Louisiana Voice

When I took issue with the moronic drivel contained in that pro-Trump email that popped up on my inbox recently, my post generated an unusually large number of comments. And while the majority were supportive, as expected, many others took me to task for daring to criticize anything about President Orange Hair. Some even took my criticism of Trump as an admission of support for Hillary. It wasn’t.

But being the glutton for punishment that is in my DNA, I’m back for more. So all you Trump supporters out there, get ready to pour it on because what I’m about to say is backed up by fact instead of the emotional, unsubstantiated rhetoric typical of the conversation I overheard earlier today (Feb. 7) as I waited to pick up a to-go order for dinner.

The two men were watching a national newscast (most likely Fox) when a story came on about criticism leveled at Trump by Sen. John McCain. The older of the two said to the other, “What’s that guy’s name? The war prisoner. He needs to keep his mouth shut. He’s not for America.”

Whoa. A man who fought for his country, was captured and spent five years as a prisoner of war. Not for America. What the hell is that man using for a patriotism barometer?

But he wasn’t through. “Trump’s right to keep them foreigners out. They don’t belong here. They just want something for nothing but nobody owes them a thing.”

Here’s a news flash for you, Mr. America: A 2012 study revealed that immigrants were behind more than 75 percent of new PATENTS from top 10 patent-producing American universities.

Perhaps we owe them something, seeing as how their patents became the property of the universities for whom they worked.

As I listened (Yeah, I was eavesdropping but their loud voices made it easy for me), the man continued to lament the costs of welfare which (as I’m certain he doesn’t know—or care) pale in comparison to the corporate welfare via tax breaks, offshore bank accounts, and the export of jobs overseas to countries where workers are paid a couple of dollars per day, if that. What if Congress went after the corporate welfare fraud? Oh, I don’t know, maybe the nation’s infrastructure might be repaired. Hungry kids might be fed. The federal deficit could be addressed in realistic terms. But for the real “welfare queens,” consider THIS.

One of the comments on my post about the shallow email defended Trump by saying he’s doing what he said he’d do and that I would lose my credibility when the wall between the U.S. and Mexico is built. Well, don’t be surprised of Canada builds a wall first. They don’t like the guy, either. Yes, he’s doing what he said he’d do, and that’s what scares the hell out of me.

And what can we say about Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer other than “Never forget BOWLING GREEN”?

As if the foregoing aren’t bad enough, consider this:

Trump (and nearly everyone else on the planet) heaped criticism on Hillary Clinton over the Benghazi debacle. So what does Trump do nine days after taking office? He approved a RAID on Yemen without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup operations. The result was the death of a Navy Seal, an eight-year-old American girl, and 30 other civilians.

Remember how Trump attacked Hillary for her Wall Street connections and promised in his inauguration speech that the voice of the American people would be heard? Let’s review.

Since his election, he has loaded his administration with Goldman Sachs ALUMNI. Do you seriously, for one nano-second believe that Goldman Sachs (or Trump) has the least bit of consideration for your problems, your concerns?

If you still think Golden Hair is your golden boy, then take a look at what he’s done in his first few days in office:

He is vowing to scrap the reforms put in place by the DODD-FRANK BILL that attempted to rein in reckless Wall Street hedge funds, junk bonds and the like that destroyed the country’s housing market and plunged the U.S. into the Great Recession. You can now look forward to an economic collapse of even greater proportions because Trump has thrown red meat to the Wall Street carnivores.

Bernie Madoff was correct when he said he was guilty of running the biggest Ponzi scheme within the biggest Ponzi scheme of all—Wall Street. It crashed before and it will crater again under a weight of runaway greed. Book it. It will happen.

He has promised to gut the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, to cut pollution limits for power plants, and oil and gas, and to eliminate a rule that limited bribery and corruption in oil operations—all aimed at reducing federal regulations. http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2017/02/03/Trump-s-Rollback-Clean-Air-and-Water-Rules-Could-Raise-Health-Care-Costs

Getting the government out of our lives has a wonderful ring to it if:

• You’ve never had to work at a job that doesn’t have sick leave and paid vacations;
• You’ve never had a job that did not pay overtime after 40 hours per week;
• You’ve never had a job that did not offer health benefits;
• You’ve never had a job that required you to work six days per week;
• You’ve never been a child forced to work in a sweat shop 50 hours per week;
• You’ve never had a job where workers were routinely injured, maimed or killed on the job with no worker’s compensation insurance or other means of recovery;
• You’ve never had to worry about such things as the electrical wiring in your home;
• You’ve never had to call a cop or a fireman for assistance;
• You’ve never had to worry about the quality of food you purchased.

In other words, getting government out of our lives is great in theory provided you’ve never had to worry about the concerns above, conditions that actually prevailed before government regulations were passed that changed all those things for the better. And those were just a few examples of how government has gotten into our lives—for the better.

Yes, the regulations can be a hindrance to those who would put profits ahead of the welfare of their employees. And let’s face it, these corporations simply are not going to regulate themselves. They’ve already shown that when they furtively dump toxins into our rivers and lakes. They’ve already shown that when Volkswagen deliberately tries to game the system. They’re shown that when insurance companies like Allstate and State Farm screwed over homeowners following Katrina and the floods of last August—and insurance companies have regulators but they’re politicians whose campaigns are supported by…..insurance companies.

Trump has already shown that he meant it when he made those campaign promises to roll back regulations. And the people heard and still they voted against their own best interests.

That, of course, raises a very important question: Will your life be better after he has made good on all those promises? Don’t count on it.

That question will be lost in all the misdirection of childish arguments over the size of the inauguration crowd, terrorist attacks that did or did not occur that were are were not covered by the media, or criticism over Saturday Night Live skits (criticism that has most assuredly been a YUGE ratings boost for SNL).