 |
| Joe Bakewell. |
TWO WAYS TO THINK ABOUT DONALD TRUMP
The first way
is to see him as a Godsend to the politicians in DC and the media everywhere.
The perfect excuse for neglecting—not even thinking about—the nation’s long
standing serious problems.
The second is
as a kind of negative messiah heading a campaign of religious intensity to rid
our country of his awful presence. Believers caught up in this campaign seem to
assume that the result will be a return to democracy and responsible
government.
When I put
myself in the role of the most vehement Trump hater, greedily scanning the
‘news’ every day for the latest fumble by that jerk, I get the feeling that
something else is going on, something I’m not intended to see, or understand. I
feel manipulated.
Looking back
over the years before Trump showed up I recall having written many essays
detailing the ways in which our elected officials and the media have been
misleading us, often with propaganda. I believe that I’m one of the few,
perhaps the only, beneficiary of these essays—the thinking process involved is
part of who I am.
But this is
not about me, it’s about our country. What are the consequences of continuing
on our current path? Will the health of our people improve? We currently spend
2 ½ times the average for developed countries, all of which have universal
coverage; we do not. And, our results are below average. We’re the worst in
obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Below average in infant mortality, life
span, mental health, addiction, and life expectancy. Obama Care, Trump Care? Who
gives a …?
I could go on
with our antiquated, and deteriorating infrastructure. And, more seriously, we
seem to be morphing into some alternative form of government, leaving
democracy, and its discipline, behind. But, none of these will matter given the
rate at which our debt is increasing.
For the last
25 to 30 years, our debt has been increasing at an average of 5 ½ % per year
while our productivity has increased by 1 to 1 ¼ %. What would happen if a
couple decided to get a better house every year, increasing their mortgage by 5
½ % while their income went up by 1 to 1 ¼ %?
Maybe we
should let what’s left of our democracy take care of Trump in due time and
concentrate on getting our ‘leaders’ and media to address our most serious
problems.
“Too late,”
you say? Time to let every man, woman, and family figure out their own standard
of living strategies. Great, read REBEL by Douglas Carswell, subscribe to
Barron’s, and you might have a chance.
Joe Bakewell
No comments:
Post a Comment