In Trump's America, Who Is in Charge?

Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States. He is also the main subject of every American newscast or news analysis, 24-7-365, as if the Trump Presidency were a reality TV show that, like most such programming, bears little resemblance to the real world most of us see around us every day. His show is both a fantasy and a horror show, depending upon where you stand politically, morally, and ethically. Here I am, back in the blog business after a hiatis of a year and a half, and so far every one of my blogs has been about him—I am as guilty as everybody else of being obsessed with understanding Donald Trump's America. Part of that comes from learning that my family in Holland tell me they no longer recognize America. They used to think of American idealism and American generosity and American leadership as things to be admired. They used to dream of wonderful visits to our country. All that is gone now and they do not know if it will ever come back. They do know it will go farther away as long as Trump remains President, and they fear that outcome on November 3. Because Donald John Trump is an anarchist in the worst sense of the word. He wants to break the post office. He wants to break the health care system, break Social Security, break MediCare. He has already broken the Iran nuclear proliferation treaty and pulled us out of the Paris Climate Accords, effectively crippling both. He gave a temporary tax break to everyone but a permanent tax break to the rich. He outsources his own companies to foreign lands using foreign workers. He encouraged separating young children from their parents at the United States border and tried his best to keep Muslim visitors and potential new citizens from coming to America. In less than four years in office, he has built five new miles of his fabled Wall, part of which is in danger of crumbling due to shoddy workmanship by one of his cronies. He sends federal law enforcement to cities that do not want his “help” to patrol the streets uninvited. He was impeached (granted, all three presidential impeachment trials ended in partisan acquittal). At the very least, he encouraged foreign intervention in our elections—twice. He inherited a robust economy from his democratic predecessor, but now faces an economic crisis due to Covid-19 that has cost six million jobs, yet he campaigns on how good things were in February. Speaking of Covid, on his watch 187,000 plus Amerricans have perished from the disease, a disproportionate total among the world's nations—in fact, with 4% of the world's population we have 24% of the known cases and 22% of the deaths. Meanwhile, he wants to cut down on testing for the disease because increased testing means higher numbers still, which looks bad for him. He touts miracles and promises a vaccine before the end of the year, echoing past presidents and their empty promises. Re-elect me, and I will do this. Worse, Trump tells us that what is happening on our streets and in our homes right now is what is going to happen under a Biden administration, as if he were not president at all but the man running for the job fresh and without a track record we can readily see. Mr. President, it's bad now. You thrive on devisiveness, and we have it in bucket loads. It feels as though you want our streets to become battlegrounds, to further your agenda and give you legal cause to entrench your power. Your presidency is a disaster. You are like the new frat boy who will do anything to get in with the wealthy and popular kids. They let you play in their league because they think they can control you, but that is a terrible mistake. Reader, if you think I am overstating my case, lets see what America looks like on November 4.

Donald Trump: The Sly Buffoon

Now that the suspense is over and the Republicans at last have chosen their candidate for President, well, I have a few comments. First: We cannot blame Donald Trump for the coronavirus pandemic, just like we could not blame George W. Bush for Hurricane Katrina. We can hold him accountable for the lack of response, as we did Bush at the time. But Bush at least worked to undo the damage. Trump keeps amplifying it, and in the bargain has made Covid-19, testing, and wearing masks political issues. Second: Trump sounds like an idiot every time he opens his mouth or posts a tweet. He cannot help himself. He throws out crazy conspiracies, calls upon experts he never names, denies his own words, attacks dead people, and can't seem to find the words his speech writers give him. He mispronounces simple words. He reads the teleprompter with utter flatness. His malaprops make Yogi Berra look like a genius—which, of course, Berra was. That got me to thinking, and worrying, that Trump is merely playing the role of buffoon and playing it perfectly while cleverly entrenching his power and doing things to ingratiate himself with his true base, the one tenth of one percent who really run things. I mean, no one could be that out of touch and that stupid yet lead a country, right? Third: Trump's advocates point to Joe Biden's acceptance speech by saying, “Anyone can read off a teleprompter.” Have they watched their man? If competence were a genuine issue in this race, I would question Trump's. He can't seem to read without evoking the worst monotone in snooze control or getting through without mispronouncing half a dozen words. As to his sense of reality, reality is whatever Donald Trump says it is. He's pushing imaginary armies against invading forces—wait, that was a certain Austrian whom his generals were terrified to tell the truth. Fourth: I have been told that it is too easy, a cheap shot, to make Hitler comparisons. And yet, I listened to our President rant on about how the far left had kidnapped Joe Biden and plans to ruin America. From where I sit, America is already in ruins and that is on Trump's watch. Then again, Trump is very good at accusing others of doing exactly what he himself is doing in the hopes that no one will notice him doing it. Right now, he is trying to rig the 2020 election, trying to incite violence in cities across America, and actually making America the exact opposite of “Great Again.” In his thinly veiled attempt to undermine and possibly destroy the United States Postal Service, he now says that he did not say what he did say, but many people, many fine people, excellent people, heard him. Some even recorded him. Finally, a quote: Not my words; a comment from acerbic wit H. L. Mencken almost a century ago: “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” That great and glorious day is here. Help me prove Donald Trump is an anomaly. VOTE!

At The Post Office

The other day, my granddaughter and I went down to pick up our mail. We live in a rural area and have to go to a post office box, about a mile from our home. Obeying the wishes of our governor and respecting the new rules for common courtesy and social distancing, we both donned our facial coverings before we went inside. A mask-less lady passing us said, “Oh, a new traitor to the Constitution!” I am not usually very quick or bold with a response, but I retorted, “Where in the Constitution does it say anything about wearing masks?” The conversation died there. At home, I looked it up. Indeed, the Constitution says nothing about masks or facial coverings of any kind. Or seat belts. Or wearing clothes in public. It does stipulate the government's duty to look out for the public welfare, and it also says that states have huge discretionary powers in matters that affect public safety. In fact, states have the right to impose quarantine and isolation and call upon the National Guard to address noncompliance. In face of a massive threat to the public health, an individual's rights may be temporarily suspended if those rights impose or imply a danger to the community. Masks seem to me to be an odd place to take a stand for civil liberties, a strange battle to pick. Even silly. I think of that lady and wish I had said, “Madam, you have every right to be stupid, but you infringe on my rights when your stupidity threatens my well being.” I had a similar experience two weeks before in WalMart, when a young man within earshot of his parents yelled at me, “Masks are dangerous!” I told him, “I'm wearing this to protect you, Sir. What are you doing to protect me?” If you really want a battle to fight and stand up for equal rights, speak out for the Postal Service. The Trump administration is trying to kill it. Millions of us depend on its efficient, timely and relatively inexpensive services. Many of us get our retirement and social security checks that way. I get my heart medications by mail. I also vote by mail and have done for decades. I suggest you pull the mask off Postmaster General DeJoy's motives and his family's interests in USPS competitors like UPS and J. B. Hunt Transport Services. Look what national attention has done so far: DeJoy has postponed all those suggested “cost-cutting measures” until after the November election. Next, the Service promised that there will be no delays for mail-in ballots after all. Can we be sure? Wear your own masks to the polling place when you cast your vote, or at least make sure your vote gets there.

Congress Must Act NOW

Here is a suggestion to all members of Congress upon a timely return to hammer out the second stimulus bill. Actually, it is two-fold. First, since the United States Postal Service is managed through Congressional oversight, perhaps Congress should separate the proposed financial aid to the Postal Service into its own piece of legislation—and then let every Congressman and Senator state flatly where they stand, while allowing the Stimulus package to go forward. The Postal Service has been losing money since 2006, when Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The act effectively hog-tied the service from keeping up with costs and revenues decreased by the internet. Before that date and legislation, the Postal Service actually turned a profit, modest but still “in the black.” It will take Congress to help turn this around. But for now, ideally, of course, if Congress were to fund the service through the election and beyond, it would help assure a safe, legal and free election in 2020. It would also guarantee continued postal service to the millions of Americans who depend upon their men and women in blue for many day to day needs. Second, Congress should join with the Postal Inspector General in investigating new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on charges of a conflict of interest. Not only is DeJoy completely inexperienced to head the postal service, he was a major contributor to Trump's campaign, a crony. Modeling after his favorite President Andrew Jackson, Trump is using the spoils system to reward DeJoy. But wait, there's more. DeJoy and his wife are reported to have invested between $30 and 75 million dollars in competitors to the post office, including the United Parcel Service. Such claims imply a serious conflict of interest and Congress must find out the truth—and act accordingly. One last thought: the Postmaster General is no longer a member of the President's cabinet and therefore can be appointed without the approval of Congress. Maybe that should change. Whatever Congress decides to do or not to do, the rest of us must find a way to make our vote count. It took centuries to enfranchise everyone eighteen or older. We cannot, should not lie down and give up that hard earned right.

Can Democracy Survive Donald Trump?

I am back. I stopped blogging quite a while ago to work on other projects. I have watched and hoped and waited, but silence is no longer an option. America is in chaos. And though no one can be blamed for a disease, how badly our country has handled the pandemic can be laid at the feet of one man. More, Democracy itself is in its death throes. The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, is rigging the 2020 election--right in front of us as we watch. It is not subtle, it is not gentle. We don't have to speculate, to guess. He told us the truth. He is willing to handicap the United States Postal Service, an institution created by the Founding Fathers as stipulated by the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7) in order to prevent mail-in balloting in November. He is also holding hostage the second Stimulus Bill that Congress recessed before finalizing, over the funding earmarked for the Postal Service, which makes up only one percent of the proposed stimulus package. Desperate to hold onto power, Trump is blatantly working to ruin the legitimacy of the vote, and/or disenfranchise massive numbers of voters. In the bargain he is willing to sacrifice the post office, which brings news, medicines, monies and goods to everyone it can reach. That disenfranchises and endangers the poor, the elderly, and rural residents. Trump wants to become a dictator and the Republican Party seems to be in lock-step behind him. Unidentified men acting on Presidential authority have been trying to incite violence in the name of preventing it in cities around the country as an excuse to declare Martial Law. Every citizen in America is being disenfranchised as we watch, and Democracy is dying in front of our eyes. Anyone who thinks Trump cares about his country is wrong. Their “man” is a traitor to Democracy and no one can deny it any longer. All he cares about is holding onto power, like a Putin or a Lukashenko. It has been said that every people get the government they deserve. We deserve better. You and I are inside, watching history being made rapid fire. In the next few months, the “Grand Experiment” will either fail and be tossed into Donald Trump's rubbish bin, or reassert its value and remove him from office before he can remove Democracy from America's future. That is up to us. Vote. Do whatever it takes to get your ballot where it belongs. Help others get to the polling place or get their mail-in ballot in on time. The only way to save Democracy now is to exercise our democratic right to vote.