It looks like merit is back on the menu!

My head is still spinning from the flurry of executive orders I’ve read about in the last few days.

There are certainly some that I don’t like, but Ross Ulbricht finally walking free has been such a joyful outcome of this election that I’m finding it hard to be my usual critical self at the moment. 

Here’s another high I’m still riding: During his inaugural speech, President Trump delivered a promise that felt like a much-needed course correction for our country. 

He promised the return of merit-based achievement as the foundation of a thriving America.

In a world that’s been increasingly consumed by equity initiatives that prioritize identity over excellence, this promise holds the potential to restore true fairness, hope, and progress.

And it looks like he’s putting his money where his mouth is. Or his pen, rather. 

His anti-DEI orders have dealt swift and lethal blows to some of the worst policies and practices that have ever been enacted. Could this be the beginning of the end of some of the madness? 

I’m hopeful.

For years now, we’ve watched as unqualified and undeserving people have been unnaturally elevated to positions of power and responsibility, while those with the actual credentials—those who have put in decades of hard work and sacrifice to become experts in their fields—have been passed over because they didn’t have the right skin color, sex, or list of socioeconomic disadvantages. 

Of course, the results have been disastrous. But for people who value feelings and failure over merit and success, the outcomes don’t really matter so long as the “right” people are getting their chance to lead.

And so we’ve been forced to watch as the world crumbles around us. 

The last decade has served as a masterclass in what happens when we focus on what people look like, how they feel, or how they identify instead of what they’ve accomplished or are capable of doing. 

I mean, we have actually lived through a time when full grown adults demand other adults use preferred pronouns like, “bun/bunself” and “kitten/kitself.” 

(They’re real… I checked. You’re welcome.)

It’s no wonder Elon Musk’s recent tweet about hiring a programmer got so much attention. He didn’t care about the applicant’s degree, alma mater, or identity. His only requirement? “Show us your code.”

And the nerds of the world rejoice!

For years, instead of focusing on building something meaningful, too many young people have been lost in a sea of self-obsession, chasing validation through identity experiments and emotional outbursts that offer no real fulfillment in the long term. 

And it shows. The kids are not ok. 

But merit-based systems give us a way out. When we reward hard work, innovation, and excellence, we inspire young people to turn outward—to solve problems, create value, and contribute to their communities. 

It’s the antidote to the stagnation and despair that come from a culture obsessed with everyone being miserable together in the name of equity instead of pushing and pulling each other upward to realize real achievement.

This message lies at the heart of The Tuttle Twins and the Medals of Merit. In it, Ethan and Emily enter a track meet where ability and effort take a backseat to identity and so-called disadvantage. 

They quickly discover that when fairness is flipped on its head, the results are anything but fair.

The twins learn what happens in a world influenced by the Marxist idea of “equality of outcomes” and quickly become champions for the cause of merit instead. It’s a story written to help kids—and their parents—understand why individual effort, real fairness, and personal responsibility matter so much.

The families I’ve talked to love this book for the conversations it sparks about the real-world consequences of abandoning merit and the values that lead to actual personal and societal success.

Between “Free Ross!” going from a desperate plea to an exclamation of fact, and the death of DEI, I’m feeling pretty optimistic about the ability my kids are going to have to shape lives for themselves that reflect the work they’re willing to put in. 

That’s all I’ve ever wanted for them.

I have no doubt I’ll be back to calling out abuses of power, demanding that we end the Fed, and criticizing the new administration for reasons I’m certain will be numerous, but for today, I’m excited that my kids might have the chance to enter adulthood in a world that isn’t as backward as it has been. 

A return of merit as a true signal of virtue has the potential to actually make our world great again.

And I’m here for it.

— Connor