When the Soviet Union collapsed almost 30 years ago, the assets of the country, its industrial base that had been neglected so long, was grabbed up by a few young, enterprising, creative and possibly criminal individuals. Some say there were less than twenty of them. They, and their successors, are now called the Russian oligarchs. The majority of the economic power of the Russian nation is consolidated by very few people, all under control of the central government, which is headed by an apparently corrupt and possibly murderous leader: Putin. Russia, in my opinion, is a nation state run by organized crime.
In the United States we were better than that. However, in the recent couple of years I see very similar developments. Radical deregulation is fueling the stock market, which is not a surprise. The Obama regulatory environment had throttled the economy. One can argue one way or the other. I personally believe that while we’re riding high on the economy right now, and while the super rich are getting richer, the middle class is doing “just ok.” A tax saving of a few hundred dollars funds one more trip to Costco, which is not a huge improvement for the middle class. But eventually our children and their children will regard the Trump era as a time when their fathers enriched themselves forcing them to pay the bills. The reckoning for today’s boom time will come.
We’re also massively adding to the national debt now. The debt payments are about to exceed our military expenses. While the conservative world was furious when Obama added to the debt, now it does not even get mention. All of a sudden, the debt is not important. After all, the economy is so great, it’s going to pay for it all. I do not believe this is going to work, but only time will tell.
Meanwhile, the buffoon in the White House is overloading us with so many scandals, we can’t even focus on them anymore. When Obama wore a tan suit, the media went crazy for a few days. When Michelle Obama wore a sleeveless dress, she was castigated. There are nude pictures of our current First Lady on the Internet and nobody seems to take note. We were not numb to scandals, and the media needed something to write about.
Trump does outrageous things every day that my moral compass that does accept. However, there is so much, the list is so long, it’s drowned out. While we’re not able to pay attention, the billionaire class, some of them in the White House and Cabinet, are openly lining their own pockets with corrupt activities, every day. The country is being looted and polluted. The American tax payer is being raped. And we are numb.
An oligarchy is quickly forming, where a very small number of very rich people control the entire economy and the political system.
Is that making America great?
There will be a huge economic depression: only a matter of time. But, Trump and his WS greedies will do just fine, for as Trump says, a recession is great time to buy low!!
I am cynical enough to suspect they will cause it just be reap the financial rewards of such horrible chaos (as they did pre-Obama).
The cushioned 1% know the earth cannot support such numbers as the earth has now — the sooner 1/3 are dead (via no healthcare, a defunct EPA, costly drugs ) and poor (no hope/suicidal, as seen with Indian farmers) and/or killed by climate change’s heightened typhoons, hurricanes, drought, the better. Every Trump admin department is working to make this happen.
Just as your title – sometimes your posts are depressing – real – mind you – but depressing!
I am a Swede. Our mythology is dark. At the end of time the forces of good and evil battle it out. Evil wins.
There is no smiley icon.
Actually I am encouraged daily by the inventiveness and strength of The Resistance, and, by young people. If only a small percentage of them vote THIS TIME, it will put Dems over the top (despite a rigged election playing field), and perhaps win back the Senate. There is a tremendous amount of anger about Trump and his minions. If only more Democrats would speak out as plainly as former Repubs — like Steve Schmidt, Jennifer Rubin, etc.
Sometimes it takes a real P.O.S. to wake people up. When his mean decisions effect oldsters, as in Medicare cutbacks & Social Security paychecks, perhaps Repubs will get it I don’t hold out too much hope, but even a 5% swing will help. Or, they won’t vote. It is, however, extremely hard to get a set-in-stone mindset to shift, to admit to being conned. Con men bank on it.
Steve Schmidt is one of my favorite (former) Republicans. I always respected him. If it hadn’t been for Palin, I venture Obama might not have won in 2008. It would have been a different history.