As recently as 3 years ago I was inspired by huge investments in renewable energy and climate change, starting to work on a huge backlog of infrastructure work, there was hope for high speed rail, incentives to bring manufacturing back to the us, support for unions, we had an ethical fact-based government, the rule of law and primacy of the constitution, respected all people and were working on quality of life improvements ……
Remind me again why we voted to tear all that down?
Historically separation of powers worked. We’ve never had such a naked power grab by the executive branch, so many illegal orders, ignoring the courts, a sycophant congress. Agency leaders were generally competent and tried to fulfill agency missions. There’s never been such blatant bribery, spite based action, conflict of interest, profiteering off government roles, insider trading. Previous administrations mostly followed the constitution.
Sure we have our share of unethical actions by the government but they generally stayed within the legal structure of the government and were somewhat accountable.
Yes, the decline of our institutions is more blatant now. But it’s a difference of degree, not of kind.
Congresspersons, on the left and right, have been insider trading for decades.
The SCOTUS ruled that corporations are people that have unlimited “free speech” with their money.
Bush started targeting terrorists with drones and now the U.S. president can order drone strikes. (Some have called Obama a war criminal due to excessive civilian casualties resulting from drone strikes. But Americans don’t really care about this.)
Biden bombed Yemen without congressional approval and now Trump has bombed Iran.
Bush sent “enemy combatants” to Guantanamo Bay without due process. Now Trump sends “illegal aliens” to detention camps without due process.
The CIA has brazenly declassified many covert operations to stop the spread of communism. Including installing brutal dictators and interfering with democratic elections. (They admit to doing this but, again, Americans do not care.)
Bush and Obama both bailed out corporations that are “too big to fail”.
Questionable wars in Asia and the Middle East that fed the military industrial complex and made a well-positioned few unimaginably wealthy.
You likely disagree with some of these examples. But my point is only this: Trump is the symptom of a disease that we have ignored for far too long. We all pledged allegiance to the flag in school. We all learned that America stands for liberty, justice, equality, etc. for all. But this country has never lived up to those professed ideals.
Pretty sure the way we as the American people chose to receive this beating was that at one of the billionaire orgies between 2023 and 2024 Musk, absolutely trashed, turns to Soros and says “you think you’re so good for getting Obama elected in '08, well hold my beer and watch this!” The rest is redacted history that will make an excellent documentary in about 10-20 years
As recently as 3 years ago I was inspired by huge investments in renewable energy and climate change, starting to work on a huge backlog of infrastructure work, there was hope for high speed rail, incentives to bring manufacturing back to the us, support for unions, we had an ethical fact-based government, the rule of law and primacy of the constitution, respected all people and were working on quality of life improvements ……
Remind me again why we voted to tear all that down?
When has the United States government ever been ethical? The older I get the more I realize that I live in the Death Star.
Historically separation of powers worked. We’ve never had such a naked power grab by the executive branch, so many illegal orders, ignoring the courts, a sycophant congress. Agency leaders were generally competent and tried to fulfill agency missions. There’s never been such blatant bribery, spite based action, conflict of interest, profiteering off government roles, insider trading. Previous administrations mostly followed the constitution.
Sure we have our share of unethical actions by the government but they generally stayed within the legal structure of the government and were somewhat accountable.
Yes, the decline of our institutions is more blatant now. But it’s a difference of degree, not of kind.
You likely disagree with some of these examples. But my point is only this: Trump is the symptom of a disease that we have ignored for far too long. We all pledged allegiance to the flag in school. We all learned that America stands for liberty, justice, equality, etc. for all. But this country has never lived up to those professed ideals.
Pretty sure the way we as the American people chose to receive this beating was that at one of the billionaire orgies between 2023 and 2024 Musk, absolutely trashed, turns to Soros and says “you think you’re so good for getting Obama elected in '08, well hold my beer and watch this!” The rest is redacted history that will make an excellent documentary in about 10-20 years