Abuse of Power on Steroids

Ted Folkert

April 16, 2018

The future health of the American economy and the welfare of the proletariat – the working-class – the hoi polloi – of our society is under attack by our narcissistic president, who is totally absorbed in his own fame and fortune and is now using his undeserved presidential power to milk the U. S. Treasury and to disembowel the financial foundation of the economy for the benefit of himself and others rich and powerful who have no need or use for more wealth.

His every interest and every action are innate with ties to his personal benefit, a benefit that he perceives can only be accomplished by demolishing and rendering useless the U.S. government.

Our founders and governmental leaders since our founding have spent almost 250 years creating one of, perhaps, the strongest of economic systems ever established. The system has been altered, modified, amended, regulated, deregulated, honed, and tempered throughout this 250 years, but has become stronger and more functional for most of us over time.

Ronald Reagan tried to gut it during his abysmal eight years in office and started the ball rolling toward aristocracy and oligarchy, which, if we want to offer any excuse for his ignorance, was probably due to his brain washing as the radio spokesman for General Electric during the years prior to his presidency.

Now, after we the American people, realizing our lack of attention to our well-being, started electing leaders with more egalitarian views and more educated economic backgrounds and understandings, the economy, although not where it needs to be regarding egalitarianism, better serves most of us and has provided economic growth and improved living conditions for several decades now.

And along comes Trump, the guy who gives narcissism a whole new meaning, the guy who doesn’t read, listen, or care about the general welfare of the people who aren’t named Trump, the guy who is only interested in his personal aggrandizement and gratification, who is taking a wrecking ball to the foundations of our government so that it will better serve himself.

As if his lack of education, understanding, concern, or interest in the American governmental system and economy isn’t bad enough, here is who he selected to head up the departments which are fundamental to professional management and productive administration of their missions:

For Secretary of Education he gives us a lady, a billionaire, a promoter of private education who considered public schools as “dead end.”

For Secretary of State he gives us a guy who had negotiated billions of dollars deals with Russia.

For the Environmental Protection Agency, he gives us a climate-change denier.

For the Department of Energy, he gives us a guy who campaigned to abolish the department.

For Housing and Urban Development, he gives us a neurosurgeon who considers poverty a “state of mind.”

All the above choices, mostly billionaires, lean heavily against taxes, health care, the environment, public education, and civil rights. Birds of a feather flock together, as my mother would have said.

It seems safe to say that any historian, governmental authority, or economist with exemplary credentials would consider the above cabinet a potential governmental wrecking crew.

Tom Steyer, a noted California billionaire, has been funding a campaign for impeachment of Trump and has gained thousands of signatures in support of his campaign. His efforts, although they may only be a fruitless exercise. are commendable in that he has the courage and passion to attempt to change destructive leadership, not only with his money but with his considerable effort. It is hard to not join in his effort even though it may not culminate in impeachment, as it would certainly send a much-needed message to his excellency, Trump.

It seems that an effort more achievable and more meaningful could well be an all-hands-on-deck effort to change the majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives by our votes in the November elections this year. Democratic control in both houses would render Trump much weaker in legislative endeavors and perhaps enable legislation to reverse some of the damage he has done which can be passed without presidential signature by appropriate levels of congressional approval. Such a position would make his final two years at the helm of this ship-lost-at-sea to stay afloat with limited damage until we can return our government to adult supervision in 2020.

Think about it!