January 5, 2020
Since the unreal world of politics and government is still in ‘Recess’, Hubris suggested that I step back from commenting on the antics of our ‘Perfect’ President and his friends (mostly Republicans) and enemies (mostly Democrats) and instead, get the old crystal ball out of the barn storage bin, wipe the dust off, and see if it has anything important to tell us about the new year, i.e., the year 2020. It has all the ingredients to make it a real humdinger of economic, political, moral, and social, stew-year.
We now have in the 2020 pantry: a booming but false economy, a potentially catastrophic amount of federal and personal debt, a Federal Reserve willing and able to do anything to keep the economic bubble expanding, a President who thinks his claim to fame is that he caused the booming economy but, in reality, he inherited a phony economic bubble from his overspending Democrat and Republican predecessors and then he just added to the bubble by his tax cut for the rich. And, we have wars potentially reaching nuclear intensity in the middle East, an idiot with nuclear weapons and the ability to throw them from North Korea to the US mainland who our ‘Perfect’ President considers his ‘good friend’, another ‘good friend’ of our President is a guy who thinks nothing of having his political opponents murdered and has purposely interfered with our election process, and another ‘good fiend’—a Saudi Prince who murders anyone who dares to criticize his form of governance. Donald Trump is a truly an ‘All American’ President!
Besides all of the above, we have a dangerous and constantly increasing level of income disparity between rich and poor, and a social disorder bordering on revolution. We also have an unusual event called an ‘Impeachment trial’ coming up. And, we have an immigration problem. All of that is just for the stew starters. I haven’t opened the spice cabinet, yet.
If the above isn’t enough to cause serious acid reflux, let’s spice up that brew with a totally dis-functional Congress, an electorate divided almost equally between those who want the freedom to acquire as many of the fruits of avarice and greed as possible and those who prefer to live honestly, fairly and in harmony with a fragile environment. Last but not least, we have a judicial system which our ‘Perfect’ President has just packed as tightly as possible with his hard-hearted, conservative cronies. This is the stuff of Greek tragedy or Shakespearean drama to be acted out in the 2020 kitchen while stirring the stew pot! Hubris expects our old, worn out crystal ball will tell us what’s really going to happen in the NEW YEAR? Sorry Hubris, I don’t think it will be capable of doing that!
I do expect the year of 2020 will be the year of great extremes in the economy, world conflicts, political history and, possibly, Catholic Church history. Economic bubbles can’t increase in size forever. 2020 could see the greatest economic ‘bubble-burst’ in history or it could see the bubble continue to increase to world record size. The ever increasing militarism of North Korea, and China, the animosity between Israel and Palestine, and the chaos in the Middle East all have the potential to break out into nuclear war or just a continuing stalemate of rocket throwing and angry public protest demonstrations of conflicting tribal ambitions. The impeachment trial, if it happens, has the potential outcome ranging from being a total waste of time to being the first time in US history that a United States President will be voted out of office. The Liberal vs Conservative battle between Francis and Benedict is just smoke screen obscuring the fire of financial ruin within the Roman Catholic Church caused by the sexual perversion of its’ exclusively male ‘leadership’. If all of the above doesn’t confirm the old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times” I don’t know how better to describe it.
The Congressional Holiday Recess certainly has made this holiday period more peaceful. I guess life will revert to the normal level of chaos and confusion when Congress re-convenes on January 6th? Maybe the only way to prevent that chaos is to extend the Congressional Recess for a year or two? If you readers don’t think that our government causes more of our country’s and the world‘s problems than it solves, you haven’t been paying attention. I’ve just thought of another possible ‘solution’: keep Donald Trump in Mar-a Lago by building a giant wall around that exclusive compound- with him inside it, take away his twitter account, and lock Mitch McConnell up with Stormy Daniels in a cheap motel room for the next 12 months and, maybe, our government would have a chance to pass some meaningful legislation to start leveling the playing field. Can you imagine the smile on Mitch’s face when he finally is allowed to come out of the motel room to block more legislation?
There are only three more ‘what ifs’ in this political stew. One is, the Democrat Party fires the entire Democratic National Committee and replaces them with honest, intelligent citizens and the party actually picks a person capable of being ‘President’. Two, the Republicans in our Congress say an ‘Act of Contrition” and regain a moral conscience. Three, Donald Trump decides that he has run his Presidential ‘con-game’ long enough and he had better get out while the getting was good. Frankly, I have to admit that all three ‘what ifs’ are unlikely to happen. However, I have a strong suspicion that the third one has the best chance of actually happening. The Donald is beginning to lose his ‘panache’ with many of those who voted for him. My response to that fact is, “Forgive them Father, they knew not what they had done!” Personally, I think that voting him out of office is better for our country than impeaching a money-grubbing, brain-less, ego-maniac—who shouldn’t have been elected in the first place! The only thing good about impeachment is that it would give Donald Trump a chance to stew in his own juices!
Lou
Copyright, January 5, 2020, Louis J. Christen