While I agree with Eric Shapiro’s opinion piece in the Beat’s that Donald Trump acts like a crime boss, I disagree with several other statements:
• “He’s … delivered major tax reform.” No, he delivered $1.5T (or $1500B) in tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy – and deepened our country’s debt by approximately the same amount.
• “[H]e’s led during a remarkably robust and healthy economy …” No, he is still riding the rising employment rate Obama started after the great Republican recession – an employment rate that is stalling and has generated lots of minimum-wage jobs at the expense of better jobs.
• “Trump’s coming to be seen among many in a better light.” Not according to recent polls which indicate a 52% disapproval rate compared to a 42% approval rate – nearly identical to the rates in April 2017. If the lame-stream media was talking about Trump’s crimes, his numbers would be even worse.
• “Russiagate has concluded in his favor.” No, cover-up artist Bill Barr said there was no collusion, and the lame-stream media unquestioningly repeated that meme for several weeks until most citizens (including Mr. Shapiro apparently) believed it. However, the Mueller report cites 10 instances of obstruction of justice – and has led to 215 criminal charges, 38 indictments or pleas, and five prison sentences so far. If you think it is concluded, you have not been listening to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler.
While I agree that Trump has not taken us into war, it is not for lack of trying. He has unsuccessfully (thus far) tried to start one with Venezuela and Iran. The Russians stopped him in Venezuela, the U.S. military in Iran. Don’t expect those failures to stop him because he knows that once he is out of office, he will likely go to jail.
Unlike the The Sopranos’s Ralph Cifaretto, Trump was not elevated to his position legitimately. Voter suppression, lame-stream media’s $2B of free advertising, and Russian interference put Trump in the White House. NBC spent millions teaching him how to be reality show host – and now he is running our country that way.
“What do you do when someone’s an abomination, yet a useful and valuable abomination?” If you are Moscow Mitch, you support the abomination by doing everything you can to prevent impeachment and removal from office (partly because Mitch is also implicated in Russiagate). If you are a veteran or elected official who swore an oath to “protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” you are duty-bound to acknowledge and respond to violations of both emoluments clauses of the Constitution. Unfortunately, I take my responsibility as a citizen more seriously than those who swore an oath and are doing nothing to restore democracy to what is now an oligarchy, according to President Jimmy Carter.
I do agree that “just like Ralphie was always Ralphie, Trump will always be Trump.” From an early age, Trump has been a grifter interested only in his personal wealth, aggrandizement and power. That is bad for our country.
Rob Means
Milpitas Resident
