2016 — President Trump’s Priorities: That Was Then…This is Now. (Part 1 of 2)

 

It is always intriging to look back in time to see what America faced four years ago.The original date of this essay — November 2016. Mr. Trump was President-Elect and Americans had ‘ campaign promises’ of his priorities. Here is a look back and my grades on his performance: October 27, 2020.

The Updated Top Ten Issues Facing President-elect Trump in 10 Days and Counting…

In a matter of weeks, President-elect Trump will be a reality; he will need to address all of these issues. This is the most popular blog I have written with over 400 page views, and I felt it needed an update…so here goes… by the way, immigration still does not make my top ten although prison reform is number 11.)

10.Decreasing the deficit by decreasing the Military Industrial Complex: President Eisenhower warned the nation before he left office. He wasn’t talking about decreasing support for troops or vets; he was talking about building weapons and selling them for profit to other nations…like Saudi Arabia! (It’s happening now and also sales to Israel, too — 35 billion dollars worth…) F — the deficit has ballooned because of the tax cut to the rich and spending has kept up. Growth never came close to making up the difference as his experts claimed.

9.Income Inequality: Corporations and its CEO’s are not going to start selling off their yachts. However, Union’s must support higher wages and a living wage needs to be addressed. Above all, American workers need to be willing and able to become educated in the new ‘workplace’. It should be noted that unemployment isn’t caused my immigration primarily, but by automation! F — it’s gotten worse and Covid-19 has made any gains vanish. BTW — jobs promised vanished anyway. The Carrier plant was the example most cited. The truth is that eventually they shipped the vast majority of jobs to Mexico — but kept the money that came as ‘tax relief.’

8.Putin: America needs to keep our collective eyes on a dictator who kills his competition, jails journalists, and wants to expand his domain to get to the “Old USSR”. Um, here Mr. Trump is either gullible (not) or has a business interest he needs to divulge (including his taxes). F — One word ‘Helsinki.’

They exchanged ‘Love Letters’ and then they set off more missles.

7.North Korea: See above. Add Nuclear weapons on missiles. China is the key to leveraging them, so it’s not a good idea to make an enemy out of a reforming, but polluted China, Mr. Trump. D— They exchanged ‘Love Letters’ and then they set off more missles.

6.Polarization in Politics = Gridlock: America needs a Republican Party that is center right and the Democratic Party needs to be center left. Both need to learn to compromise. Good luck (with that). F — no effort here at all.

5.Discrimination: ‘Black Lives Do Matter’ so do all minorities — all people of different creeds and sexual identities matter. America no longer has black and white water fountains, but it takes much longer to change hearts and minds. Arming everyone is not the answer. Inclusion and education is. F — He sent in ‘guys’ and tear gassed folks to get to a church he does not attend to hold a Bible.

4.ISIS: President Obama has made great strides in dealing with the Taliban and its off-shoots. He was the president who made Osama bin Laden history. However, young men who feel economically impotent and religiously inspired will have to be inspired by another force — optimism that their lives are worth something — so they don’t believe death is the better option. ISIS is crumbling…slowly but surely. C — He continued Obama’s lead, but his efforts to pull all troops out of Afganistan is viewed with horror by his generals and the Afgan government.

The Middle East will very soon see heat levels at 135 degrees.

3.Syria: Putin has helped Assad destroy city after city. History will show that this mass murder and migration is a war crime. Eventually Assad will pay — unless Putin continues his support. President Obama could not find a way to deal with a murdering scoundrel (and his Russian ally) without putting boots on the ground in a futile effort (with the possibility of war with the Soviets). It was a lost cause — the poor people of Syria are central to this tragedy. NA — Not sure any president could affect change there.

2.Public Schools: Teachers need to be paid better, the length required for tenure needs to be the trade off. Governments (Federal and State) need to equally invest much more in the schools — not the administration of these schools. We can do better. We must do better or else we will expand even further the two class system of education we have in the primary and secondary schools. This is a blog in itself…F — Betsy DeVos is intent on privatizing schools. Her efforts made it such that little progress was made on equalizing opportunity for low income schools.

And the DRUM ROLL, Please…

1.Global Warming: This ‘trumps’ all because the world is already facing food production shortages and fresh water is the reason why mass migrations are occurring in Africa (and their governments are collapsing.) America will see Miami’s disappearing as sea levels rise. We will see climate swings, floods, record heat, tornadoes, — you name it. The Middle East will very soon see heat levels at 135 degrees. I could go on and on…but we can’t. The problem is the new President-Elect seems to ignore this fact. (Perhaps I should tweet it.) He thinks the Paris Accords aren’t his ‘thing.’ Let’s hope he receives sage advice…except many of his advisers are not on board yet. Rex Tillerson seems to be the exception — even though he spent 50+ years at Exxon Mobil. So keep an eye on the ice because the tide is rising. F — the worst grade of all. Trump went from calling global warming a “hoax” to pushing for more fossil fuel, including coal. Tillerson left office convinced that Trump is ‘a moron.’

America’s 2020 Excuse: X Being X = Y

 

Brandi Ibrao@brandialxndra

I could have titled this essay ‘Trump Being Trump,’ but that would imply that the my theme is limited to one phony reality television show acting as carnival barker, utterly unqualified and far too ignorant to have plausibly be considered for the position of the most powerful leader in America. Actually, I hope to never have to write another essay about him. Instead I decide to use the generic X (and a play on letters with Y being ‘why.’ First, let’s consider this tragic year.

Irony is the buzzword of 2020. So much has happened in this topsy-turvy year that it boggles the mind. The once Obama buoyed economy is now in the tank (except for the rich who hold their breath that the Stock Market does not explode). Unemployment was close to full employment, but now is a train wreck that has hit the poorest workers who are least likely to have a buffer of savings.

The new normal is abnormal.

Once thriving restaurants are trying to survive in parking lots until the winter frost makes for a no-win decision: close or face the specter of another Covid spike (happening in Europe now). The once saintly Dr. Anthony Fauci (and his family) has been viciously threatened for having the audacity to demand people wear masks. Science being scoffed (unless the Big Pharma can get a vaccine pronto). Sports without fans in the stands. Broadway gone permanently dark. Few heading to the office. Movie theaters empty. Okay, I’ll stop there. The new normal is abnormal.

However, the phrase used to excuse so much foolishness has become the excuse de jour: ‘Someone is just being himself or herself.’ Whoever has acted the fool should normally be embarrassment, but this year is now reduced to meh. (What’s the big deal?) We use it for a president ignoring science while he stuffs his own coffers, celebrities suffering because they are isolated in their opulent homes, athletes complaining they do not receive enough respect, husbands and wives cheating because, well, things are “so hard.” (Anyone who has to endure physical or mental abuse should leave the relationship.)

Rather than look to this behavior as abhorrently self-centered and unabashedly selfish, the ‘take’ on this behavior is a shrug of the shoulders. It is a rarity of epic proportions to have someone fess up to their errors. The most notable in this latest cycle of irony is the Republican Party’s nomination and insistence to confirm, before the election results, a new Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

How could it be more hypocritical? McConnell and Co. stopped President Obama’s nominee Merritt Garland because it was ‘an election year’ (over 250 days from the election). As of this writing Judge Barrett will be confirmed so close to Election Day that votes have been already cast for the next president. Why is it okay? McConnell is just being McConnell. Translation: I don’t need to be fair minded or consistent; I just get what I want. And America’s reaction — meh.

Meanwhile every agency of the Federal Government involved in investigation foreign interference has gone on record proclaiming that Putin and the Russians are already influencing this American election. The reaction from the current administration: it’s just Putin being Putin. Meh. Besides, they argue Iran and China are doing the same thing so it’s all fair in election …and cold war.

“The buck stops here.”

Harry Truman made no excuses. “The buck stops here.” Americans were told the reasons for an action. Responsibility was taken for those decisions. They could be debated, but we knew there were no such things as ‘alternative facts’ and no reputable news organization denying the fact that we dropped an atomic bomb…twice. Truman and Co. argued that thousands upon thousands of lives were saved if the Allied forces has boots in the ground in Tokyo.

America’s finest heroes are people who admit their mistakes and own up to it. They try to make reparations. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. But the era of excuses and explaining failure by merely remarking that X Being X is no longer acceptable. Democracy depends on responsible governance — honest to a fault. The American people can accept when mistakes happen — even the tragic fire that engulfed Apollo 1 and killed its crew.

What Americans can no longer endure is a statement made on March 13th, 2020: “I don’t take responsibility at all.” — Donald J. Trump.

That is inexcusable.