Map of life expectancy at birth from Global Education Project.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

What we already know . . .

is more than enough. Here's another tl;dr for you, from the editor of Foreign Policy, David Rothkopf. I'll just give you a few pull quotes:

On a daily basis, Republicans watch their leader violate not only the traditions and standards of the high office he occupies, but through inaction they enable him to personally profit from the presidency, promote policies that benefit his cronies and his class to the detriment of the majority of the American people, and serially attack the principles on which the country was founded — from freedom of religion to the separation of powers. . .

America looks like a country it has never been. Trump is a laughingstock in the best of circumstances, a disgrace based on his known behavior to date, and a threat to global order and security with each action he takes. He discredits the office he holds and the government he leads. . . . 


Only if an independent prosecutor is appointed will America be seen as being the nation of laws it has long represented itself to be. Only if a thorough investigation takes place that includes an examination of Trump family ties in Russia (and elsewhere) and how these may have compromised the United States will the message be sent that America is the nation that has for so long been seen as an example to the world.
Well sure. But the problem is really worse than that. The institutional failures that brought us to this point are so massive, so pervasive, that there may not be any way out. The Republicans in congress still show no convincing signs of the slightest interest in the truth. They know that their policy agenda will be catastrophic for the people who voted for them, and they need to ram it through now. The continual degradation of political discourse and democratic institutions is in their long-term interest, because it was necessary for them to come to power and will have to grow more profound in order for them to keep it. I do not foresee a single patriot emerging from the Republicans in the senate. 

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm up for an independent prosecutor as long as we also have one looking into Hillary's activities.

Let's remember when Hillary was hiding a secret server, destroying emails after they were subpoenaed, giving patently false testimony to congress while under oath, questions about influence peddling through the foundation and all of the other controversies, a very, very friendly Loretta Lynch was in charge.

So...let's have it. For both. I'm up for it. Goose...Gander.

Daylight is the best disinfectant.

And if The Donald proves to be a dirty bird, I'm OK with a President Pence.
And if Hillary committed crimes, I'm OK with a little prison time for her as well.

Don Quixote said...

See https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/opinion/american-fascism-trump.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

Don Quixote said...

A highly deft psychological analysis:

https://www.thenation.com/article/we-may-be-witnessing-the-unraveling-of-donald-trumps-presidency/

Don Quixote said...

And to show, in purely practical terms, how Trump is intentionally screwing the people who voted for him:

https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trump-is-waging-a-war-on-workers/

Anonymous said...


This last poster is typical of the angry American liberal...so blinded by hate that he doesn't see or understand those who do not share his liberal vision for America. His name is appropriate as he is tilting at every windmill he sees in an effort to destroy his imaginary foes.

Looking through through the lens with which he views his imaginary world, he cannot explain why voters pulled the lever for the current president other than they are all rubes and stupid, which is really no explanation at all.

His eyes do not see that in the short time Trump has been on office, he has delivered on many of his promises by nominating cabinet members and staff that are interested in more border security and enforcing federal immigration laws already on the books; that the president has rolled back the overreach of the last administration and has at least stopped the growth of the unelected and unaccountable administrative state or that he has shown support for the recently affirmed individual civil rights of second amendment supporters.

Instead, his is a world of make-believe conspiracies without facts to support it.
The paranoia and psychological dysfunction he sees in others is actually his.

It's going to be a long four or maybe even eight years for this poor soul.

A little prayer for him would not hurt.

Don Quixote said...

Dude--"Anonymous"--

I didn't know you were a Christian. That explains your muddled, condescending manner. You are the poor soul, hanging around on a blog like this...you troll! Your psychological assessment of me is so far off the mark it is laughable. You project your shit onto everyone else and then accuse them of doing it. I am a blue collar worker who works all day with Republicans and Democrats and other. Many are my friends and we get along great. I respect their viewpoints, and they mine. Your assumptions are breathtakingly ignorant. At least I have a handle. You are safely "Anonymous" and that's how you like to stay...like Sean Spicer, in the dark bushes.

You believe racism is justified and that Trump is a rational being. Pray for yourself, motherfucker. There's nothing I need from you. Go find a site where deluded, blind folks like yourself hang out. And of course, go ahead and get the last work (you like to do that). I won't respond, don't worry. You are not worth my time; you are part of the problem. I want to be part of the solution. And folks like yourself don't want a solution. You want status quo. Goodbye :-)

Anonymous said...

I don't mean to be hurtful, but I'd like to point out that the US *is* a representative republic. Our politicians are elected to represent their districts and states.

1) About 83% of the citizens of the US self-describe as Christians.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90356

2) There are about twice as many self-described conservatives as there are liberals.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/Conservatives-Single-Largest-Ideological-Group.aspx

It should be no surprise to anyone that Christians and Conservatism are powerful forces in American politics.

All in all, I think liberals have been extremely successful in promoting their agenda considering these numbers.

Anonymous said...

Hey Anonymous I,
"Conservative" and "Christian" are currently approved of labels.

When asked about specific issues many conservatives take surprisingly liberal positions:
- What is a fair ratio of incomes between the top 0.1% and the typical working person?
- Should people get the medical care they need?
- Should an affordable education be available to anyone who can do the work?
- Should we spend almost as much on our military as the rest of the world combined?

How many of those self-described Christians would affirm that the soul of an Arab Muslim jihadist is just as valuable to God as their own souls?
Or that God loves illegal immigrants just as much as he loves them?
I could go on, but you get my drift.

It seems that Conservative Christians are a powerful force mainly because they are so easily manipulated by people who cater to their worst instincts.

If you truly paid attention to what Cervantes is saying you'll see that he is trying harder to conserve the best in our heritage than most of the leaders on the right.

But that would require a mind that is willing to admit that it might just be wrong about some of its most cherished beliefs.

Anonymous said...


I feel ya'.

We have lots of problems, but here's the rub.


Each side only holds one issue as a measurement of success and what is the proper role of government?

I get from Mr. Cervantes' writings on healthcare that the number of insured is all that matters. The fact that the deductibles are so high with ObamaCare that the policies are virtually useless or that the premiums are so high that you've essentially created another entitlement program that we will have trouble paying for doesn't seem to matter. He is also blinded to the near future of the collapse of ObamaCare (which has already started)and without doing something financially practical, those people he wishes to help will be completely hung out to dry.

On the other side is a desire for liberty at all costs ignoring common problems that would make sense to solve collectively.

There is a medium...a balance...that must be found. Yes, we all want services, but we don't want socialism or communism as the cost of our solutions.

As to your statements about access to education, in my area anyone can afford a quality education. It might be a state university instead of Yale or Harvard, but it's affordable.I paid for my own schooling by working and took out less than $10,000 in loans which I paid back. I am now a professional with a state professional license. The system works *if* you work the system. They key word is work.

And yes, God loves everyone...including YOU!