It's relative clear that Trump wants to be as rich and powerful as his 'lovers' Putin and Xi. He loves their power over Russian and China citizens. By suppressing the expenditures of American interests ratified by Congress he hopes to make tax cuts that enhance the riches of billionaire and millionaire Americans like himself at the expense of ordinary Americans. That's the riches part. By firing bureaucrats, government employees with 'safe' jobs under Civil Service regulations and tenure agreements, he hopes to cut the American budget by enough money to reinforce the dollars going to oligarchs AND keep Americans quiet and in place. With no safe airlines with TSA and air traffic controlers minimize nobody travels far. With education cuts and penalties attached to so much of curriculum and reading alternatives, the People are kept dumb about opportunities outside their narrow communities. With threats to primary elected officials and opposition candidates or incumbents in government service, he hopes to enhance his power over all Americans. He doesn't count on judges and ordinary jurisprudence to thwart his moves in those directions.
By cutting back on foreign aid, he permits other countries like China to move into disputed countries and expand their influence. By minimizing medical programs like Obamacare and Medicare, he hopes to make foreigners more susceptible to disease and death that reduce opposition to foreign governments. By appointing a sycophant Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who simply obeys orders to stay prominent and in elevated status (over Senators), he thinks American influence will recede. By sharing, or even dividing up the world, Trump hopes to remain one of the tree shakers, who rule the world while other oligarchs accept him as an equal. Just view the co-presidency of Trump and Elon Musk. Musk, the South African foreigner, used to apartheid and segregation. He promotes the richest man in the world and likes the acceptance, the company, of rich, powerful men like Musk. That makes him larger in world influence, he thinks.
I'm counting on the rule of the slow acting 'rule of law', justices, and lawyers to rein in the excesses, the illegalities, of Trump actions within America. But if this doesn't hold in the long term, I'm counting on the pissed off veterans, dispossessed ordinary citizens (losing jobs, housing and retirement money) to demonstrate or more. Civil disobedience and the ultimate armed resistance are next if institutions don't hold under the law and right thinking leaders and employees. Notice how unions, anti-corruption, anti-discrimination and civil rights organizations are fighting back over Musk firings, hackings and media beratings. Notice how the media rally to thwart losing freedom of the press. See how democracy-philes are speaking out against Project 2025 and Trump actions.
There's life yet in the body politic to resist and repel Trump's MAGA-ites. Will there be enough attention paid and action by ordinary citizens, losing food stamps, housing, jobs, retirement savings, and the like, to backstop this country? One can only hope based on the emerging evidence. Watch the news.
Between the cowardice and cynicism of our elected politicians and the many ways the media fails in its basic role of pursuing the truth, it's a difficult choice. If we are to have faith in the people, we must have leaders who will ahelp us avoid the demagogues and would-be dictators.
Being more specific is required regarding political power. It's purely MAGA supporters who are caving to Trump and his Project 2025 agenda. I give the media credit for trying in some cases to thwart the firehose onslaught of lies and misdirection pouring from Trump and his henchmen. My New York Times letter to the editor spelled out the role of Trump interviewers as well-prepared (in history and current events) to correct the lies immediately, but also to slow down the torrent that shyster-spokesmen spew at interviews, both lying and foisting their propaganda lines into the air, knowing that most of the palaver would/could not be addressed or refuted. You know, a lie circles the globe 3 times before the truth gets out once.
What galls me is how some of those gratuitous liars for Trump get on air so much, given space on cable tv so often to continue their prevarication and oppositional lines. Sen. Lindsay Graham comes to mind as a sycophant who has no integrity, nor truth, only stances that suit his variable mind at the time. He's frequently on MSNBC which should know better, also Meet the Press.
So I reiterate, interviewers and talking heads: slow down the MAGA reps on air; stop them when the first lie appears; know the world enough to know when to intervene like his; and know the facts to rebut any lies.
It's relative clear that Trump wants to be as rich and powerful as his 'lovers' Putin and Xi. He loves their power over Russian and China citizens. By suppressing the expenditures of American interests ratified by Congress he hopes to make tax cuts that enhance the riches of billionaire and millionaire Americans like himself at the expense of ordinary Americans. That's the riches part. By firing bureaucrats, government employees with 'safe' jobs under Civil Service regulations and tenure agreements, he hopes to cut the American budget by enough money to reinforce the dollars going to oligarchs AND keep Americans quiet and in place. With no safe airlines with TSA and air traffic controlers minimize nobody travels far. With education cuts and penalties attached to so much of curriculum and reading alternatives, the People are kept dumb about opportunities outside their narrow communities. With threats to primary elected officials and opposition candidates or incumbents in government service, he hopes to enhance his power over all Americans. He doesn't count on judges and ordinary jurisprudence to thwart his moves in those directions.
By cutting back on foreign aid, he permits other countries like China to move into disputed countries and expand their influence. By minimizing medical programs like Obamacare and Medicare, he hopes to make foreigners more susceptible to disease and death that reduce opposition to foreign governments. By appointing a sycophant Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who simply obeys orders to stay prominent and in elevated status (over Senators), he thinks American influence will recede. By sharing, or even dividing up the world, Trump hopes to remain one of the tree shakers, who rule the world while other oligarchs accept him as an equal. Just view the co-presidency of Trump and Elon Musk. Musk, the South African foreigner, used to apartheid and segregation. He promotes the richest man in the world and likes the acceptance, the company, of rich, powerful men like Musk. That makes him larger in world influence, he thinks.
I'm counting on the rule of the slow acting 'rule of law', justices, and lawyers to rein in the excesses, the illegalities, of Trump actions within America. But if this doesn't hold in the long term, I'm counting on the pissed off veterans, dispossessed ordinary citizens (losing jobs, housing and retirement money) to demonstrate or more. Civil disobedience and the ultimate armed resistance are next if institutions don't hold under the law and right thinking leaders and employees. Notice how unions, anti-corruption, anti-discrimination and civil rights organizations are fighting back over Musk firings, hackings and media beratings. Notice how the media rally to thwart losing freedom of the press. See how democracy-philes are speaking out against Project 2025 and Trump actions.
There's life yet in the body politic to resist and repel Trump's MAGA-ites. Will there be enough attention paid and action by ordinary citizens, losing food stamps, housing, jobs, retirement savings, and the like, to backstop this country? One can only hope based on the emerging evidence. Watch the news.
Between the cowardice and cynicism of our elected politicians and the many ways the media fails in its basic role of pursuing the truth, it's a difficult choice. If we are to have faith in the people, we must have leaders who will ahelp us avoid the demagogues and would-be dictators.
Being more specific is required regarding political power. It's purely MAGA supporters who are caving to Trump and his Project 2025 agenda. I give the media credit for trying in some cases to thwart the firehose onslaught of lies and misdirection pouring from Trump and his henchmen. My New York Times letter to the editor spelled out the role of Trump interviewers as well-prepared (in history and current events) to correct the lies immediately, but also to slow down the torrent that shyster-spokesmen spew at interviews, both lying and foisting their propaganda lines into the air, knowing that most of the palaver would/could not be addressed or refuted. You know, a lie circles the globe 3 times before the truth gets out once.
What galls me is how some of those gratuitous liars for Trump get on air so much, given space on cable tv so often to continue their prevarication and oppositional lines. Sen. Lindsay Graham comes to mind as a sycophant who has no integrity, nor truth, only stances that suit his variable mind at the time. He's frequently on MSNBC which should know better, also Meet the Press.
So I reiterate, interviewers and talking heads: slow down the MAGA reps on air; stop them when the first lie appears; know the world enough to know when to intervene like his; and know the facts to rebut any lies.