For nearly 250 years, the United States has stood as an exemplary nation for the rest of the world, built on a foundation of principles that include the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But like any great structure, time and neglect have taken a toll.
Meir Barg, a Monsey reader of The Jewish Link, has launched The Great Renovation, an organization dedicated to rejuvenating America by restoring founding principles and correcting structural flaws that have led to tyrannical, centralized government.
In this exclusive interview, Meir shares his vision, strategy, and the steps he believes are necessary to reinvigorate the original American Dream.
Meir, tell me a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and what led you to starting your political organization, The Great Renovation.
I’m 26 years old, and have lived in Monsey almost all my life. Growing up, I was obsessed with the Revolutionary War. That carried into high school a little bit, but then it sort of got put on hold. But extracurricular-wise, I liked history, politics and debate. In college, I went for accounting because I needed a sure way to make money. But at a certain point, I realized I have to go back to this. So that’s what I’m doing now.
In high school you were very passionate about the debate team and always trying to start political conversations in class. So, what exactly is The Great Renovation all about?
If you study the Revolution, liberty was the prize. Unfortunately, we are not living in the world the Founding Fathers fought for. They were very clear about what government should and should not do. The goal of The Great Renovation is to restore that vision.
You feel America was freer back then than it is today?
Yes, with certain obvious exclusions. But you have to understand that the framework of freedom they built was meant to expand and include everyone over time. The foundation was strong, but we’ve moved away from that in a way that’s making things worse for everyone.
Why did you choose the term “renovation” instead of “revolution” or something else?
Renovation means you take something that exists and you make it better. That’s what we’re hoping to do here. We’re trying to take the structure that the Founding Fathers built, which has fallen into disrepair, and we’re trying to renovate it and make it better again.
What steps are you taking with The Great Renovation, and what is the mission?
Let’s break it down. The Founding Fathers believed that government only exists to secure its people’s rights. When it fails to do so and instead consistently violates those rights, it becomes illegitimate. The Declaration of Independence states that we, as men, have the right (and duty) to alter or abolish such a government, and replace it with a legitimate one.
The Founding Fathers followed a three-step process:
- Step 1 is you petition the government for a redress of grievances. You say to the government, “You’re out of line. Please do these things to get back into line, and then we can get back together.” If the government listens, great. If not, then we move to Step 2.
- Step 2 is civil disobedience. We continue acting on our rights despite the government’s opposition. We nullify unconstitutional acts and refuse to comply.
- If the government then tries to force us to comply, we move to Step 3, which is physically defending ourselves … and hopefully win, like the Founding Fathers did.
The mission of The Great Renovation is to guide America through those steps. We are a political startup, similar to a business startup. Our short-term goal is to finalize a game plan and partner with larger organizations to take the movement national.
What is an example of an issue that would fall under Step 1 (petitioning the government)?
A recent example is the Biden administration’s Disinformation Governance Board, which was essentially a Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s “1984” that would have suppressed citizens’ ability to express their ideas freely. It lasted only three weeks because Americans were outraged and the government backed down. That was an example of a successful step one where petitions lead to change.
Do you have an example of an issue that has progressed to Step 2 (civil disobedience)?
A successful example of step two is marijuana legalization. Although marijuana remains federally illegal, many states have legalized it anyway. The federal government has not forced those states to comply or reinstate a ban, showing that noncompliance can work.
Structurally, how do you want to fix the system?
The Founding Fathers broke free from Britain, which was great, but four years later, they created a Constitution that has structural flaws that led us to where we are today. We want to correct those flaws so that the system lasts longer before going bad.
Some of the changes we need include returning to state legislatures voting for federal senators, increasing representation in the U.S. House of Representatives to reflect the current population, term limits and rotation for federal representatives and workers, an independent judiciary for state versus federal disputes, and getting rid of Washington, D.C. It is a swamp. It votes 94% Democrat, and those people are not just regular citizens; they work in the central government.
No matter the party, that’s terrible for our country. One potential solution we have is to move the national capital around to a different state capital every four years. That would make it more difficult for a certain party’s people and ideology to concentrate in the federal bureaucracy.
So, you do not care about party. It is more about centralization versus decentralization?
Exactly. This is the first time we’ve even mentioned Republican or Democrat. It does not matter. The Founding Fathers were against factions or parties.
George Washington ran for president under a party, though, right?
No, he was not officially under a party. He ended up being associated with one, but officially, no. We should not want parties. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have done terrible things to the American people. I think we should ban them both, or at least remove party affiliation from ballots. That way, we would vote for the person, not the party.
What is your movement actively planning right now?
The big thing we are planning now is a national tour this summer to begin mobilizing the American people: First, to gather into local groups—modern-day Committees of Correspondence and Committees of Safety—to prepare mentally, intellectually and physically. Then, in each state, these groups can send representatives to a State Provincial Congress—a parallel state legislature—to help get their state ready. From there, parallel state legislatures can send delegates to a Continental Congress, which can lead the nation as a whole to freedom. This is exactly how the Founding Fathers rolled out their steps towards liberty, and we are re-rolling them out beginning this summer.
Why did you want to do this interview with The Jewish Link? What do you hope readers take away from it?
First, for publicity. Second, because The Jewish Link readers are well-educated and have intelligent discussions. Smart people are always good to have around, so I’m hoping some gung-ho patriotic readers will want to join and help lead our movement.
If you had one final message, what would it be?
Go big or go home! My name is now Meir Barg, BDIT, which stands for Brian Dawkins in Training. Brian Dawkins was a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles and he gave 100% of his body and soul in every game. I aspire to be like him. I’ve left my accounting career to give 100% to something I believe in. If you have something like that, prepare, then go for it. Give 100% of yourself, because success can come from that.
To join the movement, check out www.TheGreatRenovation.org, and to join the leadership team, email [email protected].
Zachary Greenberg has been an avid reader of The Jewish Link since 2015 and a member of the staff since February 2022. Zachary is currently looking for a new full-time role in a business or data-related field. Beyond writing for The Link, he works as director of the Keter Torah teen minyan for boys and the TABC track coach. In 2016, Zack visited the World of Wings atrium and was only a little scared. Zack recently watched “Am I Racist?”on Daily Wire+. Please email him at [email protected] if you have any suggestions. Be sure to follow his Instagram page @funzacktivities for more content!
