by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Donald Trump, our "businessman" President, recognizes only one measure of success: money. Ever since he began running for office in 2016 he has seen his personal wealth essentially stay flat while the wealth of other US "billionaires" has been generally on the increase. He is essentially losing ground among the big boys - and that has to hurt someone as wealth-focused and materialistic as Donald John Trump.
The most recent Forbes Magazine list of the richest Americans which was released this past October had Trump in 275th place with an estimated wealth of $3.1 billion. That is down sixteen spots from the year before - and 119 spots lower than it was before he was President.
In addition to a strong desire to be rich, Trump also fixates on appearing rich. He is like the used car dealer who wears the gold chains and drags around the flashy wife. Trump trades up on wives every few years, and always puts his name on as many buildings as he can - whether he actually owns them or not. With him, appearances are a big indicator of wealth.
Since assuming office, Trump has also measured his success with the nation's success - and again that is primarily a monetary measure. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed throughout the entire eight years of the Obama administration, and when President Obama left office it was just shy of hitting the 20,000 mark. That finally happened within weeks of Trump coming into office and he took complete credit for hitting that benchmark. And, not surprisingly, Trump claimed all credit for the stock market's continued rise during the first three years of his presidency.
The economy was great because Trump was great. End of discussion.
But then the coronavirus arrived and quickly made inroads into America's once robust economy. Emergency precautions went into effect which shuttered businesses, closed schools, and sent many American workers home, often without even the basic benefit of paid sick leave. The economy went into a downward spiral, and American fears regarding the pandemic were soon reflected in a collapsing stock market. Within weeks all of the gains that the market witnessed during the Trump years had evaporated. Trump's only measure of success had turned against him.
Yesterday Trump went before the press and began campaigning for a return to normalcy. He muttered his resolve that "We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself," and indicated that within a week his administration might begin lifting restrictions on public gatherings - and encouraging people to go back to work.
Others promptly pointed out that without adequate testing, we don't even have a clear idea of the impact that the coronavirus has already had - or the impact that it is likely to have - and that a return to work and life-as-usual at this point would run a clear risk of many more deaths.
But Trump had thrown down his gauntlet. A healthy economy was his top priority.
Last night Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor of Texas, want on Fox News and made essentially the same point with Swanson Foods heir and commentator Tucker Carlson. Lt. Governor Patrick cloaked the whole matter in patriotism and declared grandparents (the ones most likely to die from coronavirus) would be willing to die to save the economy for their grandchildren.
And there you have the evolving GOP position of the killer virus in a nutshell. Those unwilling to die for the sake of the economy are not good Americans and they don't love their grandchildren!
Oh, please! When I step into a Walmart, Kroger, or Target and see Donald Trump and Dan Patrick stocking shelves and interacting with the general public, maybe then we can talk - but until that time they are just a couple of rich buffoons who expect to benefit off of the sacrifices of others.
Well screw that! I love my grandchildren, and my goal is to spend more time with them - and not to sacrifice myself on the altar of capitalism so that they can enjoy playing games on the latest iPhones. I want my grandchildren to grow up with a deep respect for their own self-worth and the self-worth of others - and not to measure success by dollars or how many buildings they can get their names on.
Donald Trump may have money - though clearly not as much as he would have us believe - but when it comes to his self-worth as a human-being, well . . . that account is bankrupt!
Citizen Journalist
Donald Trump, our "businessman" President, recognizes only one measure of success: money. Ever since he began running for office in 2016 he has seen his personal wealth essentially stay flat while the wealth of other US "billionaires" has been generally on the increase. He is essentially losing ground among the big boys - and that has to hurt someone as wealth-focused and materialistic as Donald John Trump.
The most recent Forbes Magazine list of the richest Americans which was released this past October had Trump in 275th place with an estimated wealth of $3.1 billion. That is down sixteen spots from the year before - and 119 spots lower than it was before he was President.
In addition to a strong desire to be rich, Trump also fixates on appearing rich. He is like the used car dealer who wears the gold chains and drags around the flashy wife. Trump trades up on wives every few years, and always puts his name on as many buildings as he can - whether he actually owns them or not. With him, appearances are a big indicator of wealth.
Since assuming office, Trump has also measured his success with the nation's success - and again that is primarily a monetary measure. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed throughout the entire eight years of the Obama administration, and when President Obama left office it was just shy of hitting the 20,000 mark. That finally happened within weeks of Trump coming into office and he took complete credit for hitting that benchmark. And, not surprisingly, Trump claimed all credit for the stock market's continued rise during the first three years of his presidency.
The economy was great because Trump was great. End of discussion.
But then the coronavirus arrived and quickly made inroads into America's once robust economy. Emergency precautions went into effect which shuttered businesses, closed schools, and sent many American workers home, often without even the basic benefit of paid sick leave. The economy went into a downward spiral, and American fears regarding the pandemic were soon reflected in a collapsing stock market. Within weeks all of the gains that the market witnessed during the Trump years had evaporated. Trump's only measure of success had turned against him.
Yesterday Trump went before the press and began campaigning for a return to normalcy. He muttered his resolve that "We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself," and indicated that within a week his administration might begin lifting restrictions on public gatherings - and encouraging people to go back to work.
Others promptly pointed out that without adequate testing, we don't even have a clear idea of the impact that the coronavirus has already had - or the impact that it is likely to have - and that a return to work and life-as-usual at this point would run a clear risk of many more deaths.
But Trump had thrown down his gauntlet. A healthy economy was his top priority.
Last night Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor of Texas, want on Fox News and made essentially the same point with Swanson Foods heir and commentator Tucker Carlson. Lt. Governor Patrick cloaked the whole matter in patriotism and declared grandparents (the ones most likely to die from coronavirus) would be willing to die to save the economy for their grandchildren.
And there you have the evolving GOP position of the killer virus in a nutshell. Those unwilling to die for the sake of the economy are not good Americans and they don't love their grandchildren!
Oh, please! When I step into a Walmart, Kroger, or Target and see Donald Trump and Dan Patrick stocking shelves and interacting with the general public, maybe then we can talk - but until that time they are just a couple of rich buffoons who expect to benefit off of the sacrifices of others.
Well screw that! I love my grandchildren, and my goal is to spend more time with them - and not to sacrifice myself on the altar of capitalism so that they can enjoy playing games on the latest iPhones. I want my grandchildren to grow up with a deep respect for their own self-worth and the self-worth of others - and not to measure success by dollars or how many buildings they can get their names on.
Donald Trump may have money - though clearly not as much as he would have us believe - but when it comes to his self-worth as a human-being, well . . . that account is bankrupt!
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