by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
In Donald Trump's rush to make sure that he has a fox in charge of every hen house, it almost looks as if he is trying to destroy the federal government, department by department. The selection of his billionaire campaign donor, Betsy DeVos, for instance, to head the Education Department looks to be a very thinly veiled attempt to destroy public education in America - something that neither Trump and his family, nor DeVos and hers, ever experienced while growing up rich in their bubbles of privilege. And the selection of fast food king, Andy Puzder, a man who opposes the very notion of a minimum wage, as Secretary of Labor is a bold assurance to America's low wage workers that nobody will have their backs in a Trump administration.
Trump also has an incoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Ben Carson - who managed to get a fine education through extensive government assistance, but now opposes others who come from modest circumstances having those same advantages. Carson, who will be over public housing in the United States, is on record as opposing programs which assist and benefit the public - fearing that they foster a sense of dependence.
Trump's pick for Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, is a man who made many of his billions by buying distressed companies and the "restructuring" them. (Note: "Restructuring" is a Vulgarian term meaning to sell off assets and lay off workers.)
Then this week came the revelation that Georgia Representative (Dr.) Tom Price, Trump's pick to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, bought shares of a medical device company and then introduced legislation in Congress to benefit that company. With the actions of Dr. Price, there wasn't even a pretense of operating in an ethical manner.
All in all, Trump seems more focused on disabling federal agencies than he is in running them. One can almost envision some evil power lurking behind Trump's throne and pulling strings to dismantle the nation from the inside. But who could that evil power possibly be?
No discussion of shameless cabinet-level spawn would be complete, however, without at least a mention of the most obvious department-destroyer on Trump's Team of Terribles: Rick Perry, the nominee to head the Energy Department - our supposed watchdog over energy responsibility, conservancy, and usage in the United States. Perry, a former multi-term governor of Texas, is known to be a close ally of Big Oil. He has benefited from their political largess through cash donations to his campaigns - to the tune of millions of dollars - and he has been a continual foe of laws aimed at limiting pollution from energy producers. Perry is also a staunch denier of climate science.
With Rick Perry in charge of the Energy Department, we are no longer dealing with a charade. An Energy Department run by Rick Perry will quickly become a government agency under the complete control of the industry it was intended to regulate.
Many of Donald Trump's cabinet selections are god-awful, but Rick Perry has to be the god-awfullest of them all - and getting ahead of Betsy DeVos in that line is really saying something! The United States Senate must not approve Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy. His ascension to that post will divert American fuels to overseas ports, raise energy prices here at home, and maximize profits for companies and individuals who already control obscene amounts of our national treasure. Rick Perry may be a great selection for Exxon and BP, but he will be a disaster for those of us who have to pull in at the pump several times a week.
The only thing more absurd than Rick Perry trying to run the Energy Department would be naming some American oligarch, like the CEO of Exxon, for instance, to be Secretary of State. Oh, wait . . . on, hell!
Citizen Journalist
In Donald Trump's rush to make sure that he has a fox in charge of every hen house, it almost looks as if he is trying to destroy the federal government, department by department. The selection of his billionaire campaign donor, Betsy DeVos, for instance, to head the Education Department looks to be a very thinly veiled attempt to destroy public education in America - something that neither Trump and his family, nor DeVos and hers, ever experienced while growing up rich in their bubbles of privilege. And the selection of fast food king, Andy Puzder, a man who opposes the very notion of a minimum wage, as Secretary of Labor is a bold assurance to America's low wage workers that nobody will have their backs in a Trump administration.
Trump also has an incoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Ben Carson - who managed to get a fine education through extensive government assistance, but now opposes others who come from modest circumstances having those same advantages. Carson, who will be over public housing in the United States, is on record as opposing programs which assist and benefit the public - fearing that they foster a sense of dependence.
Trump's pick for Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, is a man who made many of his billions by buying distressed companies and the "restructuring" them. (Note: "Restructuring" is a Vulgarian term meaning to sell off assets and lay off workers.)
Then this week came the revelation that Georgia Representative (Dr.) Tom Price, Trump's pick to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, bought shares of a medical device company and then introduced legislation in Congress to benefit that company. With the actions of Dr. Price, there wasn't even a pretense of operating in an ethical manner.
All in all, Trump seems more focused on disabling federal agencies than he is in running them. One can almost envision some evil power lurking behind Trump's throne and pulling strings to dismantle the nation from the inside. But who could that evil power possibly be?
No discussion of shameless cabinet-level spawn would be complete, however, without at least a mention of the most obvious department-destroyer on Trump's Team of Terribles: Rick Perry, the nominee to head the Energy Department - our supposed watchdog over energy responsibility, conservancy, and usage in the United States. Perry, a former multi-term governor of Texas, is known to be a close ally of Big Oil. He has benefited from their political largess through cash donations to his campaigns - to the tune of millions of dollars - and he has been a continual foe of laws aimed at limiting pollution from energy producers. Perry is also a staunch denier of climate science.
With Rick Perry in charge of the Energy Department, we are no longer dealing with a charade. An Energy Department run by Rick Perry will quickly become a government agency under the complete control of the industry it was intended to regulate.
Many of Donald Trump's cabinet selections are god-awful, but Rick Perry has to be the god-awfullest of them all - and getting ahead of Betsy DeVos in that line is really saying something! The United States Senate must not approve Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy. His ascension to that post will divert American fuels to overseas ports, raise energy prices here at home, and maximize profits for companies and individuals who already control obscene amounts of our national treasure. Rick Perry may be a great selection for Exxon and BP, but he will be a disaster for those of us who have to pull in at the pump several times a week.
The only thing more absurd than Rick Perry trying to run the Energy Department would be naming some American oligarch, like the CEO of Exxon, for instance, to be Secretary of State. Oh, wait . . . on, hell!
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