(#5906) The tariff gambit

      What is a gambit? Here is a revealing definition from Google: "a strategic move, often involving a sacrifice, intended to gain an advantage, used in chess, but also applicable to other situations like politics or business." This term gambit realistically applies to what trump is doing with our economy concerning his use of tariffs. He, trump, is making an initial move with enacting tariffs as way to isolate America from the global economy. The world is now a global economy and trump wishes to reverse that and it appears at all costs to we the consumers. Tariffs have the unsettling effect of raising prices and we who have little will find we have even less.
     What trump hopes is that American products will pick up the slack of the lessening of foreign products without stating a plan for that to actually happen. He doesn't care either that we the American consumer are going to be hit with higher prices as inflation is still a problem that hasn't balanced back out from before trump's mishandling of the Covid pandemic in his first term. So instead of we Americans leading economic recovery all over the world we are now going to be bystanders. The rest of the world order will continue to search and find new solutions to economically grow and expand. Tariffs create isolation and that is exactly what the end result of what the trump tariff gambit will do to the American economy.
     Tariffs also allow trump to dictate our economy under terms favorable to his cohorts. He is willing to let the American consumer suffer with higher costs while he adjusts our nation into a disadvantageous bargaining position. Tariffs will increase prices for the foreseeable future with no relief in view. Tariffs traditionally lead to economic recessions and depressions and this latest gambit by trump is not immune to the same results. Denial is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. Well we are seeing that with trump, and again unfortunately, we are the ones who will pay the price for trump's denial about the effect of tariffs. We had the strongest economy in the world under Biden and now trump is on course to destroy that!

(#5905) Reality is now surreal

      With America in the hands of trump and his republican handlers the traditional normal is gone . What is now everywhere is the bizarre! However it is only bizarre if you don't understand that talking out of both sides of your mouth is the new normal. Mixing lies in with truths is a staple of republican politics. It is how they can convince otherwise decent human beings that their better instincts are flawed. With just enough truth and a convincing prejudicial story the narrative is set for many to be led around. What the trumps and republicans also count on is the less educated challenging their view on things. It is sad to say but so very true that we Americans have lost our curiosity to learn and stay abreast of current factual knowledge.
     Which makes the trumps and their ilk so successful at gaining American's loyalty. I won't blame we Americans for falling for the lies of the conmen but I will not dismiss our role in actuating the deception. Blame isn't my focus here anyway. What is my purpose is exposing the workings of what is wrong with us. The republican leadership since nixon has fallen down and not gotten back up to any semblance of honor. Instead they rely upon trickery and force to gather their following. The old republican party used to have loyal followers who were aboard because of restrained concepts, arguably good or bad, with finances. Those days are gone but the loyalty that too many republicans embedded is now their difficult millstone to release.
     As republicans have become tied to a laziness of mind we democrats never stop thinking. Which is the real difference between the two current parties. We democrats will not defend the indefensible, instead we will confront the indefensible; while republicans will accept the indefensible while contorting themselves into pretzels defending it. My life is simple as a democrat. I call it what it is after careful consideration. I cannot be like a republican who must always think of ways to call things good when logically they are not. As we all move forward into this current surreal time we are going to come to a point where the danger exceeds the illogic. It is then that we have to be able to stop the nonsense and return to the basic concepts of learning and adhering to truths, not fallacies.

(#5904) The republicans got their wild west opportunity

      We shall see how it plays out but a wild west scenario is the direction trump will push our society. No more fairness or equality. Instead it will be survival of the fittest even though no one is born with any greater deserve than another. What is so astonishing to me is that we the people of the US are willing to let it happen. Instead of building a society that honors all of us with equal footing. There cannot be peace when the struggle is self inflicted. Peace is where we all can come out into the light of day or dark of night and feel secure in our being. With this new dynamic not even the light of day is safe now.
     When it is open season on people like we are in, a shooting game preserve, the nightmare of a feared survival is not nuanced, it is starkly real. Instead of finding commonality so that our lives are simpler to lead, we have chosen to leave ourselves vulnerable to the uncaring who have no compunction to care about anyone but themselves. We did this to ourselves and are still doing it. I am in a bit of a state of shock that we Americans are so out of tune with normalcy and improving society for the better for all. We all who are born into this existence are  not incapable of seeing what other countries are doing to improve their societies so what is wrong with us?
     Whatever the wrong with us is has us spiraling down as an advancing society to go back to the days where punishments for doing nothing wrong is acceptable. Our nation is going against the rights of our species to have an existence that compliments us instead of one that degrades and subjects us. Our history has shown that nothing good comes from a society where less democratic values exist. Yet as an American society have failed to learn that lesson as a rule. The privilege now being installed will destroy individual creativity in order for the dullards in charge to have a lustful power. How utter embarrassing to our foreparents who fought so hard to give us, their children, a better democracy that we subsequently intend to destroy.

(#5903) I could stay silent and think I am safe but that is just not me!

      I hear the rumors of all the ways the trumps are going to silence their critics. It seems that many imaginations are running overtime on this subject. To be clear some of the ways are proving to be true like government mandated street kidnappings, imprisonments and deportations. I have been saying since day one of trump entering the presidential race back in 2015 that he is a disaster to democracy and no good can come about with his illusions of grandeur. I will keep saying what I know about him and what he is driving to accomplish. He wants to be the first King of America. The man is so up his own ass in love with himself that there is no room in existence for anyone who doesn't agree with him.
     If I somehow wasn't around any more it would likely be because I have had to answer for my voice not being silent. Now I am at an age where death is not uncommon in ordinary terms so that would be a good possibility but other than natural causes with validation I don't mind the threat coming from the trumps to being quiet. I will never support trump and his bullshit demented imaginings. So if I am in that unfortunate group of folks who have to pay a grave price for being myself then so be it. However, trump and his goons are not going to get away with it in the dark of silence.
     When the first Africans were brought over as slaves more than 400 years ago they dreamed of a day when the wrong of it would be rectified. Time has passed and the correction of the wrong, although still with its remnants, has moved toward justice. So will be the eventual correction of the wrongs of trump. Those of us who will not give up our individual rights as free human beings will be the sharp edge of the spear in combating the darkness trumps want to bring to our lives. We who have no wish to will be the martyrs that have to stand tall and fight with no resignation for the future to have a chance at recovering from the brutality that trump and tyrants like him love to inflict as a salve for their own inadequacies.