when we close out this administration’s tasks four years from now that the world will … once again … think of the United States of America as ‘The Golden Rule’ …  Country!

Our guiding principle will be: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you …

 … and expect the same—from those we call our friends!’

We will ‘protect and serve’ according to this overriding spiritual principle … A principle that knits together (the new President interlocks his fingers in front of him and holds them over his head) the greatest of spiritual institutions from all around the world. In this way, we will attempt to add a spiritual grounding to our political and socio-economic goals.

​This is our most basic goal: it is the foundation upon which to build everything else we do.
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So, how do we start?”

We Start by Building a Team

Building a political team within the highest levels of our federal government is one of the most important tasks that this administration faces. We absolutely must be a team, and of all things it seems that American’s understand sport analogies. So let’s go there.

Let’s say, that like this currently-elected President, you are given the task of taking a group of kids (The President points at the individuals on the stadium floor and says, ‘no offense intended …kids!’) and building a ‘football’ team. Some of the young folks trying out have experience in the sport, some have experience working as a team but in a different sport, and some have no experience what so ever but they all come highly recommended—as they always do … by their parents.

The first thing a coach does with a new team is start small and easy. Simple plays, simple tasks, simple directions looking for key strengths; individuals of initiative, helpfulness, observation, insightfulness, adaptability, durability, and cheerfulness!
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But, I believe, most of all looking for those traits that build the basic infrastructures of teamwork!

How Did We Start Building this team?

You are sitting in the very environment that this team built. I might have pulled this off as an executive order but instead, I suggested it. I only take credit for being the spark that ignited this concept; it took this team sitting before you—working together, to build what you are … currently … experiencing! (Some attentive souls in the audience take the queue from the President and slowly, the applause builds in several sections of the stadium … and it grows until the entire upper-stadium is standing in a solemn and sincere ovation for their representatives on the ground floor—a few of the representatives have tears in their eyes.)

As I talked to some of the individuals they were concerned that we wouldn’t get this perfect and would have to watch social media go ‘afire’ highlighting all the ways we came up short. I told them, ‘Let those who criticize understand—first and foremost, that all of us are human and human beings are imperfect. We make mistakes or—if not a mistake, just come up short at times.

This is a life lesson every generation eventually learns.

So let’s model: pursuing a goal, setting a plan in place to achieve that goal, examining our mistakes and adapting our strategies to take different paths as we scale the mountain, and always listen to—but not be offended by, those who complain about unachieved perfection … because they who do complain have rarely pursued such a high goal as ours for themselves.
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The President stops and looks on stage where all can see a shining rotating image:

"Think big thoughts in regard to your job—aim high!   .  .  .

"Because It is always better to aim at perfection and miss it
than it is to aim at imperfection and hit it.”

​Tom Watson Sr., Bryant College, August 10, 1945

It is time now for you to break into your individual 2029 State of the State addresses.

Again, to reinforce how we—the individuals on this stadium floor, worked on this as a team, I never “envisioned” what is about to take place: all fifty states having their “State of the State” addresses at this "State of the Union" event.

​This was suggested by the governors and state representatives of … wait for it …

The President points to each state section as he yells: “Iowa!” … “Michigan!” … “Kentucky!” … and “Massachusetts!”

​The stadium erupts as each flag appears in sequence over their heads.

It has been my greatest pleasure to be allowed to be the opening presenter for this 2029 State of the Union address. I now turn you over to your respective state governors and representatives for your individual State of the State meetings. I truly believe that each and every one of your representatives is intent on carrying water to nourish our tree of democracy and ensure that it doesn’t suffer from boredom and neglect.

Catch them watering and lets carry this wonderful institution of ours into the future!
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See ‘ya tomorrow!

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