“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” more commonly known as “DEI” is perhaps the most misrepresented and misunderstood policy in modern American government. DEI has become a ubiquitous slogan for leftist activists and progressive Democrats, but it is also a comprehensive strategy. During the Biden administration, DEI seemed inescapable and unstoppable, so to conservatives it appeared hopeless to combat. Then President Trump returned and ordered an abrupt end to DEI. Conservatives are elated and liberals are, as expected, apoplectic, but too many average Americans are confused – why is DEI bad for America?

On its face DEI would seem beneficial. Some folks earnestly ask what’s wrong with diversity, equity, or inclusion? Most folks enjoy meeting diverse people. Equity sounds like maybe fairness. Americans typically don’t like to purposefully exclude anyone. We are a naturally inclusive society because anyone can be an American; there is no ethnic or racial requirement. Let’s examine each by what it means and by what progressive purveyors of DEI intend.

Achieving or having diversity is not at all bad, but imposing diversity can be oppressive and have severe unintended consequences. Americans cherish and respect every person as an individual, but sometimes people tend to a specific path in groups and that group may dominate certain fields or trades. There’s not much diversity in Chinese or Mexican restaurants, but so what? The food is good. A disproportionate number of nail salons are run by Vietnamese Americans, but that is not because anyone else is barred. Over 70% of NBA players are black Americans despite being only 13% of the population, but it would be absurd to restrict black NBA players to only 13%. Folks in whatever field have found a niche and excel, so it would be silly to limit them to demand other groups enter a field that they are not interested in.

The most recent example of the devastating effects of forced diversity is with Air Traffic Controllers. The U.S. has an almost debilitating shortage of Air Traffic Controllers because the Biden Administration insisted on strict diversity quotas, so hundreds of qualified presumably white men were turned away waiting for other races to take an interest and even searching for specific LGBTQ+ whatever profiles to check every looney box. Meanwhile, the country’s skies became increasingly dangerous.

When opportunity is available to all, diversity manifests organically. The U.S. military is perhaps the most diverse and effective organization in the nation because it is a meritocracy with open opportunity, so every group has flocked to its ranks. Ironically, the United States as a nation is the epitome of diversity because anyone can be an American. American citizens represent every ethnicity, national origin, and race on the planet, and that happened naturally.

Equity is perhaps the most problematic of the trio. Equity is often conflated with equality, but that is a perilous error. Equality is that “all men are created equal,” which means that every citizen is equal under the law with the same rights. A Marxist staple, equity means equal outcomes, or everyone gets the same no matter what. This is particularly pernicious because some Americans are duped into believing it means you get your fair share, but what it means is the government must confiscate all wealth to redistribute it evenly whether you work or not.

This is why communist regimes eventually collapse economically because incentives to work are eliminated. Equity is a hallmark of Marxism. This part of DEI is quite simply a back door way of introducing socialism and that is the primary purpose of DEI. Equity is the communist goal of equal outcomes; the American way is equal access to opportunity. That’s what built the most prosperous nation in the world.

Inclusion sounds benign because Americans are predisposed to including everyone as evidenced by America establishing the most polyglot society on earth, but that’s not the goal of inclusion in DEI. The objective of inclusion in DEI is to include all ideas as acceptable and equal, but with any intellectual honesty all ideas or philosophies are not created equal. DEI inclusion seeks to normalize communism, Marxism, socialism, and militant LGBTQ+ policies like indoctrinating children with transgenderism. Those are all very bad ideas.

Average Americans reject these ideas and moreover, these ideas are very deleterious to American freedom. Make no mistake, the goal of DEI specifically inclusion is to dismantle our Constitutional Republic. If collectivism or socialism can be normalized to take root, it will be a cancer that kills American liberty. Socialism and capitalism cannot coexist.

Inclusion of diverse people is noble, but they must be people who embrace freedom and want to be Americans, not hyphenated Americans. Legal immigrants are typically very patriotic. All are welcome, but not necessarily their ideas if they are in line with socialism and Marxism. Those ideas will destroy America and must therefore be roundly rejected. DEI is a globalist assault on our Constitutional Republic.

Americans should understand that inclusion of diverse people is the hallmark of America, and we celebrate that. America is still the great melting pot. We melt diverse people into Americans who love liberty. Eradicating DEI protects that foundation by purging harmful ideas, so no one should fear President Trump’s crusade to end DEI.

Americans are demonstrably diverse, but we must be united in common cause for liberty for all. We can have different backgrounds, but we must share the same love of freedom, or we will splinter. Just like our national motto “E pluribus unum” or “Out of many one,” we can only be one nation with a single ideology of individual freedom. DEI is completely contradictory to that end and therefore must go. Do not fear that course of action; embrace it.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.