If you grew up in a predominantly conservative area with parents who held traditional values, and if your peers believed that “woke” just meant getting up in the morning, my message might not sit well with you.

The Democratic party has long wielded guilt as a powerful tool, and it’s only with the rise of Donald Trump that many people are saying, “I’m not buying it anymore.”

Don’t say that, or you’ll be labeled as racist, anti-trans, unsympathetic to marginalized groups, or even a white supremacist. How dare you criticize our crime-ridden cities without considering the troubled backgrounds of criminals? Are you thinking about the environment when you shower? Why have children when the planet is at risk? And how dare you speak against the brutal acts committed by Hamas on October 7th against Israelis, without acknowledging the suffering of Gazans due to their actions?

You might chuckle and think, “I don’t feel guilty; forget them.” But this strategy has been shockingly effective, contributing to California’s decline under Gavin Newsom’s progressive policies, the struggles of the United States under the previous administration, and the downturn of our major cities, which have become mere shadows of their former selves.

“Show compassion,” they urge. Yet their “compassion,” which often manifests as an acceptance of detrimental behavior and decay, has brought us to our current state.

“Pack the bags, we’re going on a guilt trip,” said actor Charlie Sheen in a movie. I’m not going to delve into his personal issues here—it was simply a well-delivered line:

It may not work on you, as I said, but it’s worked on hundreds of millions of Americans, and it’s a major reason why progressivism has almost destroyed our nation. Why else but guilt and “compassion” would a once-proud beacon of our country like California tolerate—nay, endorse—over 120,000 people sleeping on its streets on any given night?

Why would we let New York City be plagued by criminals who have been caught and arrested five, ten, twelve times, yet are still roaming around as free as birds? Because if you said, “lock them up and throw the key in the East River,” you‘d be guilty of so many thought-crimes—intolerance, elitism, nativism, “America First-ism,” you name it.

I did not grow up in a red state, and I have been surrounded by leftists my entire life. The New York Times was something to be revered—it came each morning, and the newsprint smelled wonderful, and the pages were filled with news of the world, and there were dashing reporters with cool names like R.W. Apple who brought you all the news that was fit to print.

I grew up in Chicago, New York City, then went to Boston for school. A virtual tour of Democrat politics. But I defied expectations and went to North Carolina for college—a place in Durham called Duke, which was not nearly so esteemed (or woke) as it is now, or I can guarantee I would never have been accepted.

As a young graduate, I moved to Los Angeles, because it seemed like The Dream—and you know what? It was. It was a wonderful place to live; a vibrant, exciting city that was everything I thought it was going to be.

But then they ruined it.

At some point, I’m not sure when, I realized I was different. I was gay. 

No, I kid—but becoming a conservative in a blue area is the new gay. In a place like LA, where I had to think about my kids and their futures, it was best to stay closeted. The intolerance is real, and it is harsh, and the penalty is cancellation.

I’ve paid a price for coming out: