It’s hard for me to think in any terms other than attempting to expose, at least in my own mind because I have no idea who manages to find this site, the reality we in America have an IMPEACHED so-called president who has no idea what he’s doing, and more dangerously, fanatically is attempting to convince “we the people” otherwise. And, of course, because he’s the demagogue to a “rabid” base who believe anything he says, all of his LYING is dangerous. I can only hope a few people might find this site and decide it’s important for them to VOTE against individual 1 and the republicans who support him in November.

Often, I don’t do a good enough job of actually systematically laying out the FAILURES of individual 1 which have turned the Covid-19 crisis into well more than it should have been. We COULD have done so much better, but the reality, despite his claims to the contrary, the federal government SHOULD be in charge of the effort to defeat this pandemic – NOT, 50 states bidding against each other for the equipment needed in the hospitals and NOT the states being required to develop their own testing. It’s been a monumental FAILURE on individual 1’s part as someone who’s SUPPOSED to be our leader, but sure as I’m writing this he’ll continue his attempt to LIE his way out of responsibility. So, the other day I was reading a post in the “Daily Kos” and the author said what I’m trying to say much better than I’m able. Here’s a “snipit:”

“The number of warnings that President Donald Trump our IMPEACHED so-called president missed in order to make the United States home to a quarter of all COVID-19 cases on the planet seems almost as endless as the supply of virus. There was the simulation that was set up for Trump’s individual 1’s team by the Obama administration during the transition, which included specific warnings about shortages of ventilators and protective gear. There was a 2016 Pandemic Playbook that emphasized the need for a unified central response and the perils of having states fight for scarce resources. There was Operation Crimson Contagion just last fall, in which Trump’s individual 1’s team flunked every possible stage of preparation and response. And there was the annual DHS simulation that should have taken place … except that Trump individual 1 canceled that annual review. Just like he destroyed the pandemic response team within the National Security Council, ignored the warnings of the rear admiral in charge of preventing pandemics and biological attacks, and, most amazingly, canceled a program designed to find potential viral threats that was working specifically with labs in Wuhan, China on issues with novel coronavirus.

If Donald Trump’s individual 1’s actual intention was to knock down every barrier to infection, paint a giant welcome sign above the country, and declare America host to Virus-con 2020, he could not have done a better—meaning worse—job. But as it turns out, that’s not all. Because Trump individual 1 was still ignoring the information on the coming pandemic, even when that pandemic was already underway.”

Forgive me, I needed to make a few substitutions – it’s a personal problem. But, hopefully, you get the idea. So, the issue with individual 1 is a serious problem which “we the people” have the opportunity to resolve this November – those of us who are left. But, the issue which is driving America toward third world status goes well beyond individual 1. I’ve tried to say here, many times, he’s a symptom of the larger problem – and, we’re seeing that problem playing out right before our unsuspecting eyes. As I usually do, this morning I checked the stock market via Yahoo’s finance page and, sure enough, as yesterday’s futures market suggested the market is up. Which, if it was “real” would be a good sign for all of us. But, as I’ve suggested, this stock market is like a house built on sand. Personally, I think it’s got a significant downward pressure in its not too distant future.

Of course, as I always say here, (another day has passed) I’m not an economist (although I’m taking an online class from Paul Krugman – my favorite economist who’s actually an economist) but when I read some of the articles on Yahoo’s page today my mind tells me many are still in the category of “wishful thinkers.” I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see this pandemic subsiding for several more months. For example, I REALLY hope there’s a baseball season, but I’m skeptical. Is the NBA season going to conclude? In my mind, not likely. Is the school year going to restart? Again, in my mind, not likely. Why would we fight this virus for two or three months and then loosen things back up while it’s still raging.

And, as many “experts” have said, we have to defeat this virus EVERYWHERE in order to defeat it anywhere. So, once it’s under control in New York, for example, it’s likely to be raging elsewhere. And, amazingly, there are still entire states who haven’t enacted “shelter in place” orders, so we could be waiting on them for a couple of months. Clearly, this is not just another “flu” as so many would like us to believe – including individual 1 in the beginning. Then, there’s another issue which seems to be in the “wishful thinking” category to me – and, again, I hope I’m wrong.

Today there was an article suggesting once we get beyond this virus – whenever that is – the economy will just “shoot up” again, just like the opposite of how it “shot down.” Suggesting a “V” curve in the recession people are assuming is “here.” That would be great, but it appears to me the possibility of a severe recession or maybe even depression (I really don’t know how to define that, I’m just regurgitating something I’ve read somewhere – I’ve got so much time to read right now I can’t remember where it’s all coming from) is very possible if not likely. What we’re seeing here is the reflexive continuation of what I’ve considered to be the force (I don’t know if that’s the right word) which has been undermining this nation for the past 40+ years. It’s reflexive and “we the people” don’t seem to know any better. Which is why, I suppose, Bernie Sanders is considered such a radical – which, to me, is an absurd characterization of what he stands for.

If ever we’re going to “see the light” it should be now. Just the issue with so many people without health insurance SHOULD be a wake-up call to ALL Americans – but, even our so-called “liberal media” seems complicit in keeping the status quo. Of course, you also have individual 1 making things even worse than they should be with his gross incompetence in dealing with this crisis – but, to those who would have something closer to NO government than what was there when individual 1 took office I’m sure they think he’s doing just fine. He’s been leading the “deconstruction” of pretty much every institution “we the people” have relied on for the past 75 years and doing it while we’re all “chasing our tails” trying to keep up with all his scandalous behavior. The latest, of course, was firing the inspector general of the Intelligence community this past Friday late in the news cycle so hardly anyone would notice – and, the scheme worked. There’s likely to be no push-back from the latest part of his “revenge tour” dating to the IMPEACHMENT.

The reality is America was headed toward individual 1 or someone else just as bad since the 1970’s when Lewis Powell wrote his (not so) famous “memo” to the Chamber of Commerce urging corporate America to take the offensive politically with the plan to neutralize workers and advance the power of corporations and their officers. Of course, this plan was put on steroids by Ronald Reagan with the initial “trickle down” scam – which keeps getting repeated because “we the people” allow it to be repeated – and has created this massive issue of wealth inequality in America. From watching the stock market and the government reaction to its drop I, sadly, don’t see an end to the corporatocracy issue which continues to thin out America’s once strong Middle Class.

Individual 1’s demagoguery was aimed right at the workers (mostly white) who are disenchanted by a system they believe has “left them behind.” And, of course, they’re correct – the system HAS left them behind. But the solution doesn’t lie in what individual 1 is doing – he’s making things MUCH worse – the solution lies somewhere in the neighborhood of what Bernie Sanders believes in – along with intellectual minds like Elizabeth Warren, AOC, and many of the young democrats who are, hopefully, going to transform Congress. Personally, my hope is the emergence of a large group of younger (30 – 50 ish) progressive leaders who understand the values which emerged during the 1930’s with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and those progressives who put together the “New Deal.”

If we emerge from this Covid-19 crisis with the attitude let’s go back to what got us here – business as usual – well, we deserve the consequences. Based on the unlikely chance maybe one individual 1 supporter might read this posting – let me remind you, he filled EVERY top department position in his government with a lobbyist or a crony. Drain the swamp? Nonsense! The first thought that comes to mind (with someone who’s still there) is Wilbur Ross as the head of the Commerce department. He was the joint owner of a bank in Cyprus with a Russian Oligarch – a bank which was alleged to have been key to Russians laundering their “ill gotten” gains out of Russia turning them into dollars – in many instances once out of Cypress by purchasing Real Estate from individual 1 in America.

There was Rick Perry who had campaigned on disbanding the Energy Department when he was running against individual 1 in the primaries being selected to be the head of, you guessed it, the Energy Department. And, Betsy DeVos, who has a history of opposing public education being put in charge of, yep, public education. Individual 1’s original Secretary of State, according to reports I’ve read, was actually chosen by Vladimir Putin – Rex Tillerson who had made a multi-BILLION dollar deal with Putin to teach the Russians how to drill in the Arctic. I’m sure Putin was expecting the sanctions President Obama put on Russia which are, to this day, preventing Exxon Mobile from showing the Russians how to do that drilling, to have been lifted long ago with individual 1 in office. Even individual 1 realizes what would happen if he started relieving Sanctions on the Russians while they’re still invading Ukraine and holding Crimea. Tillerson was fired shortly after criticizing Putin’s poisoning of the Skripal’s in Britain.

One institution after another has been decimated since individual 1 took office. Untold numbers of committed, patriotic, qualified diplomats have left office in the past three years because they can’t handle what’s going on (or have been fired because of their competence). This has been a right wing wish for years – the Ayn Rand cult. But, the reality is, for the vast majority of Americans, this is a bad “look.” And, we’re seeing it playing out right before our eyes – and, yet, I have to wonder how many Americans won’t see what’s happening. We have an administration full of people who say they believe in “free markets” (well, yes, individual 1 believes in tariffs for some strange reason) and, just as in 2008 we’ve been watching all these “free market” devotees with their hands out in the front of the line looking for taxpayer bailouts. Thankfully, in this instance, republicans were forced to actually agree to legislation – in the first REAL rescue package, the $2 TRILLION one – which included a “bailout” of workers. Of course, there was a group of Senate republicans, led by Lindsey Graham (attention South Carolina) objecting right up to the vote because the bill was too generous to workers!

What many people didn’t notice was the ADDITIONAL $4 TRILLION appropriated for the Fed to use where they deem necessary in order to continue propping up the Stock Market. Are you beginning to see why I compare it to a “house built on sand.” This stock market is FULL of people who tout the “free market” (even though, under any terms, that’s a joke – but, I’ll get to that) and not only profess their unbending belief in capitalism but also their disdain for “socialism.” Well, how would you define the $6.2 TRILLION our Congress just appropriated in the “battle” against this pandemic? Would you call that capitalism? Would you call that the result of the “free market?” (And, Oh, by the way, the Fed had ALREADY coughed up a couple TRILLION before this legislation was passed – and, universal health care is too expensive???)

Here’s a dirty little secret most of us don’t understand and, likely, won’t understand long after this present crisis is in the rear view mirror. Our markets are not now, not then, not never have they been “free markets.” People on Wall Street complain about regulations they don’t like as they push for the ones they do like. The reality there is, there has been, and there will always be regulations on the Market and on the rest of society. That’s how societies are built – laws and regulations – this should be nothing new. It’s just that the people on Wall Street very cleverly led America to believe we have a “free market” system – which, to them, simply means the regulations are put in place which act to their benefit. They like to make their own rules as they gamble with everyone else’s money. A nice gig if you can get it.

And, of course, they’re eager to get back to “business as usual.” They’re making multiples in the MILLIONS! Why would they not?! If this crisis doesn’t demonstrate to “we the people” that it’s time to “change the rules” as I’ve said, we deserve what we end up with. Not only is individual 1 completely incompetent in dealing with this pandemic he’s shown he’d be a danger in ANY emergency. He’s also clearly demonstrated his main focus is on, well, himself – a sad state of affairs at a time like this. And, who did he lean on to help him out of this “fix?” None other than Jared Kushner – who ALSO has no idea what he’s doing in regard to fighting a nationwide pandemic. Between the two of them, every time they open their mouths something stupid comes out.

Now, I do have to say, as my new friend “Otto” who stops by here occasionally has pointed out, there were over 60 MILLION (unsuspecting, OK that’s me, Otto wouldn’t say that) voters who chose him over the as despised Hillary Clinton in the 2016 “election” (Of course, with the Russians and James Comey helping individual 1 and he still got 3 MILLION less votes than Mrs. Clinton) and most of them still support our IMPEACHED so-called president. I actually listened to one of them last night, who called from California to talk to my wife (a fellow teacher). She was pointing out what a great job California’s governor, Gavin Newsome, is doing during this crisis – and, what caught my attention was when she said, “He understands to be nice to individual 1.” (Of course, she used his surname)

People are dying faster than the morgues can handle all the bodies and if you want federal help the most important thing to remember is to be nice to the “commander in chief.” Apparently, his skin isn’t very thick. Our governor, Jay Inslee is also doing an excellent job but, according to individual 1 he’s a “snake,” along with others of his Middle School name calling tendencies – which, if he was in my 6th grade class would lead to a “call home.” So, if you don’t kiss individual 1’s ass (I just can’t imagine that) he’s going to allow people to die in your state and he’ll find a way to blame it on President Obama! These are just the times we live in! But, as usual, I digress…………….

I’m presently reading (another) book by Robert Reich – who, in my estimation is a great writer and author – titled “The Common Good.” He lays it out very well in this book how we got to this place of incredible inequality and I hope more people will read it. People are desperate to just pay their bills while they wait for the bailout which, them being in that place, is a focus of Reich’s book. I’m going to quote a part of the book where he summarizes what he believes “got us to this place:”

“Three exploitations of trust set off chain reactions that have undermined the common good: Whatever it takes to win politics disregarded what had been the unwritten rules of good government, based on equal political rights – enabling the most powerful players to extract all political gains. Whatever it takes to maximize profits rejected what had been the unwritten rules of corporate responsibility, based on obligations to all stakeholders – allowing CEO’s, Wall Street, and investors to extract all financial gains. Whatever it takes to rig the economy dismissed what had been the unwritten rule that the “free market” should work for everyone – permitting the most powerful economic actors to extract almost all economic gains. As a result, the key political and economic institutions of our society – political parties, corporations, and the free market – have abandoned their commitment to the common good.”

That paragraph is simply a summation of a significant part of the book, up to that point, where Reich points out BOTH political parties have been part of the problem (although, clearly the republicans are like “men against boys” in comparison to their affect on what has got us here) and he’s the third author I’ve read who mentioned Powell’s memo – which has played a significant role in the demise of the America I knew as a kid. I even read a book titled “Who Stole the American Dream” (by Hedrick Smith – you can get it used for about $4 – I recommend it) which is where I first read about Powell’s memo and the damage it’s done to America’s Middle Class. (Of course, Powell ultimately became a Supreme Court Justice – that should help explain a lot)

My point is if this coronavirus attack on our nation (and the world, of course) isn’t enough to tell “we the people” it’s time to change course the next crisis could be much worse. Of course, the Climate Crisis is right on the horizon (if it’s not already here and close to too late) and we have a group of “climate deniers” in charge of our country. That SHOULD be enough to get young people to the polls in November in large numbers to “clean house” of individual 1, his republican sycophants and any democrats who are putting corporate interests ahead of the interests of “we the people” so that we can change this nation back to a nation whose government works from the bottom up. I’ve always said there are democrats “feeding from the same trough” as the republicans, they’re just getting the “seed pods.”

A nation where we refuse to accept MILLIONS of our brothers and sisters living in their cars or worse should be unacceptable. A nation where MILLIONS of people without basic health insurance shouldn’t cut it. A nation where you have to be wealthy or willing to be saddled with massive debt to gain a higher education also SHOULDN’T cut it. A nation where we the people continue to look the other way to the plight of our fellow citizens in the inner cities should no longer be acceptable. A nation where we no longer allow the “free markets” to be rigged for Wall Street at the expense of Main Street SHOULD be our goal coming out of this crisis as we approach the November election. There’s so much that needs to change and, if not now, when? It reminds me of the IMPEACHMENT of individual 1 who brazenly, right after (and, we’re talking a couple days) William Barr succeeded in deflecting the reality of the Mueller investigation and his collusion with Russia in the LAST election away from public attention attempted to “collude” with Ukraine for the NEXT election. That brazen disregard for our system of laws was like, in regard to IMPEACHMENT – “if not now, when?”

Up until this Covid-19 pandemic, the focus on individual 1’s incompetence and his scandalous behavior was just causing people like me to speculate what would happen should an actual crisis happen. Well, now we know. Of course, I was thinking more in line with some kind of military crisis – some kind of attack on our nation’s interests or one of our allies – and, lamenting what would happen. Of course, that’s because I’m clearly in the “camp” who believes individual 1 is in “way over his head” and, no matter the crisis, will FUMBLE it because of this severe narcissism. It’s always gong to be about individual 1 in his mind. And, of course, we’re seeing that incompetence played out every day there’s a “daily briefing.”

In the face of all this, we have the stock market desperately wanting this so-called “V” curve to happen sooner rather than later. So, today, there’s been another big jump forward as if we’re through the worst of all this – while the experts are warning “we the people” it’s about to get a lot worse – so, from my perspective, the “roller coaster” will continue. Obviously, it would be much better for those who have retirement accounts connected to the stock market if it would stabilize – my intuition just tells me it’s a bit too soon. And, while “conservatives” likely will not ever accept this, the REASON that “V” curve recovery doesn’t happen, if it doesn’t , will be because of individual 1′ s refusal to lead when he was advised in early January this crisis was on its way. As I’ve said, it will be impossible to quantify the number of lives which would have been saved had our IMPEACHED so-called president listened to the intelligence community in January. Whatever the number who end up dead, it’s WAY too many!

Final Thought: MANY years ago, in the early 1960’s when I was playing basketball in high school I had a wonderful coach and one of the most significant things I remember from him was when he would say, “One mistake leads to another.” Well, we’re seeing that play out in “spades” from our IMPEACHED so-called president as this coronavirus pandemic plays out. Individual 1, in his attempt to deflect the blame he deserves as our “commander in chief” (Instead of saying “the buck stops here”) continues to pile one mistake on top of another. When this is over there will be plenty of time to analyze what happened, I just think individual 1 is facing a mountain of criticism – above what he’s getting now – when there’s time to actually analyze what has happened.

Great Britain’s leader Boris Johnson took a similarly cavalier attitude to this crisis as did individual 1 and now Johnson is in intensive care with this virus. Despite the claim of many “conservatives” this is not “just another flu!”

Again, my apologies, I’m posting this without re-reading it.