High Protective Tariffs

Donald Trump, The Disruptor In Chief!

Ronald 59 Comments

Donald Trump is the Disruptor in Chief.

He has declared the Gulf of Mexico is the Gulf of America.

He wants Veterans Day (November 11) and V E Day (May 8) to be renamed.

He wants Alcatraz, an infamous prison off of San Francisco, closed six decades ago and a much visited national park since then, to be renovated and reopened for the “worst of the worst” criminals.

He has no shame, and portrays himself as a potential Pope before the Catholic Church conclave to select the successor to Pope Francis.

He also shares the image of Darth Vader on “Star Wars Day”, May 4, as a muscular image of himself.

He wants to put tariffs on foreign produced films.

He wants to purge the Smithsonian Institution and its various museums of any references to race and gender.

He has mounted an attack on higher education at the top Ivy League universities.

He wonders if he must obey the Consitution that he swore the oath to enforce both in 2017 and 2025.

He wants anyone opposed to him and his actions in the past and present to be prosecuted by a Justice Department that is his personal fiefdom.

He has taken action against corporations, law firms, and media organizations to force them into compliance or face the consequences.

He refuses to make sure the laws are faithfully executed, even from federal courts, and doubts about the veracity of “due process”.

He lies incessantly without a sense of shame or guilt, and no one can trust anything he says.

There has never been a President anything like him, not even Richard Nixon at his worst!

The Hidden Victims Of Donald Trump’s Economic Disaster!

Ronald 3 Comments

As the effects of Donald Trump’s fixation on protective tariffs as a major part of his economic policies take hold, there are many hidden victims, who will suffer the most.

With escalating prices on all kinds of consumer goods, not just dolls or pencils, as stated by Trump in his Meet The Press interview that aired on Sunday, there will be massive suffering and spreading poverty across America.

Many of the white working class people who thought Donald Trump would be preferable to a mixed race woman as President (Kamala Harris), will suffer mightily, as many will lose their jobs, will lose their homes, will be unable to purchase basic “groceries”, including eggs, so much emphasized in the campaign in 2024.

But also, African Americans and Latino Americans will suffer mightily, as they lose opportunities to move ahead, with the attack on DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), which will affect educational opportunities, and employment prospects.

Additionally, many of “Generation Z”, already having difficulties moving ahead toward independence from their family upbringing, will have to endure the uncertainty of their futures, in an economy which is moving toward a severe recession, if not a Second Great Depression.

With a national government headed by billionaires, the oligarchy that controls so much of the American economic future, having no concern except their own greed, selfishness and further aggrandizement, a revival of the “Gilded Age” of the late 19th century will lead to further exploitation and great human suffering.

And internationally, the nation will be under the greatest threat since World War II, as isolationism, which helped to bring about the horrors of that war, will put American national security at risk.

It is sad to write this “gloomy” essay, but this author and blogger senses that this is the future of America in the age of Donald Trump, and with no certainty that it would be improved once Trump leaves office, if he does, by January 20, 2029, if not sooner!

The First Hundred Days Of Trump Second Term More Revolutionary Than FDR!

Ronald 68 Comments

The First Hundred Days of Donald Trump, Second Term, is coming up on Wednesday, April 30.

The nation and the world have seen the most revolutionary, radical set of actions and statements by Donald Trump that the nation has ever witnessed.

One would have thought that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Hundred Days of the “New Deal” from March 4, 1933 to mid June 1933 would be a marker that would never be matched.

But Donald Trump has far surpassed the impact of FDR, and in many ways, trying to wipe out most of the last century and more of the federal regulatory state and the leadership of the democratic world in international relations.

Trump has demonstrated that Presidential power is way out of line, a growing problem since FDR onward, but with most occupants of the White House having good intentions in their assertion of power, unlike Trump.

The massive use of executive orders, 137 so far, an all time record for such a short time as President;

the threats and actions against universities, law firms, cultural institutions, corporations, state governments;

the bypassing of judicial interventions;

the Republican party in Congress refusing to assert their authority;

the growing dictatorial attitude of Trump appointees inside and outside the Cabinet;

the repudiation of our traditional alliances in world affairs;

the dangerous flirtation with protective tariffs that undermines the American economy;

the clearcut corruption and grift being conducted in clear vision;

and so much more not listed here,

all have created a whirlwind of chaos and anarchy that affects all Americans in deleterious ways!

Imagining A Ronald Reagan-Donald Trump Meeting!

Ronald 14 Comments

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, is honored and really worshipped by tens of millions of conservatives, seen as an icon of their beliefs in limited government.

But if Ronald Reagan was alive today, it seems very clear that he would be vehemently opposed to everything Donald Trump believes in and promotes.

Ronald Reagan believed in dialogue, and managed to work with opposition Democrats on major issues, and had Democratic Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill at the White House on a regular, friendly basis. Most famously, on the crucial issue of Social Security reform, the two men came up with an agreement in 1983 that helped promote the long term survival and extension of Social Security.

Ronald Reagan believed the solution to undocumented immigration, a constant reality over the decades at the US-Mexico border, was to promote immigration reform, as was agreed to in 1986.

Ronald Reagan understood the threat of the Soviet Union, and while supporting all efforts for dialogue and diplomacy, he knew that the nation needed to work to undermine Russian aggression as part of the Cold War.

Ronald Reagan clearly knew the danger of high protective tariffs, having lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s, with a major cause of that horrific economic disaster being the Smoot_Hawley Tariff signed by President Herbert Hoover in 1930, despite the entreaties of hundreds of economists.

Ronald Reagan believed in the power of oratory, and avoided “stirring the pot” of turmoil, and worked to unify the nation through his speeches and public utterances in times of celebration and also, of tragedy.

Ronald Reagan’s children, Ron Reagan Jr. and Patti Davis, have made clear their vehement opposition to everything MAGA Republicans promote under Donald Trump, and as do multitudes of conservative commentators, assert that Donald Trump is NOT a conservative of the Ronald Reagan stripe in any way!

Donald Trump lies incessantly, more than any President in American history.

Donald Trump works to divide and denounce anyone in his Republican party who dares to challenge him, as well as any opposition in the nation, as he conducts himself as an authoritarian figure.

Donald Trump is extremely nativist, connected to racism, and has no concern for the plight or the rights of any undocumented immigrant, and even is out to remove any foreign born individual that has moved toward citizenship, instilling fear by his massive deportation efforts without any common decency, compassion, or empathy.

Donald Trump is a known collaborator with the Russian Federation uncer Vladimir Putin, and is ready to give up our alliances with democratic nations around the world. He and his team, including JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and others in the Cabinet engaged in national security, are ready to abandon Ukraine, and cozy up to our long term rival that does not have our safety and security as their goal.

Donald Trump is ready to cause a new Second Great Depression in his incessant drive to impose high tariffs, which history tells us is suicidal economic policy. And Trump representa a threat to the longevity of Social Security, in his quest to cut government spending.

This author and blogger is NOT defending Ronald Reagan, who he considers terrible in many ways, BUT in comparison to Donald Trump, he is to be seen as in the main wave of conservatism, while Trump is clearly NOT a conservative, just an unprincipled opportunist, who is conducting himself in a Fascist authoritarian manner!

The 1920s Under Calvin Coolidge And The 2020s Under Donald Trump: Isolationism, Protectionism, Nativism!

Ronald 16 Comments

There could not be more of a difference in personality between Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President (1923-1929) and the 45th and 47th President, Donald Trump (2017-2021, 2025- ).

Coolidge was quiet, soft spoken, avoided publicity and attention, while Trump is bombastic, outspoken, and craves constant publicity and attention.

It seems clear that if Coolidge had ever met Trump, he would be frowning about him as a showboat and braggart!

And yet, the two Presidents actually have much in common, specifically three terms:

Isolationism—desire to avoid involvement with rest of world and alliances

Protectionism—promotion of high protective tariffs

Nativism—support of limitations on immigration from other nations.

These policies in the 1920s led to disaster in the 1930s and 1940s, causing the Great Depression; causing the rise of Fascism, which forced America into World War II; and denying many immigrants, particularly Jewish, but not only them, who were trying to escape from totalitarian Fascism in Italy under Benito Mussolini and Germany under Adolf Hitler. This led to the Holocaust of 12 million people in Nazi Germany’s areas of control!

Sadly, we now seem to be going in that same direction, as a century ago, as immigrants are being deported to an uncertain future, and we are on the cusp of a major economic collapse due to high tariffs being imposed by Donald Trump.

But even worse is the collaboration and flirtation with authoritarian nations, particularly the Russian Federation, against nations that were once America’s democratic allies!

Donald Trump “Worship” Of Andrew Jackson And WIlliam McKinley!

Ronald 15 Comments

Donald Trump has, through his words and actions, indicated a “worship” of two Presidents, both of whom became engaged in controversial actions.

The 7th President, Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), was a clearcut racist who thought native Americans were subhuman, and defied the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall, in the case of Worcester V Georgia (1832), that upheld Cherokee Indian rights to their ancestral lands in Georgia.

That 1832 case led Jackson to announce defiance of the Court, and state that John Marshall and the Supreme Court had made its decision, now let them enforce it!

The result was the forced removal of thousands of native Americans to Oklahoma, infamously known as “The Trial Of Tears”, between 1830 and 1838, after passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

About 15,000 native Americans were killed or died from disease during this forced removal, where about 60,000 native Americans, of five tribes—Creek, Choctaw, Chicasaw, Cherokee, and Seminole–were forced to “Indian land” in Oklahoma, which after a half century and discovery of oil, led to white settlement, taking away much of that territory from native Americans.

The 25th President, William McKinley (1897-1901), became infamous for having promoted the McKinley Tariff of 1890, making for very high tariffs on foreign goods, a factor in the worst economic downturn of the 19th century, the Panic of 1893, which was not overcome until the second year of the McKinley Presidency in 1898.

McKinley also is remembered for having promoted imperialism and expansion, including the gaining of Hawaii by joint resolution in 1898, and going to war with Spain, and gaining control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and a “sphere of influence” over Cuba, giving the US an “Empire”, and new markets for industrial goods produced by corporations in their quest for new markets for their goods.

And the US fought a three year “guerrilla war” against the Philippines, who wanted independence after being liberated from Spanish control, but instead were forced to be a colony until after World War II in 1946, an event known as the “Filipino Insurrection”, mostly ignored in teaching of American history to students!

Trump is now pushing protective tariffs on all nations, and is now advocating American expansionism by considering retaking control of the Panama Canal; suggesting Canada become the 51st state; making clear his desire to gain control of Greenland from Denmark; and suggesting that the US take over the Gaza Strip in the Middle East and force removal of the 2 million Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.

So Trump is guided by the worst policies of two of his predecessors in the White House–Andrew Jackson and William McKinley!

Trump On Rampage: Denial Of Temporary Protected Status For 600,000 Venezuelans, And Protective Tariffs Of 25 Percent On Canada And Mexico!

Ronald 2 Comments

Donald Trump, after just 11 days in office, is clearly on a rampage of destruction, so overwhelming that it is hard to fathom and simplify the damage done.

The government is now denying the temporary protected status granted to about 600,000 Venezuelan refugees in 2021.

And it seems inevitable the same will happen to refugees from Haiti, Ukraine, and Afghanistan.

Additionally, on Saturday, the plan is to impose 25 percent protective tariffs on all goods from our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, which will cause massive inflation if it goes on for a long time.

This is a series of actions that can be considered a “political massacre”, and endangers the entire nation long term!

As we enter February, one has to wonder how much more can decent Americans take!

Richard Nixon, by comparison, is a “choir boy”!

Trump, Project 2025, And Open Declaration Of War On Federal Government: A Massive Crisis!

Ronald 42 Comments

Donald Trump had claimed he knew nothing about Project 2025, a right wing radical attack on the federal government.

But now, it is clear that Trump is utilizing the extremism of Project 2025 to declare open war on the federal government!

The shock of Trump ordering a total freeze on all government funding immediately, which was only temporarily paused by a federal judge until a ruling on next Monday, is reeling across all 50 states and our relations with foreign nations as well.

Firing 18 Inspectors General who are committed to open, honest government investigations, and working to decimate the existing civil service protections of federal government workers in order to replace all of them with political loyalists, is also a shocking attack on the concept of honest, good government!

The decision of Trump to fire all those engaged in the Justice Department into his wrongdoings that led to impeachments and indictments, and also to weed out those in Defense and National Security posts who are not slavishly loyal to his vision, is terrifying.

Trump’s disruption of international relations and foreign policy with his aggressiveness toward Panama, Denmark over Greenland, and tariff threats against our Latin American neighbors and Canada, are a danger of massive proportions!

Trump is moving toward authoritarian dictatorship, which was predictable, and there is no time for shock, but rather for action by Democrats, the courts, and the sensible news media to move to prevent in every way possible this grab for absolute power!

Inauguration Day: A Day Of A Right Wing Extremism Revolution Crisis!

Ronald 18 Comments

Inauguration Day has come and gone, and all the worst possible scenarios of what that day would be like, have been accomplished.

America is in the midst of a Right Wing Extremism Revolution, totally mean spirited, and vengeful.

Donald Trump did not hold back in his open criticism of Joe Biden, right in front of the outgoing President.

He moved to promote a vast number of executive orders, and made clear his repudation of a climate crisis, and his aggressive attitude toward Panama, indicating a likely forced retaking of the control of the Panama Canal.

He also gave pardons or commutations to all of the January 6 Insurrectionists, a travesty of justice, and a clear signal to those lawbreakers that they can commit future crimes with impunity, as long as they do so in the name of Donald Trump!

He also showed his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America via Presidential edict, although that would not be legal, and to bring back the old name of Mount McKinley in Alaska, which had been renamed Denali after a native American tribe.

This also marks the new admiration of President William McKinley, based on his promotion of high protective tariffs in the Gilded Age, and his promotion of expansionism, including the Spanish American War and the takeover of the Hawaiian Islands during his administration from 1897-1901.

It will take many days, if not weeks, to fully absorb what Donald Trump is doing to revolutionize America and take away basic American democracy.

But those who care about democracy must not give up the fight, and be in despair, as instead, it needs to be looked at as a crisis similar to the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Great Recession, and the Covid 19 Pandemic, each of which was overcome by strong, principled leadership by various Presidents and Congresses!

A Sense Of Doom Ahead, After Terrorism In New Orleans And Las Vegas, And Wildfire Tragedy In Los Angeles!

Ronald 9 Comments

There is a growing sense of doom ahead of us in the year 2025, with the horrendous beginning with the terrorist attack in New Orleans, the explosion of an automobile outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas by an active duty soldier who committed suicide, and now the cataclysmic wildfire tragedy in Los Angeles and surrounding communities in Southern California.

It is made worse by Donald Trump, claiming wrongfully that both the New Orleans and Las Vegas incidents were conducted by migrants, illegal aliens, a totally despicable lie, but one that he has not withdrawn.

Also, Trump has blamed President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom for the Los Angeles Wildfires tragedy, which is act of nature caused by climate change and global warming, for which Trump has renounced the need for any action, as he asserts it is not real!

In eleven days, the nation is faced by a very unstable, immoral, unethical man returning to the White House, as too many Americans were living in a dream world, forgetting the many horrors of the first Trump Presidency.

The thought of drastic moves on immigration and tariffs, and the pardoning of criminals who attacked the US Capitol four years ago, sets a mood of total despair and a sense of helplessness at what the future of America is going to be, and whether American democracy can remain strong, with the dangers that lie ahead in both domestic and foreign policy!

Jimmy Carter’s funeral today is a sad reminder of the loss of innocence, how much the ethics, morality, and decency of the 39th President, has been wiped away with the ethical lapses of Bill Clinton, the policy lapses of George W. Bush, and the multipled horrors of the Trump Presidency, now returning!