We are asked to believe that a bunch of elderly billionaires, mostly with some very dubious and illiberal aspects to their backgrounds, are really going to give the power back to the people, work for social justice, create jobs at above minimum wage, offer a rational health scheme to replace Obamacare, get rid of all the poor Latinos who the rich depend on to get richer, and end endless wars.

Give me a break!  What this is is a cementing into place of the oligarchy we all know we live under, but which people don’t like to admit because they are brought up wedded to the idea of ” democracy”. The latter would be a good idea, by the way.

Trump’s inaugural speech was ungracious,  and any kind of olive branch to those who oppose him sadly lacking. By undoing most of the rules that protect the workers and the public, and by spending huge sums Trump will probably succeed for a time in producing an (over-heated) economy, which, I forecast, will crash, as per 2008.  Around 2020? Anyone like a bet?

And the poor, jobless and dispossessed, who are now de-skilled and many  unsuited to many jobs in the new economy, these people will be no better off.  They will just see even more immigrants brought in to do skilled jobs, more will lose their homes owing to unbridled banking, civil protections will have disappeared, and there will be more and richer billionaires.   And Trump? He will blame Congress, Obama and the Washington elite and persuade his base to re- elect him, because the ability to persuade the poor to vote against their best interests is one of the true miracles of the American system.

I fear this is a rant.  It is a rant because I follow Epicurus in advocating moderation, cooperation, working things out with people and treating them with respect and thoughtfulness.  So far, there has been no sign of anything approaching these values. Thus, one cannot stand by and retreat into one’s shell, hoping it all goes away.  It won’t.