Trump's trillion dollar deficit

The deficit has grown to nearly $1 trillion under Trump ($984billion).  There are two reasons for this.


First, Trump himself is an ignorant nitwit who doesn't have the mental capacity to understand the consequences of his actions. His only concern is getting a good photo op and looking good in the media on any particular day.  So, he ceremoniously signed the only real bill of his presidency - an onerous tax cut that shifted wealth to the wealthy while guaranteeing an increase in the deficit.  He did this, of course, to great fanfare surrounded by gleeful Republicans.


Second, it is really the Republicans who designed the tax cut, and their motives were obvious - to enrich the wealthy, and to increase the deficit so they can do what they always want to do, which is cut social programs that help the poor and middle class.


So, everything is right on target.  Next step will be a big push to cut the social safety net in order to "lower the deficit."


By the way, the deficit was astronomical after the 2008 Great Recession, and Obama did a good job of lowering it.  Trump has done a good job of raising it again. See this chart:





Sad.  Cruel.  Republican.....

The Millenials will change politics to reflect the world they know

Sometimes I wonder if this will be the last presidential election fought along the old battle lines of right vs. left.  I am thinking both the Right and Left have become obsolete. 


I am a Boomer.  We were raised in the world following WWII. We were raised in the Cold War - the divisions were clear - Communism vs Capitalism -   Communist tyranny vs. fascist tyranny - Right vs. Left - Conservative vs. Liberal.


But, today's young never lived in that world.  Even the Millenials weren't born until about 1982, so the Soviet Communist Empire had collapsed by the time the oldest were just entering grade school.  They have lived in a world completely different than the world I and my Boomer cohort were raised in.

So, what is important to the Millenials and their successor generation (not sure what to call them)?

For one thing, they live in a world where they have had to learn how to try to survive a nutcase with military weapons trying to kill them in school.  Do you think they might want very effective gun control?

They live in a world where student debt for college is astronomical and sets their financial future back many years.  Do you think they might want some strong regulations on Wall Street?

They were brought up in a world where jobs were scarce due to globalization and technological obsolescence.  Do you think they might want effective governmental industrial policy?

They live in a world where Climate Change is not a theory but a harsh reality of wild forest fires, hundred year floods and hurricanes.  Do you think they might want strong environmental action?

It's not right vs. left. Those are the obsolete battles of fading generations.  It is the Future vs. the Past.  It is up to them to define their new concerns.  But, they will base it upon their own experience of the world they were raised in and live now, not the old ideas of the world that the Boomers haven't noticed no longer exists.

Bless them and wish them Godspeed.

Trump forced to withdraw his Doral site for the next G-7 conference

Conservatives as well as liberals attacked Trump's unconstitutional and unethical money grab by having the next G-7 meeting at his own property, so he decided against it.


This shows that Republicans actually can contain this out of control ignorant president sometimes.


Keep it up, please....

Trump violates the constitution by hosting the next G7 meeting at his Doral resort

It is a clear violation of black letter Constitutional law for a president to use his office to enrich himself by accepting emoluments.  But this president thinks he can get away with anything so he announced the next G7 Summit will be on his property in Miami, his floundering Doral golf and country club. 

He keeps impeaching himself in the most public of ways.

The Constitution says:

"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State"s


Trump will receive substantial emoluments (money) when the G7 brings foreign states contingencies to his property. 

Add to the impeachment articles.


Corrupt nitwit.

Does Russia benefit?

I think that any foreign policy move made by Trump should always first raise the question - Does Russia Benefit?


Trump is abruptly withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria, abandoning our allies, the Kurds - an astonishing betrayal setting up the slaughter of American allies.  U.S. troops are humiliated and enraged by the depth of dishonor of this move by this dishonorable president.


So, who benefits?  It is said that Trump has investments in Turkey and this narcissistic president can only think in terms of what benefits him - and he is sucking up to the Turkey strong man Erdogan in order to make millions of dollars for himself.  That could very well be true given the character of this president.


However - Does Russia Benefit?  Well, it does. A lot.  Putin is allied with the Syrian dictator, Assad, and the forces of Assad, Iran, and Russia all move into the vacuum of the American withdrawal.  So, yes, Russia does benefit.


Looking at Trump foreign policy we see Putin's Russia benefits on almost every front - America weakens its foreign policy leadership in the world by pulling out of the Trans Pacific Partnership in the far east, weakens its foreign policy leadership by attacking and threatening NATO in Europe, weakens its leadership in the Americas by pulling out of NAFTA. 


Looking at Trump domestic policy we see Putin's Russia benefits by Trump's attack on and virtual destruction of the State Department, by his attacks on his own CIA, FBI and all Intelligence Agencies, by his attacks and weakening all science based policy across all government agencies.


Putin can't make Russia strong because it is a fairly insignificant economy, about the size of Italy as I understand it. So, Putin does what any top notch former KGB officer knows how to do - weaken and destroy his enemies - America, NATO, pretty much everybody in the world - by weakening their foreign and domestic powers.


Trump is an incompetent and ignorant man with no real foreign or domestic policy other than what can make him money.  Putin, however, has a very clear American domestic and foreign policy.  And it is pretty clear to me that Putin controls Trump.  Trump is pretty easy to control for a KGB agent - feed his fragile grandiose ego, feed him money, or.... threaten him with lifetime prison for things like money laundering and tax fraud. 


Trump hasn't a clue, but Putin and the Russian Oligarchs know exactly what they are doing.

New article of impeachment needed

It is a constitutional right and duty of the House of Representatives to conduct impeachment proceedings if the House decides there is a reason to do so. It is the constitutional duty of the Senate to vote to remove or keep in place the impeached President.

I think it is unconstitutional for the target of an impeachment investigation to refuse to allow witnesses to respond to subpoenas issued by the House. Apparently this lawless president has just declared nobody will be allowed to respond to House subpoenas.  

This seems to me to be an impeachable offense in itself. This should now be the first article of impeachment.  Obstruction of justice. Obstruction of Congress. 

Congress cannot allow this. Congress is equal to the president. 

Trump continues his march toward autocratic rule. He must be stopped. 

The TV Trump

The TV critic of the New York Times, James Poniwwozik, has an interesting view of our president - he can best be perceived as a reality TV character, rather than as a politician or as a normal person.


I am very grateful that I do not watch reality TV.  I watched the first (?) season of The Apprentice and was properly mesmerized by the horrors of watching Amarosa's disgusting antics. Plus there was the fascinating disgust of watching Trump preen as well. That was more than enough to turn me off to reality TV.  Never more....


But, reality TV has gone on to a number of successful shows, and they all seem to present a formula for success.  Apparently the biggest drive for a reality TV performer is to keep the red light on - i.e. have the camera on and watching them.  How do they do it?  What does Trump do now that he is on the biggest reality TV show of all time - "Trump is President". 


Here is the formula - I present Mr Poniwwozik's observations in bullet form.  I want this as a reference when I get especially disturbed by the latest outrage designed to "keep the red light on" and focused on the TV Trump::

• Using TV as a magnifying glass, to make himself appear bigger than he was.   
• What does TV want? It wants conflict. It wants excitement.
• It wants a fight.
• It wants MORE. It is always eating and never full.
• Playing a character on reality TV means being yourself, but bigger and louder.
• Telegenic brashness
• You do not attempt to understand other people, except as obstacles or objects.
• Project your "fullest" you.
• Encourages “getting real.” (resonates with a rising conservative notion: that political correctness kept people from saying what was really on their minds)
• To be real is to be the most entertaining, provocative form of yourself - that will focus the red light on you
• Amarosa wrote - “exaggerate the unique part of themselves.” - the “strategy” is to do what feels good.
• Fighting.
• Insulting
• The only solution for any given problem was a being a Trumpier Trump.
• Never de-escalate and never turn the volume down.
• He serves up one “most shocking episode ever” after another, mining uglier pieces of his core each time
• Be aggrieved over minor slights
• Taunting, insults, dog whistles
• He’s half-man, half-TV, with a camera for an eye that is constantly focused on itself.
• His character shorthand is “Donald Trump, Fighter Guy Who Wins.”

Before taking office, he told aides to think of every day as “an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals.” 


This perception of Trump actually explains his actions more accurately than any political or psychological analysis I have read.  He becomes easy to see now. 


He is still dangerous, because the nature of the Show is ever escalating outrage, and as a desperate performer losing his audience who happens to be president, killing people (wars - attacks by outraged "fans" - other countries feeling permission to act in their most authoritarian ways - etc.) becomes a ratings booster.




But, you know?  The act gets old.  Tired.  Used up.  No longer fascinating.  Soon it will be time to turn the channel.  Just like audiences did on The Apprentice. 


It went off the air.  It failed.
 


Ho hum....

Shoot migrants' legs???

Apparently, our president actually suggested that America shoot migrants' legs.  And, oh yes, there is that thing about snakes and alligators - and an electric wall:


"Privately, the president had often talked about fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench, stocked with snakes or alligators, prompting aides to seek a cost estimate. He wanted the wall electrified, with spikes on top that could pierce human flesh. After publicly suggesting that soldiers shoot migrants if they threw rocks, the president backed off when his staff told him that was illegal. But later in a meeting, aides recalled, he suggested that they shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down. That’s not allowed either, they told him."


There is really something wrong with this guy.


Really...