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~ USA Headed for a 5th Revolution! Why?

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Category Archives: Lessons of Revolution

#389. Where Do We Go from Here? (#11 in Series)

27 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Economics, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: some of the dialogue in this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Entries addressing events in the The future assume there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution, a list of earlier revolutions and the author, Entry #1.

Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether in the next few years, a revolution in the US is still possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US.  Most recent sense check, ENTRY #387.  

Some of the entries are part of a series.  Several series are available as easy-to-read booklets for download:

  • Working with Lee Iacocca after he left Chrysler, 2019Q3 Iacocca Personal Observations. 
  • GM EV1 — behind-the-scenes events affecting development and introduction of the GM EV1, the first modern electric vehicle. 2020Q1 GM EV-1 Story Behind the Story Booklet
  • Coming technology tsunami and the implications for the US, Tech Tsunami Booklet with Supplement
  • Trump Supporters Brainwashed? A series discussing why Republics have abandoned basic principals, Are Trump Republicans Brainwashed 2020Q1
  • Who took out the Donald?  Who/what groups are most likely to “take out” Trump? Who Took Out the Donald Entries with Update
  • Revenge Revolution — description of what form the revolution might take, 20 01 07 Start of Revolution

Prelude to the current series of entries: I’ve concluded Trump is a lunatic and the administration filled with lapdogs save a couple of people at CDC.  Instead of wasting time commenting on actions by Trump, I thought it more productive to begin discussing what happens in the US once the coronavirus is more under control.  #378 began the series. At this point not sure how many entries.  Comments and suggestions welcome.

ENTRY #389: We are approaching the end of July 2020. Fewer than 100 days until the presidential election.  What’s happening? Just a bit.

  1. Coronavirus remains unchecked in many locations
  2. No clear strategy from the White House yet addressing the Coronavirus
  3. Growing effort to ban the Confederate flag and to remove statues honoring generals who fought against the US
  4. Growing effort to rename buildings, sports teams, schools, organizations and brand-name products that some group might consider offensive
  5. Sending non-uniformed federal troops to various cities to arrest often peaceful protestors.  Trump ordered the troops “to protect the cities from destruction.”  Of course, troops were sent only to cities with Democratic mayors.  None of the mayors asked for the troops.
  6. Sputtering economy that may beginning to backslide.  Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are so divided they cannot come to agreement on a stimulus package.
  7. Cancelling the Republican Convention in Jacksonville, Florida that Trump insisted on moving from Charlotte, NC because the NC governor had mandated rules for wearing masks and limiting the number of people who could gather in public places.
  8. Icing on the cake is both humorous and tragic.  Last week Trump was bragging to Fox News about how he “aced” a test designed to detect likely onset of Alzheimer’s.  His remarks were pathetic but memorable.  Trump claimed remembering five words, “Person, woman, man, camera and TV,” qualified him as an incredibly smart person.  Donald, I hate to tell you, a 5-year old can do the same thing, and the 5-year old can also identify an elephant.

Widespread uncertainty in any environment tends to lead to widespread chaos. No one in the White House, no one in Congress and certainly no one in the public, knows what’s next. Nor does anybody in the Trump administration seem to know how to fix the current problems, or even care about fixing current problems.

The most clear-cut answer to reduce the risk of contracting and to reduce the number of cases of the coronavirus comes from an epidemiologist who merely states facts – wear a mask and stay 6’ away from others.  However, even such a simple gesture from a highly trained professional has been met with strong resistance, starting with the Trump administration.  Finally, this past week, Trump suggested wearing a mask might be OK, although not for him.

In a series of earlier entries, I noted that many Trump supporters seem to be brainwashed. If there were ever a concrete example of brainwashing, the refusal to wear a mask is it.  One does not need an epidemiological degree to understand a face covering will slow penetration of inbound/outbound particles.

I wonder if any of these Republicans have ever watched the movie, “Lawrence of Arabia”.   Trumpsters, why do you think the guys riding in the desert on horseback and on camels covered their face with scarves? Without a scarf, blowing sand tends to get in the mouth and nose, and really doesn’t taste great.

Wearing a mask reduces the dispersion of particles when you breathe, cough or sneeze, thereby reducing the likelihood of contaminating others.  But since Trump has implied and even stated masks are for wimps, or at least he did so until only a day or so ago, no self-respecting brainwashed Republican wants to be seen wearing a mask.

In their brainwashed state, Republicans don’t need a mask because they are immune from the coronavirus. Only liberals need masks, and who cares if liberals are infected because of some Republican?

The two ends of “should-I-wear-a-mask?” spectrum were highlighted in a couple of recent Facebook posts. One post equated forcing people to wear masks in public locations as similar to Nazi’s forcing Jews to wear a yellow star. Not even remotely a legitimate comparison. But the guy who posted the entry is a hardcore Trumpster.

The other extreme regarding wearing a mask was lighthearted. The post was a quote, “Walmart is only asking you to wear a mask. You can still wear your pajamas and still leave your bra and your teeth at home.”

While Trump politicizing wearing a mask is baffling, even more baffling is the effort by the Trump administration to reduce funds allocated for testing the public for infection. Using Trump’s logic, if there are no tests, then the number of reported infections will decline. The decline in infections will prove that Trump has done a great job addressing the issue. Welcome to logic in Trump World.

Let’s put the brainwashed Trumpsters aside, and address the economy post coronavirus and post Revenge Revolution. The Coronavirus has been the catalyst for accelerating the shift to a new economic model.

In the post-coronavirus world, wealth will still be created the way wealth has always been created – integrating and/or processing individual components so the end product is more valuable than the individual components – aka, manufacturing. Manufacturing categories include a wide range of industries — farming, mining, automotive, software development, construction, etc.

The GDP also includes non-manufacturing categories, or “services.” Services include such industries as travel-and-entertainment – hotels, casinos, air travel, cruise ships – food service, retail, banking, professional services, including medical, and a host of other occupations. Think of services as “transferring money from one pocket to another.”  While many services are essential and generate many jobs, no societal wealth is created with the transfer of money between pockets.  However, services can result in individuals or companies becoming wealthy.

Like all past major shifts in the economy – agrarian to industrial, e.g. – some individuals and some companies will benefit. Other individuals and companies will be left behind and lose wealth. The shift often can be swift and brutal.  An example is the shift from steam-powered locomotives to diesel locomotives in the 1930’s.  Within a few years of introduction, diesel locomotives dominated and production of steam locomotives stopped.

Unfortunately, when these economic shifts occur, some in society will be hard hit.  If we use the experience of workers during the coronavirus shutdown as a proxy, then workers most at risk might be those in the middle – jobs above entry level that require some level of advanced education but not jobs that require skills for critical thinking.

During the coronavirus shutdown, many people in the United States got a surprise.  Critical workers included grocery-store clerks, sanitation workers, emergency-response teams, transit workers and other seemingly out of the limelight, lower-paid employees. While society was surprised about which jobs were “critical,” organizations discovered that many employees were in fact, “non-critical.”  Such workers included certain clerical staff, middle managers, sales staff, and other support personnel.

An open question in the post-coronavirus economy is what happens to central cities or other areas where offices are clustered? If people continue to work from home, and only need an office part-time, and if support staffs are reduced, what happens to all the office buildings in say Manhattan, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.? What happens to the infrastructure – subways and light rail – restaurants and other jobs dependent upon office workers?

People still need space to work and food to eat. However, will those working at home look for a somewhat larger house? Will those working from home begin to order in more meals rather than going to nearby restaurants?

While the future of the economy and future size and style of homes are uncertain, one certainty is the United States and other developed countries are going to face huge dislocations and changes to the norm. Covid-19 accelerated the arrival and intensity of the technology tsunami. The next decade is going to be a wild ride. (More about coming technology tsunami, Tech Tsunami Booklet with Supplement.)

One variable sitting on top of the economic and social changes post coronavirus is action required to mitigate the impact of climate change.  The argument is moot whether climate change is natural or man-made.  Climate change is here and is not going away.

Next blog entry we’ll discuss how some proposed actions to address climate change might cause further economic and social dislocations.  Stay tuned.

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#384 1967 Detroit Riots: Lessons for Cities and Trump Administration

02 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Gov't Policy, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution, a list of earlier revolutions and the author, Entry #1.

Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether in the next few years, a revolution in the US is still possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US.  Most recent sense check, Entry #365.  

Some of the entries are part of a series.  Several series are available as easy-to-read booklets for download:

  • Working with Lee Iacocca after he left Chrysler, 2019Q3 Iacocca Personal Observations. 
  • GM EV1 — behind-the-scenes events affecting development and introduction of the GM EV1, the first modern electric vehicle. 2020Q1 GM EV-1 Story Behind the Story Booklet
  • Coming technology tsunami and the implications for the US, Tech Tsunami Booklet with Supplement
  • Trump Supporters Brainwashed? A series discussing why Republics have abandoned basic principals, Are Trump Republicans Brainwashed 2020Q1
  • Who took out the Donald?  Who/what groups are most likely to “take out” Trump? Who Took Out the Donald Entries with Update
  • Revenge Revolution — description of what form the revolution might take, 20 01 07 Start of Revolution

Prelude: I’ve concluded Trump is a lunatic and the administration filled with lapdogs save a couple of people at CDC.  Instead of wasting time commenting on actions by Trump, I thought it more productive to begin discussing what happens in the US once the coronavirus is more under control.  #378 began the series. At this point not sure how many entries.  Comments and suggestions welcome.

The topic of ENTRY #384 was not anticipated.  The civil unrest this past week may become more prevalent than anyone would like. Unfortunately, the unrest likely will continue well past COVID-19, and thus a topic for this series.

ENTRY #384 BEGINS:  The past week there have been rallies in numerous cities protesting the treatment of Mr. George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. More and more of these rallies have evolved into riots with extensive looting and burning of public and private property.  With Trump’s proclamation Monday evening, June 1, that maximum force, including US military personnel, could be used to quell all protests, the number and intensity may increase and the tactics more warlike.

Apparently the Donald forgot to read his history books and skipped classes as well on military strategy.  Using traditional brute force in a guerilla war, which is what is likely to evolve after the proclamation, rarely works, if ever.  The list is long of examples of brute force failing to stop guerilla warfare, including Vietnam.

Watching these riots has been painful. I can tell you from personal experience, it is quite scary to be caught in the middle of the violence itself.

In summer 1967, we were living in a suburb immediately north of Detroit. I was just months into my job at Cadillac Division of General Motors.

One Sunday afternoon our neighbor, a manager of a credit agency housed in Detroit, said he’d heard there was some disturbance downtown and wanted to go check on his office. I offered to accompany him and off we went.

What we got was a whole lot more than anticipated. When we arrived in front of the office, housed in the Fox Theater building, there were people everywhere. A liquor store next to the theater was being looted as was a TV shop next door to that.

We looked to be some of the first “outsiders” to arrive at this location because while we were still in the car, a number of police cars pulled in behind us. No, we weren’t stupid. It was time to get out of Dodge and we left.

Overnight there were more riots in selected parts of Detroit but there was no declaration of an emergency. So, Monday morning I headed to work. The main Cadillac plant was on the west side and several miles from downtown Detroit. Rioting continued as did the fires. Midday Monday a number of us stood on an enclosed walkway between the fourth floors of two different buildings. We could see parts of the city clearly burning.

Cadillac closed the offices and the assembly plant that afternoon and I headed back to the apartment using an alternate route that was even farther west and away from the activity. I returned without incident but was left with the nagging question, “Are we really safe?”

The apartment complex was just on the other side of the dividing line between Detroit and Southfield – 8-Mile Road. The apartment complex was not gated so there was nothing to stop rioters from entering. Fortunately, the rioting did not spread to our immediate area.

Rioting did continue to spread within the City of Detroit. Rioting became so extensive, Governor George Romney (Mitt’s father) asked for Federal assistance and members of the US Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were deployed to Detroit. In addition to light-infantry weapons, the units were supported by heavily armored tanks.

If you’ve never witnessed in real time the firepower of a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a tank, visualize this. The machine gun is aimed at a sniper holed up in say the 5th floor of a brick building. The first few rounds from the machine gun literally blow away the brick facade and then subsequent rounds penetrate the interior of the building. That scene was fairly common in Detroit as the military attempted to control sniper fire.

Thus, in the span of a few days, much of Detroit became a war zone. The devastation is hard to describe and imagine. Some areas of Detroit have not yet recovered, more than 50+ years later. Yes, Detroit had some other problems as well but I think what tipped over the City was the 1967 riots.

What caused the riots? Was there an incident like George Floyd in Minneapolis or Rodney King in Los Angeles? On the surface, the riots were precipitated by a seemingly innocuous single incident. In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Detroit police raided and closed a blind pig in a black neighborhood (illegal bar often with some gambling as well).

While black residents were frustrated by the raid on the blind pig, residents housed a long-standing frustration with treatment by the Detroit Police Department, then mostly white. Economics was a contributing factor, but much less so than most people think. In the 1960’s, the US economy and especially Detroit’s economy were strong. Many black residents were employed at one of the many new-car/truck assembly plants or component plants in and around Detroit.

Further, all hourly employees in those plants were members of the UAW with extensive health benefits, multi-week vacation and a base wage that was sufficient for full-time workers to be classified as “middle class.” Detroit also had a relatively strong black-owned business community.

What happened to Detroit following the riots? Many whites fled the City for the suburbs. Auto companies gradually closed many of the assembly and component plants, although there were other reasons for that as well. Detroit became a shell of its former self. Only in the last decade, roughly 50 years after the riots, has Detroit started to rebound. New businesses are moving in. Housing is being rebuilt and population is gradually expanding.

What’s the lesson, or the caution, for other cities experiencing riots? While there is no simple answer, at a minimum, city leaders, public and private, need to work closely with citizens and be alert to problems with city services, whether garbage pickup, water quality (as in Flint), or unsavory or unethical actions by law enforcement. Understanding these problems, and making an effort to resolve the problems before getting out of control, will help mitigate the potential for disturbance.

An example of such an effort is the sheriff of Genesee County Michigan, north of Detroit and home to Flint, MI.  The sheriff has been working closely with residents throughout the county.  So far, there have been no unruly protests in Flint and other cities in the county.

Another issue that seems important, and one that does not get discussed enough publicly, is encouraging local residents to become business owners in their community. Maybe more black-owned businesses would prevent some of the insidious looting that occurred during recent protests. Why would you loot a store in your neighborhood that is providing critical services, and owned by one of your neighbors?

Those who loot or encourage looting neighborhood stores should not complain because few, if any, national chains open neighborhood stores. Why should these companies risk capital, if the stores are targeted for looting?

Finally, I think any honest conversation about unfair treatment, discrimination, and associated issues needs to ask the following questions. “How did other ethnic groups overcome what was often overt and brutal discrimination? What did these ethnic groups do, sometimes over several generations, to reduce discrimination and make better lives for themselves?”  The answers could provide some guidance for all sides.  Answers will also indicate solutions are never easy and never one sided.

#312 Republicans Have Given Away Their Soul…and the Country’s Soul. How Do We Get It Back?

28 Sunday Oct 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.

Occasionally I do a “sense check.”  Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective.  Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent standard “sense checks.”   The last three entries, including this one break from the conversation format.  Characters will return soon.

Ever notice how many adults seem to take statements at face value, never asking, “Why do you make that statement?” or “What’s the source of your data?” The lack of curiosity seems particularly prevalent around elections and among those who quit reading newspapers regularly and rely primarily on the internet and/or specific cable channels for what is often opinion disguised as news..

Hear Speak See No EvilHow many people do you know have joined a “political tribe”?  And as a member of that tribe, no longer question even the most outlandish statements of tribal leaders?  Think about how passive these tribal members have become.  Do you know of any self-respecting four year-old who would take your statements as gospel and quit asking “why?” Chances are you’ll have a hard time finding a four year-old who fits that category.

dunce capsI know some blog readers think that lately I’ve been beating up the Republicans too much.  Maybe so, but given the behavior of the so-called leaders of the Republican Party, such criticism seems more than justified.

For starters, has anyone in the Republican Party asked “Why do we so ardently support a president whose actions are seemingly contrary to everything the Party has promoted the past decades?”  Maybe the Republicans should start to act like that self-respecting four year-old and ask some questions.  Here’s a start on a list of questions:

  • Why are we…yes, we Republicans…supporting a guy who coddles known enemies, starting with the Russians but including a host of other bad characters?Putin
  • Why are we no longer supporting free trade, a bedrock of the Republican Party for decades?
  • Why are we trashing our best allies in favor of known enemies?  (Ever think about the implications of alienating countries that we might need later?  Do you behave this way toward your friends?)
  • Why did we knowingly and enthusiastically pass tax legislation that transfers more money to the wealthy, takes away money from the middle class and is already resulting in ever-larger and unsustainable budget deficits?
  • Why are we following Trump and effectively promoting violence against certain groups within the US?
  • Why are we ignoring a basic tenet of most religions to treat thy neighbor as thyself?
  • Why are we barring refugees from entering this country legally?  (Yes, refugees have a right to enter.)
  • Why are we cutting funding for public education, which has been the bedrock of economic growth for decades?School Bldg
  • Why are we encouraging companies and people to pollute when there are numerous directives in the Bible to leave the earth a better place?
  • Why are we encouraging discrimination against people who are gay?  (Look folks, nearly every family has someone who is gay.  Get over it.)
  • Why are we ignoring a key provision of the Constitution by not letting citizens vote or making it extremely hard for citizens to vote?  (The Republican Party has produced no evidence in any location in the US of voter fraud.)
  • Why are we ignoring the 1st Amendment right to a free press?  (Yes, a free press is protected by the 1st Amendment.)NYT Logo
  • Why are we supporting claims that a free press is the “enemy of the people” when such claims are used by dictators?  (Need some evidence aside from Trump’s outright statements that the media are the enemy?  Start with the killing of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi government…and the tepid, if not bizarre, response by Trump.  If that’s not chilling enough, please read some history about how Hitler and others claimed the media was the enemy as part of their plan to help create dictatorships.)
  • Why are we accepting and even cheering “trash talk” and “name calling” by the Duncepresident when such talk from your children would result in punishment?
  • Why are we going to great lengths to support someone for the Supreme Court who lied under oath to Congress?
  • Why are we supporting a president who, after a mass shooting in a synagogue, says the synagogue should have armed guards?  (And, who was wounded at the synagogue — a mere four police officers who were heavily armed.  Do you think all religious institutions should have armed guards? )
  • Why are we trying to take away individual rights of women (Roe v Wade) yet insist on individual rights for gun owners?  (The gun-owner argument is based on a wild exaggeration about rights granted the 2nd Amendment.)    pants-on-fire
  • Why do we support a president who is a serial liar and lying more frequently each day?
  • Why do we support a president who cheats on taxes and then appoints someone to head the IRS who will minimize the likelihood of any serious audit of Trump’s taxes?
  • And the list goes on and on and on.

The questions are not political questions.  No one is challenging whether an individual has the right to be a Republican and/or conservative and/or fundamentalist Christian.  The questions are ethical and directed at making sure Republicans understand the core values of a democracy.

ScreamWhy have Republicans decided to abdicate truth in favor of Trump?  Why have Republicans decided to abdicate core values of a democracy for a guy who openly courts leaders hostile to the US?  Why have Republicans given up having America be the shining light worldwide for fairness and moral standards?

I am baffled why Republicans support such behavior.  I have no clue other than thinking the  Republicans have been brainwashed.  Whatever the cause of the brainwashing, giving away one’s core values, as have Republicans, is like giving away one’s soul.  And what did all but a handful of Republicans get in return?  Think hard because the answer is “You got nothing.”  Even if you got a bunch of money, whatever amount you got likely wasn’t worth your soul.  Further, once the trade for your soul has been made, getting back the soul will be very difficult, if not impossible.

fife-drum%201 (Just to be clear, Democrats are not completely clean…but the behavior by the Republicans in supporting Trump overwhelms any bad behavior by Democrats  Claiming the behavior is equal is a false equivalency.)

So what’s the consequence of Republicans selling the country’s soul to Trump and his cronies?  Unfortunately, so many Republicans seem to have sold their soul, the only way the country can likely start to get back on the right course is with a revolution — aka the Revenge Revolution.  And, even with a revolution, the road back will be very long and very bumpy.  Not a pleasant thought, I know, but one all of us should be thinking about.

#308 Can We Talk? What Economic Policies Should the Federal Gov’t Really Implement, Please?

24 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Economics, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ 5 Comments

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.

Occasionally I break from the normal formatting and do a “sense check.”  Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective.  Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent “sense checks.”  Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments, please.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC, start of workday

092615_2031_Characters7.gifGelly:  “Good morning, Jordan.  Sorry I didn’t make it back from the conference yesterday.  Long day.  How was your visit with Walt?”

Jordan:  “Visit was great.  His thinking seems to have returned to normal.”

Gelly:  “So his ‘de-brainwashing’ of Trumpism really helped.  The whole idea of brainwashing someone or some group seems a bit odd to me but it must have worked.”

BrainwashedJordan:  “Worked on Walt and millions of hard-core Trump supporters.  Say, what’s with the sling on your left arm?”

Gelly:  “That’s why it was a long day yesterday.  On the way out of the conference, I slipped on something and landed on my left elbow.”

Jordan:  “Yikes that must have hurt?  Go to ER?”

Gelly:  “Yes, it did hurt.  Fortunately my doctor’s office is close to where I fell.  Went to the office and got an X-ray.  PA said my elbow was fractured.  Then I got this cast.  Well, not really a cast but keeps me from moving my elbow.”

TurtleneckJordan:  “Any idea how long in the sling?”

Gelly:  “Apparently 6-8 weeks.”

Jordan:  “Can you work at all?  Seems as if we should get someone in here to help…at least for a couple of months.”

Gelly:  “Some help would be great.  As far as work?  I can hold a cup of coffee in my left hand but not much else.  Serious typing, trying to file or even moving anything is out for a while.”

Jordan:  “OK, then let’s get somebody in here no later than tomorrow morning.”

Gelly:  “Now, back to business.   At the conference there was a lot of discussion about the effect of government economic policies.”

Jordan:  “Such policies as…?”

Gelly:  “The topic for one of the sessions was Federal government economic policies following the Revenge Revolution.  A couple of speakers kept touting that Trump’s economic policies in the first two years in office were highly effective and should be the basis for future government economic growth.”

Tear PaperJordan:  “You mean such policies as tax cuts for the wealthy, tearing up trade agreements with other countries that the US drafted after WWII, efforts to severely restrict immigration and then allow only people with money to get green cards and finally citizenship.  Those kinds of policies?”

Gelly:  “Yes, but the speakers seemed so convincing.  In the past I’ve heard you debunk those policies.   What I’d like to learn is a simple, but meaningful way to decide which government economic policies are appropriate for certain conditions.  Can you help me?”

Know NothingsJordan:  “Of course.  I have three guidelines – really basic questions that might help you.  The first question is about tax policy.  Ready?”

Gelly:  “Yes, have on my thinking cap.”

Jordan:  “If the Federal government is going to use personal income and taxes to help spur economic growth, to what kind of people should it direct most of the effort?  Who, for example, is likely to spend say $1,000?  A person or family making $35,000 per year with little savings or a person making say $235,000 with a decent stock portfolio?”

Gelly:  “The person or family making $35,000.  That person probably has 5-10 things the money could be used for.  The person making $235,000 will likely never notice the $1,000 and just leave the money in the bank.”

Unemployment2Jordan:  “Question #2.  If the Federal government wants to stimulate employment, which policy would be more effective – trying to create even more new jobs when unemployment is already low or trying to create new jobs when unemployment is high and a lot of people ae looking for work?”

Gelly:  “Why would the government try to create more jobs when unemployment rate is already low?  That makes no sense to me.  Create more jobs when unemployment is high.”

Jordan:  “Question #3.  If you’re the Federal government, when is a better time to save money and pay down the Federal debt?  When Federal tax revenues are high and maybe likely to grow or when federal tax revenues are falling and likely to fall more?”

Money BagsGelly:  “When tax revenue is high.  That’s when government should pay down debt and save for a rainy day.  When the economy starts to get bad is when the government should start spending more money and create more jobs.”

Jordan:  “Gelly, you are on your way to becoming an economist.”

Gelly:  “Those questions and answers seem so basic.  But the left-over Trump supporters kept spouting exactly the opposite of what we just discussed.  They kept taking about more tax cuts for the highest income people. Their argument was if the government doesn’t reduce taxes for people with the most money, they won’t invest, build new plants and create more jobs.  A lot of people seemed to buy in to that argument.”

Jordan:  “Here’s another question.  Say you own a business and the government just reduced income taxes…but mostly for very wealthy people.  And let’s say your factory produces chocolate candy bars.  Are you going to increase production of candy bars in hopes that people will eat more chocolate?”

StupidGelly:  “No, that would be stupid.  Sounds like a waste of money.”

Jordan:  “When would you add production capacity and hire more workers?”

Gelly:  “When I kept having to produce candy bars on overtime and it was hard to keep up with demand.”

Jordan:  “You’re right.  The idea of ‘build it and they will come’ works only in the movies.”

Gelly:  “Then why did Trump promote all those economic policies that seem illogical?  And, even worse, why did the Republicans in Congress pass the legislation?”

Me FirstJordan:  “Short answer is greed.  The Donald was never, ever for anyone but the Donald.  He did not care how economic policies affected the country as long as he and his family could make more money.”

Gelly:  “What about the Republicans in Congress?  Could they have been brain-washed like Walt was?”

Jordan:  “Some maybe.  I think the old adage about ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ applies to Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and some of the committee chairs.”

McConnellGelly:  “When you mentioned McConnell you know what popped in my head?  The scene from ‘The Graduate’ where Elaine is in Benjamin’s rented room near Berkeley, she’s just screamed and the landlord is headed toward the room and turns to Benjamin.  The landlord says to Benjamin, ‘You are scum.’  Seems to fit Trump, McConnell and some others.”

Jordan:  “I’ll buy that.”

Gelly:  “Have you got time to explain more economics to me, please?”

Jordan:  “Of course.  Keep in mind not all economics is as basic as we just discussed.  And some parts are counter-intuitive.  We can talk more about fundamentals…after I refill my coffee.”

Gelly: “OK and I’ll call the temp agency.”

 

#307 Good Witch Saves US from Becoming Banana Republic (#6 of 6)

15 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.

Occasionally I break from the normal formatting and do a “sense check.”  Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective.  Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent “sense checks.”  Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments, please.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.  Jordan having coffee with Walt, a friend from college days.  Conversation began entry #302.

Jordan:  “OK, Walt, I know your head hurts from all the conversation about your ‘de-brainwashing’ of Trump.  But, what you’ve gone through is really interesting.   If you have time, have a couple more questions.”

Baldheaded ManWalt:  “I agree it was an interesting experience.  Yes, I’ve got time for a couple more questions, then I’m outta here.”

Jordan:  “Let’s start with Bob Woodward’s book about Trump.  You know, ‘Fear.’  How’d you react?”

Walt:  “React in what way?  Not sure what you mean.”

Jordan:  “First, did you believe what Woodward wrote?”

Woodward and Book CoverWalt:  “Yes. Best I can tell, Woodward is about as credible a journalist as you can find.  I’ve never heard what I call a true Washington journalist say he’s anything but top drawer.  Forget what the talking heads say about him.”

Jordan:  “You mean talking heads like Limbaugh and Hannity?”

Walt:  “Those two guys and their ilk are not journalists.”

TurtleneckJordan:  “How’d you react when Trump claimed the book was full of lies and made-up quotes?”

Walt:  “Before I was ‘de-brainwashed’…is there a different term than ‘de-brainwashed?’…anyway, before being ‘de-brainwashed’, I would have believed Trump.  But when I was able to cut through the mental fog and start looking at the facts, I had to laugh.”

Jordan:  “You mean laugh at Trump?”

PinocchioWalt:  “Yes, and sometimes at myself for having believed him.  Trump lied who knows how many times a day.  He was a serial liar…even about stuff that didn’t really matter.  He made Pinocchio look like a penny waiting for change.  So the serial liar claims this highly respected journalist made up key parts of the book…and then the serial liar expects rational people to believe him.  C’mon.  At that time Woodward had written I think 7-8 books about presidents.  And he’s going to make up quotes?”

Jordan:  “What about your reaction to the general theme of the book?  Woodward described the Trump administration as operating more like what you’d expect in a banana republic.”

ScreamWalt:  “Woodward’s book title was spot on.  The word ‘fear’ was a great descriptor.  Fear among the White House staff and the agencies about what crazy stuff Trump might try to do and fear of the consequences for the country.”

Jordan:  “You think Woodward…and some others…helped bring Trump down?”

Walt:  “Trump put himself in self-destruct mode during the campaign…even before the campaign.  One thing I can say about Trump – he was an incredibly effective bully.”

Jordan:  “You think Woodward’s book took away his bully pulpit, as it were?”

Walt:  “You know what came to mind when you were just talking?”

Jordan:  “I’m game.  What?”

Witch Bad OzWalt:  “The scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ where the bad witch tries to bully Dorothy to give up her ruby slippers.  Then the good witch – in this case Woodward rather than Glenda – shoos off the bad witch and protects Munchkin Land.”

Jordan:  “Pretty good, Walt.  A bad witch gets intimidated by a good witch – as you said the good witch being Woodward.”

Walt:  “Or the good witch could have been Mueller.   The scene from Oz seems to make perfect sense since Trump kept calling any investigation about him a witch hunt.”

MunchkinsJordan:  “When bad witch was shooed off, the Munchkins…aka Republicans…had the opportunity to return to normal.”

Walt:  “Unfortunately, the Munchkin Republicans waited too long before showing any spine and the country ended up with the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan:  “I agree the Republicans were wimps, especially Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan.  Both so-called Congressional-leaders enabled Trump’s bizarre behavior rather than restraining it, but…”

Walt:  “…But what?

Jordan:  “I think the US was headed toward a Revenge Revolution anyway.  The population was too polarized and Congress did nothing to bring the country back together.”

Walt:  “If that’s the case, are you saying Trump and Woodward had no effect?”

BananaJordan:  “No.  Trump’s actions made the polarization much worse.  He allowed the wacko fringes to come out of the closet.  In fact he seemed to promote the wacko far right.  Maybe even worse, his economic policies and efforts to control the judiciary accelerated the country’s slide to becoming a banana republic.”

Walt:  “What do you think Woodward accomplished?”

Jordan:  “You tell me what you think Woodward accomplished.  You’re the former Trumpster.”

Emporer No ClothesWalt:  “Woodward…along with a few others…confirmed what a lot of people suspected about Trump.  Except what Woodward showed the situation was much worse than most anyone thought.”

Jordan:  “The emperor with no clothes and it was pretty ugly, huh?”

Walt:  “Very ugly.  We, as in collective ‘we,’ owe Woodward and the others a big ‘Thank You’ for helping stop Trump.  And helping stop the US from sliding into a banana republic.”

Jordan:  “A certain percentage of the populace still views Woodward as the bad guy, not the good guy.”

Walt:  “That’s the ‘shoot-the-messenger’ crowd.  Most of them are all talk and no guts.”

Trump KingJordan:  “Or, as they say in Texas, ‘All hat; no cattle.’  That’s the same group who wanted staffers to resign if they didn’t totally agree with Trump.  ‘Hail the king.  He can do no wrong.’”

Walt:  “You been in that kind of situation before?”

Jordan:  “Yes, a couple of times, although obviously not at the White House.  Let me tell you in those situations, it is very high risk to try to get the truth out.    The messenger is often the one shot and the real message gets lost in the sound of the gunshots.  We can save those stories for another time.”

Walt:  “OK.  In the meantime, here’s a toast to the good witches – Bob Woodward and the people in the Administration who tried to act like adults.”

Jordan:  “Hear, hear.  To the good witches, ‘Thank you.  And yes, we have no banana…republic.”

Walt:  “I’ll let that one pass.  Now, I have to go.  Great visit.”

#306 What Happens if We Don’t Counter Trump’s Trash Talk about Judiciary? Banana Republic. (Part 5)

02 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.

Occasionally I break from the normal formatting and do a “sense check.”  Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective.  Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent “sense checks.”  Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments, please.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.  Jordan having coffee with Walt, a friend from college days.  Conversation began entry #302.

Baldheaded ManWalt:  “So, you want my thoughts on next steps to help the US recover from Trump and his brainwashed supporters, right?”

Jordan:  “That’s what I asked.”

Walt:  “First step would be to rebuild trust in the judiciary system.  Look, I used to cheer when Trump would talk about the crooked FBI or how unfairly he was being treated…and all that crap.”

Know NothingsJordan:  “What changed your mind?”

Walt:  “Like most things about Trump, after a few real facts…not Fox facts…but real facts penetrated my brainwashing cap, I asked myself, ‘Why would the FBI all of a sudden switch from being good guys to bad guys?’”

Jordan:  “And your answer was?”

RantWalt:  “I couldn’t come up with a good answer.  I also thought if the president had been a Democrat and had done 1/10 what the public knew Trump had done, Republicans would have been ranting and raving, demanding impeachment and jail time.  Just look at how long Republicans were obsessed with Hillary’s email server.  Even when no one could find any evidence of criminal activity, they kept probing.  They wouldn’t give up no matter what the evidence was.”

Jordan:  “Well, how would you compare Trump’s behavior to say presidents Clinton or Nixon?”

Walt:  “Clinton was no one’s angel.  Yes, sex in the White House might be tawdry, but Monica a threat to national security? C’mon.”

NixonJordan:  “What about Nixon’s behavior?”

Walt:  “The Watergate break-in was illegal.  The cover-up worse.  But, again, was there any threat to national security?”

Jordan:  “Only if you consider Nixon might have become so unhinged about the investigation that he’d try to start a war as a diversion.  But I think the military would have ignored the orders.”

PutinWalt:  “Trump, on the other hand, set a new standard for illicit behavior.  OK, most everybody can overlook being in bed with porn stars.  But in bed with the Russians?  No way.  Think about it.  The president of the United States, and much of his immediate family, in bed with the Russians.  Some of his sleaziness was well-known and not a surprise.  So, with his known background, why did Republicans let him on the ticket, let alone get nominated?  When the info on the Russian connection started to come out, why did Republicans sit on their hands and do nothing to get rid of him?  I admit I’m not innocent…for a while I retweeted some of his stuff.  But what about Republican leaders in the House and Senate?  They had access to confidential information and did nothing with it.  They’re still in denial.  Bunch of whims.”

TurtleneckJordan:  “You know why they’re in denial.”

Walt:  “Probably same reason as I was – brainwashing.  And that’s my point — now that there has been the Revenge Revolution , the next step should be to start rebuilding confidence in the judiciary.  The country needs a credible counter to the Congressional clowns — the judiciary.”

Jordan:  “Stating the obvious…or at least what should be obvious to the populace…if a country does not have a fair-and-objective judicial system, there can be no democracy.”

BananaWalt:  “We’ve joked…maybe more like gallows humor…about how the US could slide into becoming a banana republic.  You really think that’s possible?”

Jordan:  “Yes, and let me give you an example.  An example of what happens when an fair-and-objective judiciary and a fair executive branch are ignored.  The result is lack of sustained economic growth…and for some countries the result is so bad that ‘Yes, we have no bananas.’”

Walt:  “You really think there’s a link between a fair judicial system and economic growth?”

Jordan:  “No question about it…but for some reason many people don’t make the link.  And politicians don’t talk about it — maybe they don’t know it either.  Here’s a chart that I keep close at hand as a reminder why fair government matters.”

ArgentinaWalt:  “If I read this chart correctly, in about 1900, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita was about the same in the US and Argentina.”

Jordan:  “I’ve seen some studies that indicate Argentina was actually ahead of the US.”

Walt:  “Wow, look what happened over the next century, and especially after WWII.”

Jordan:  “Amazing huh?  Argentina migrated to less and less of a democracy with a less objective judiciary — one that favored the wealthy.  And what happened?  Economic growth stagnated compared to the US.”

Walt:  “So by 2016, real GDP per capita in the US was 4-4.5 times greater than Argentina.  I never knew that.  And you’re saying a lot of the difference was due to a fair-and-objective judicial system.”

Jordan:  “That’s not the only cause but I think the foundation.  Sure, the judicial system in the United States has never been perfect, but until Trump tried to pack the Supreme Court and lower courts with benefit-the-rich only cronies, the system had been reasonably objective.”

HitlerWalt:  “At the same time, we had Trump trash talking, claiming the judiciary was crooked.  Remind you of someone from the 1930’s?  Anyway, when I suggested it was important to rebuild confidence in the judiciary, I never considered that without a fair judiciary, sustained economic growth was not possible.”

Jordan:  “I’m not sure many of Trump’s wealthier supporters didn’t realize that either.  Do me a favor.  Next time someone claims that only economies with minimal government oversight can grow, ask them about the value of an objective judiciary.  After the blank stare, then remind the laissez-fairer’s about what happened to economic growth in Argentina compared to the US.”

Walt:  “I will.  I confess, I never realized for the country to grow its wealth, there must be an objective judiciary.  And the judiciary must not just protect businesses and/or those with money…but an objective judiciary must protect everyone.  You know what?  I need another break.  My post-Trump ‘de-brainwashing’ is emotionally draining.”

 

#305 Republicans Brainwashed by Trump? So, Truth Isn’t Truth? (Part 4)

26 Sunday Aug 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Benefits of Revolution, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.

Occasionally I break from the normal formatting and do a “sense check.”  Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective.  Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent “sense checks.”  Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments, please.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.  Jordan having coffee with Walt, a friend from college days.  They just returned from getting a coffee refill.  Conversation begins entry #302.

Baldheaded ManWalt:  “I’ll tell you another event that penetrated the brainwashing cap.  In fact, I still shake my head when thinking about it.”

Jordan:  “Which was?”

Walt:  “Remember when Rudy Giuliani, then Trump’s attack dog, stated on ‘Meet the Press’ that ‘truth isn’t truth’?”

Jordan:  “Remember it well.  I did not see the live broadcast…think I was doing something important like playing golf…but saw the video several times.”

Walt:  “Did you see the look on the host’s face?  What’s the guy’s name?”

Jordan:  “Chuck Todd.”

ConfusedWalt:  “That’s it.  Todd looked more dumbfounded than a deer in headlights.  Then he tried to let Giuliani correct his mistake.  But Giuliani in true Trump fashion, refused to admit an error and proceeded to straight-jacket himself.”

Jordan:  “You know Giuliani was right…if you add just one word.”

Walt:  “Not sure what you mean.”

Jordan:  “Giuliani’s right if you state it as, ‘Trump’s truth isn’t truth.’”

Alarm BellWalt:  “Hadn’t thought of it exactly like you phrased it but Giuliani’s comment was so stupid an alarm bell went off in my head.”

Jordan:  “So you had two Trump-related brain-penetrating epiphanies in a couple of weeks.”

Walt:  “Like I said before we went to get more coffee, after Trump’s order to revoke security clearances for high-level people who could protect the country, I began asking myself, ’Self, what have I been thinking?’  Then other Trump actions started to migrate from logical to questionable.”

Jordan:  “You think Giuliani’s ‘truth isn’t truth’ could have accelerated the questioning?”

Alternative FactsWalt:  “Probably.  But I’m still embarrassed to talk about my brainwashed state.  I mean, when I was brainwashed, Kellyanne Conway’s claim about ‘alternative facts’ never caused me to pause.”

Jordan:  “Not to press too much but didn’t you think Conway’s statements were pure BS?”

Walt:  “No.  I even repeated her stuff in discussions about Trump.  One time while having coffee with a friend of mine the conversation turned to Trump.  He made an assertion and I responded that you have your facts and I have mine.”

Jordan:  “How’d he respond?”

Walt:  “After I repeated the claim about alternative facts, he said I was brainwashed, then left the restaurant.”

Jordan:  “Ever get back together for coffee?”

Walt:  “The next time he asked me to provide a data source supporting some Conway-like claim I’d made.”

Jordan:  “And…?”

PinocchioWalt:  “I asked him if he was calling me a liar.  He asked again for the source of information.  I repeated my claim he was calling me a liar…then I left.”

Jordan:  “Seen him again?”

Walt:  “No.  Maybe I should call him.  He was right all along.  But see, that’s another example of being so embarrassed about past behavior.  I mean, what do I say?”

Jordan:  “Why not call him for coffee and let the conversation take its course.”

Walt:  “Good idea.”

Jordan:  “Were there any other what you might call epiphanic events that caused you to think you might have been brainwashed?”

Walt:  “The incident might not qualify as an epiphany but one that I still find humorous.”

Jordan:  “There was humor in the Trump fiasco?”

Walt:  “Well, guys probably think it’s funny.  Not sure about women.  Most guys never progress beyond sophomoric humor.”

Jordan:  “I’m game.  What was the event?”

Walt:  “Remember when Trump’s so-called confidants started to flip?”

Jordan:  “Started with Michael Cohen.  What’s so funny about Cohen flipping?”

Nat'l EnquirerWalt:  “Nothing.  What still makes me smile was when the owner of the National Enquirer was granted immunity.”

Jordan:  “You mean…?”

Walt:  “Yep.  Who ever thought a Pecker could be granted immunity?  Had we known a pecker could be immune from prosecution our college life could have been a lot more fun!”

Jordan:  “That is pretty funny…and so sophomoric.  Seriously, anything else stand out?”

WhyWalt:  “Once the brainwashing cap got penetrated, I started to look at the flood of Trump’s tweets a lot more critically.  What I noticed was that virtually every tweet laid the blame for a problem on someone else or on some Federal agency.  Trump seemed to forget he was in charge.”

Jordan:  “So, now you’re beginning to view Trump a bit more objectively.  What happened to your political position?  Did you start to shift left?  If so, how far?”

Walt:  “I shifted to probably right center.  Still basic conservative values but with a social conscience.”

Jordan:  “Reminds me of how Bush43 tried to position himself – compassionate conservative.  Then he got steamrolled by the neocons and lost focus.”

Walt:  “Guess my ‘right center’ is more like pre-Reagan Republicans.  That was before the party got pushed way right and eventually just refused to work across the aisle.  I know the Democrats seemed to shift to but at one time the Republicans and Democrats actually worked together to get things done.”

TurtleneckJordan:  “OK, now we’re in a new era.  Trump is gone and the country has gone through the Revenge Revolution.  And you’re more open to crossing party lines.  What about other former Trumpsters?”

Walt:  “Some will never get it.  Remember after Nixon resigned, there was what, 20-25% of the populace still supported him?  So those people will stay in their Trump cave.  But the rest of us need to start working together to avoid becoming a banana republic.  People don’t think the US can slip that far but it can.”

Jordan:  “I’m delighted you want to make the government work again.  Now, what’s next?”

(Continued)

#302 Trump Supporters Really Brainwashed? (Part 1)

05 Sunday Aug 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Back Asswards Thinking, Causes of the Revolution, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ 6 Comments

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.

Occasionally I break from the normal formatting and do a “sense check.”  Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective.  Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent “sense checks.”  Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments, please.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.

Jordan:  “Gelly, nice to have you back from vacation.”

092615_2031_Characters7.gifGelly:  “Nice to be back.  Had lots of fun but sorta, kinda missed the office.”

Jordan:  “Glad to hear that.  See you got new reading glasses while you were gone.  Look very nice.”

Gelly:  “Thanks.”

Jordan:  “Anything special on the calendar today?”

Gelly:  “Nothing special except your visitor.”

TurtleneckJordan:  “Right.  Walt’s coming over sometime late morning.”

Gelly:  “How’d he get the name Walt?  That’s not his real name is it?”

Jordan:  “No.  The guys in the fraternity nicknamed him Walt.  And I might have been the culprit.  He was always dreaming about some big project…like Walt Disney.”

Gelly:  “Hope you two have a good visit.  Let me know if you need anything special.  We can order in lunch if you want.”

——– Walt arrives ———-

Walt:  “Jordan, great to see you.  Been a while.”

Jordan:  “Nice to see you, Walt.  Last time was a couple of years ago when you guys came to Charlotte for the 4th of July.”

Baldheaded ManWalt:  “We had a great time and the fireworks at the club were sensational.”

Jordan:  “What brings you to town, anyway?”

Walt:  “Trying to help salvage the right-wing of the Republican Party.  Since the Revenge Revolution, the right-wing has been in shambles.”

Jordan:  “You’ve got a tough job ahead of you.  With that in mind, I have what may be a sensitive question.”

Walt:  “You, concerned about being sensitive?  Since when?  Go ahead.  We’ve been friends for too long to worry about sensitive questions.  Besides, if I don’t like the question, I’ll just go run and hide.”

Jordan:  “Think back to the 2016 presidential campaign.  Did you originally support Trump?”

trump-scowlWalt:  “I thought Trump was a blowhard.  More of a flake real-estate salesman than a conservative Republican.”

Jordan:  “But as the other candidates dropped out and the field narrowed…”

Walt:  “…as the field narrowed, his appeal increased.  Truth be known, I would have voted for a yellow dog rather than Hillary.  I just didn’t like her.”

Jordan:  “OK, so you committed to a Republican candidate no matter what.  That candidate turns out to be Trump, who you thought was a flaky real-estate salesman.”

Walt:  “Guess so.”

Jordan:  “Then Trump gets elected.  Were you pleased with the results?”

Walt:  “I was pleased he was trying to make changes.  You know, make the Federal government more efficient.  And I liked the idea of draining the swamp.”

Jordan:  “Were you pleased with his choices for cabinet secretaries?  Think about Flynn, Price and Pruitt, for example.  And what about bringing in the Trump family as close advisors?  Were you satisfied with everyone’s experience in running large, government-like organizations?”

Ends Justify MeansWalt:  “Guess I never really considered the experience.  Was more intrigued with the idea of change than the quality of the people involved or what they had to do to implement change.  Sort of the ends justifying the means.”

Jordan:  “What about Trump’s attacks on the media, the FBI, the CIA…the entire intelligence community?”

Walt:  “As time went on Trump’s claims about fake news and liberal bias in the media seemed to be proved right.  The more I studied, the more I thought the FBI was really after him.”

Jordan:  “As part of your ‘studying’, did you ever step back and ask yourself, ‘Gee, what Trump is claiming to be true is contrary to just about everything I’ve learned over the years.  Wonder why I am changing my views?’”

Walt:  “Didn’t ask any question exactly like that.”

Jordan:  “Aside from Trump and his tweets, where’d you get your news?”

Walt:  “Why do you care?  Why the interrogation?”

Jordan:  “No interrogation.  What I’m trying to understand is why…and how…Trump gained such rabid support among hard-right Republicans when many on the right originally considered him a Democrat.  I find the shift in attitude fascinating…and troubling.”

fox-news-logo bWalt:  “We’ll talk about troubling later.   As I said, I did my own studying trying to understand if Trump was real or not.  I spent lots of time watching Fox – mostly Hannity and O’Reilly before he got unfairly railroaded out – and I’d catch Limbaugh on the radio a couple of times a week.  The more I listened to these guys the more convinced I was Trump was on the right track.”

NYT LogoJordan:  “Did your studying include reading newspapers – let’s say the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, Washington Post, NY Times?”

Walt:  “On rare occasion the Wall Street Journal.  The Times?  Never.  Run by a bunch of liberal NY Jews.  Oops, sorry.  But you know what I meant.”

Jordan:  “Actually, I don’t know what you meant.  Give me an example or two.”

Walt:  “Take Paul Krugman in the Times.  He’s way too liberal and always trashed Trump.”

Jordan:  “Krugman is an op-ed columnist for the NY Times, not a reporter. The editorial and news gathering sections of the Times are completely separate.”

Walt:  “I have no proof and therefore, to me, there’s no separation.  If what he writes is in the NY Times, it means the NY Times supports it.”

Jordan (shaking his head):  “Any other sources of info?”

Walt:  “A few conservative websites that have their act together.”

Sarah Huckabee CartoonJordan:  “If I understand correctly, your primary sources of info were Trump, Trump’s tweets, probably the White House press secretary – Sarah Huckabee – and a couple of commentators on Fox.  No print media other than an occasional read of the Journal.  And no other networks such as PBS, CBS, and say MSNBC.”

Walt:  “You got it right.  All those non-Fox sources are too liberal…and fake.”

Jordan:  “OK.  Why don’t we take a break, get some coffee and, then, if ok with you, discuss the evolution of your views about the Mueller investigation.”

Bagel BillWalt:  “OK, but you have to buy coffee…and I want a bagel, too.”

Jordan:  “You do know those liberal NY Jews are the source of those bagels, right?”

(Continued)

 

#298: Making America Great Again, #8: Leviticus to the Rescue

24 Sunday Jun 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Common Sense Policies, Gov't Policy, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date.

Note: most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters (see link at top of page). You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC. Conversation began Entry #289.

092615_2031_Characters2.jpgGreenie:  “I agree the president and cabinet need to pass the same end-of-year test given to 8th graders.  Let me add another, ‘Duh, are you serious?’ idea.”

JC:  “Ice cream is mandatory at cabinet meetings?”

Greenie:  “Only if the ice cream is from the Custard Cup.”

Jordan:  “That I could go for.  Two scoops of lemon custard topped off with a scoop of cold fudge and some peanuts.  Seriously, what’s the idea?”

Greenie:  “Since lots of people, especially hard-right Republicans, want to link religion and government more closely, why not use a key part of Leviticus as another component that could help make America great again?”

092615_2031_Characters1.jpgJC:  “You mean the idea of treating your neighbor the same way you want to be treated?”

Greenie:  “Yes.  Many moons ago in undergrad days, I took a course titled something like comparative religion.   What we learned was a core principle of almost every religion is to treat others as you want to be treated.”

Jordan:  “I agree but the idea seems so basic.”

JC:  “So basic and so ignored.  Think back to the Trump Administration policy of separating children of parents who were seeking asylum at the southern border.”

SessionsGreenie:  “I don’t know if Sessions had kids or grandkids but do you think he’d want his kids or grandkids separated from their parents?”

JC:  “As cold-hearted and seemingly cruel as Trump acted, do you think he would want his kids separated?”

Jordan:  “Trump aside, because I’m not sure he had empathy for anyone but himself, the policy of separating kids…and many other policies…likely would never have happened if Greenie’s idea of having some form of ‘treat thy neighbor as thyself’ as a check mark for assessing proposed policies and legislation.”

Greenie:  “Obviously, I like the idea but how would you implement the check-mark policy?”

WhyJC:  “Maybe there would a cabinet officer or some high-ranking staffer whose job it is to go around and ask ‘Would you want this whatever-idea-is-being-discussed to happen to your family?’  The person could be titled the ‘sanity-check maven.’”

Jordan:  “This idea of treating each other fairly seems so much like kindergarten.”

Greenie:  “Well, it is like kindergarten.  I know we’ve talked about these kinds of basic ideas before but some people seem to go brain-dead when they start working inside the Beltway.”

fife-drum%201JC:  “Let’s hope going brain-dead is past tense.  We have a new opportunity to begin rebuilding American values post Revenge Revolution.  Even if it is kindergarten like, using ‘treat thy neighbor’ as a check mark for policies and legislation seems like a good way to keep things from getting too out of control again.”

Greenie:  “Jordan, you’ve had a lot of experience with Congress and the White House, do you think we can make this idea work?”

Jordan:  “Why not?  It’s simple, easy to understand and can work for everyone – whether someone is super religious or an atheist.  Really, who wants to be treated like crap?  Selling the idea to the public will likely be the key.”

Trump KingGreenie:  “You mean like when public pressure force king Trump to stop separating children from families at the border?”

Jordan:  “Great example.  We need to work on how to phrase and position the idea but I think we have a winner.”

JC:  “I agree the idea seems simple and should get widespread support.  Just so we make sure we’re not off in the weeds, may we take a break, please, and think about the idea for a few minutes?”

 

 

#297 Making America Great Again #7: Presidential Candidates Must Pass 8th-Grade EOY Exams

10 Sunday Jun 2018

Posted by Jordan Abel in Common Sense Policies, Education Issues, Gov't Policy, Lessons of Revolution, Societal Issues

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Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date.

Note: most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters (see link at top of page). You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.  Conversation began Entry #289.

092615_2031_Characters2.jpgGreenie:  “When we were talking about using the rules of golf as a guide to personal and professional behavior, I was reminded how little Trump followed the rules of golf…and then asked myself, ‘Did he really know the rules?’…and, ‘What else didn’t he know?'”

JC:  “Know about what?  He played a lot of golf so he must have known some rules.  You have something else in mind?”

Greenie:  “Yes.  Did Trump even know what most any 8th grader knows.”

092615_2031_Characters1.jpgJC:  “Don’t make me laugh?  Not know what an 8th grader know?  Still not sure what you’re talking about.”

Greenie:  “Remember when Trump held that so-called ‘Patriotic Ceremony” after the Super-Bowl champs Philadelphia Eagles refused to go to the White House?”

JC:  “Oh, you mean the ceremony when the Marine Corps Band played ‘God Bless America’ and it was clear to the world that Trump did not know the words?”

Greenie:  “Some patriot, huh?  Bone-spur and all.”

Canadian FlagJC:  “Now I think I see where you’re headed.  What about Trump implying…or at least asking…if Canada burned down the White House in 1812?  No that was the British.  Gee, Donald, in case you didn’t know Canada has been a long-time friendly neighbor.  Canada is north of the continental US, except for one area near Detroit, and a major trading partner until you tried to ruin the relationship.”

Greenie:  “How long was the list of stuff he didn’t know that virtually every 8th-grader would know?”

JC:  “Like the Department of Justice is supposed to enforce the laws made by Congress and not be the personal defense attorney for the president’s wrong doing?”

TurtleneckJordan:  “So, Greenie, exactly what are you proposing?”

Greenie:  “I’m embarrassed the idea sounds so…well, so imbecilic.  But an idea for Making America Great Again is to make sure the presidential candidates…no, make that all candidates for Federal office and all Cabinet nominees…can pass the end-of-year exams given to 8th graders.”

JC:  “Exams given to 8th graders?  That sounds absurd…but a good idea.  How do we test for stuff like knowing the words to ‘God Bless America’?”

Student ExamGreenie:  “I don’t know how we’d test for some things but by forcing candidates for Federal office and Cabinet nominees to take 8th-grade end-of-year exams, you can assume that those who pass at least paid some attention to teachers along the way.  And anyone who failed…”

JC:  “…Such as the Donald, who very likely would have failed?”

Greenie:  “Yes, like the Donald and some of his merry band of munchkins, would be ineligible to run or hold office.”

Jordan:  “You really think we should propose something so basic – passing an 8th-grade exam?”

JC:  “I’m with Greenie.  Before Trump became president, anyone who made such a proposal would have been sent off to the funny farm.  But now the idea seems reasonable.”

Jordan:  “How do we frame the idea so it does not seem so, as you said Greenie, imbecilic?”

dunce capsGreenie:  “Why not be straightforward?  No reason to sugarcoat.  I think we give some examples of basic information that Trump and the Cabinet members did not know.  There are lots of examples where it looked as if they hadn’t graduated from 8th grade and/or should have been wearing dunce caps.  It was embarrassing for the country.”

Jordan:  “Now that we’ve had the Revenge Revolution, is putting forth passing the 8th-grade exam idea opening old wounds with the Trumpsters?  I know most of the Trumpsters lost and we have many new members of Congress but the idea seems a bit petty.”

Greenie:  “I hear you and point well taken.  I also know, as a country, we can’t ignore the lessons of history.  The idea of passing a test given to 8th graders might get ignored.  However, I think we should at least put the idea on the table and generate some discussion.”

JC:  “What about testing candidates for Federal office, at least presidential candidates, for mental stability and maybe a test for early stage Alzheimer’s?  Throw in Cabinet members as well.”

Jordan:  “That idea will be more controversial and more complicated to get implemented.  Might be worth discussing more…but let’s take a break first.”

(Continued)       

 

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