Television coverage only hits the highlights and newspaper coverage concentrates on the new atrocities without following up on the continued development of earlier practices and the devastation that is following it. This means that things are even worse than one might imagine, and with no respite in sight.
Trump has placed incompetents in charge of most of the agencies. The criteria for appointment is loyalty to Trump rather than knowledge or understanding of the work to be done, and actual experience is immaterial.
Trump changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War and placed an incompetent in charge. The new secretary is performing as expected. He is demoting and running off women, blacks and Jews from all levels of military leadership, reversing the steps to eliminate discrimination in the military that have been placed into effect during the last 100 years.
Further, Trump has gutted the Department of Education and eliminated large chunks of the Department of Health and Human Resources. He is ending programs for treatment of a list of life threatening maladies and has reversed the government support for early inoculation of children against the worst of childhood diseases. He has turned the Department of Justice into a personal weapon by bringing some of his personal enemies into court on “Trumped up” criminal charges. Over loud objections, he changed the name of The Kennedy Center to the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” with the result that a number of entertainers pulled out of scheduled appearances.
His domestic efforts to seize and deport any foreigner found anywhere in country has astonished and appalled a great number of us. Contrary to his campaign promise that he would only seek out criminals and similar undesirables for adverse immigration efforts, he has instead tasked the immigration forces to proceed against the easiest of targets. Long-time residents and business owners, fully employed workers found in their workplaces, children, students, and the aged make easy targets for horrendous treatment by what has become a modern gestapo.
We have known for years that our immigration laws and procedures are broken and in desperate need of a massive overhaul. And yet, as the years go by, our Congress has failed to reach a solution that will satisfy the two major parties. The result has been a deadlocked Congress with a broken system of immigration that continues to grow worse each year. This has resulted in a huge number of immigrants in the grey area of incomplete process living in our country and being within Trumps’ target area for summary deportation.
The hardships befalling the hapless families occasioned by the summary deportations is appalling. Trumps’ actions in this area have generated huge demonstrations in all areas of the country, with the massive indications of disapproval falling upon deaf ears. There is no solution in sight, nor any indication that Trump intends to let up on his actions.
Despite the experience of the 1930s, and the cautionary warnings of every one of Trumps’ economic advisors, Trump is beginning to impose general tariffs on all imports. He continues to claim that these tariffs will be imposed upon the foreign shippers in the face of the plain fact that tariffs are always paid by domestic payees – initially by the domestic importers and passed on to domestic user through higher prices.
Our trading partners are beginning to impose counter tariffs, as expected, which will worsen the impact of it all upon our population. The tariffs and counter tariffs are beginning to produce the expected result of shortages in certain critical areas, the failures of smaller importers and exporters, increased prices in most areas, and widespread panic and uncertainties everywhere.
In his latest endeavor, he has announced an intent to acquire the island of Greenland. This huge and largely desolate area is mostly within the Arctic Circle and uninhabitable. It is at present a protectorate of Denmark. Denmark has indicated no interest in giving up their interests and Trump has threatened the imposition of punitive tariffs unless they comply with his wishes. The result is an expected tension between the United States and all of its European allies, especially those within the North Atlantic circle of countries.
All have responded to Trumps’ threats of increased tariffs with promises of counter tariffs, placing. domestic shippers in an uncertain future. Foreign trade is grinding to a standstill, bringing seaports and large areas of trucking to a halt and with other results beginning to flow through the system into all levels of the economy. Some might say that one cannot imagine how the situation could become any worse.
But all one had to do to fully expect what is happening to us all is to have listened to Trump before the election. None of what is happening today is any surprise. Trump announced every one of his actions in advance and during his campaign. All one had to do to understand where he is coming from now is to have paid attention to what he promised during the campaign.
What to do? Does anyone believe that the disastrous consequences are going to stop on their own, or that Trump will change direction in any area where he is presently looking?
The only recourse now is impeachment. But unless a sizable handful of Republicans in the Senate agree to jump ship, the action would be a waste of time. Only if the Senate changes in a substantial manner is impeachment a practical solution.
At the present time, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Republican majority in the Senate is a complete block to any vote on impeachment. It takes a two-thirds vote to convict, meaning 67 Senators. On the best of days, it is unlikely that enough Republicans would join he Democrats to provide this many votes to impeach. A decent majority may be expected with a few Republican votes, but not a two thirds majority.
Even if the Democrats take control of the Senate in the next general election if 2026, and reach a majority of the Senate, there still will not be enough Democratic senators.to assure a two-thirds majority. Some Republican Senators will have to step out of their party stance and join the Democrats if Trump is to be impeached
.
What’s that you say? Fat chance?
Probably true. There are few Republican Senators expressing any interest in jumping ship and joining the Democrats in their endeavors. While a Democratic congress will slow Trump down, it will still take a new election to chase him from office and set up any real relief.
Stay tuned. It is going to get much worse before it gets any better.
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