White House Agenda?

Chaos and misdirection. Broad scrapping of Obama executive orders. Another failed attempt to repeal Obamacare. Obviously trump is fighting for attention for himself. And he is asking for loyalty from all Republicans/GOP party leadership to support his actions.

As they fail, one by one, he only resolves to take more actions to undo what work has been done in the previous 8 years. Not all of it can he do. He doesn’t have the authority to do most of what he says he wants to do. But he will make the attempt anyway and provide the nasty facial expressions just to goad his enemies.

This is just more play-acting as president. Too bad it is just a waste of time.

But then one has to ask, why is he doing all of this if it is actually a waste of time?

I have thought about this often in recent months. I have come up with the following possible answers. I am not certain of any of them. I, too, am still learning what this administration is all about!

1. Rethinking all things governance related is an agenda of Bannon and Trump. One cannot do this rethinking if questions are not formed. Thus Trump is begging questions so that others will think. Although he and Bannon have their own answers, at least the rest of us now have the opportunity to rethink these matters. I think the ‘deep government’ hatred Bannon has for all government operations will lose with the American citizens. They realize government programs are necessary and government management of such programs should be supported and made professional and efficient.
2. Small government or large; trump supports small government, the kind that doesn’t fiddle with businesses or individuals, unless you don’t agree with them! Of course small government doesn’t have any power to enforce laws or regulations against huge industries and corporations doing wrong. Think environmental despoilment. Think Flint Michigan water contamination. Think oil spills on Indian Reservations threatening Native American access to potable water. Want more examples? We have many more to offer!
3. Deregulation of business rules and oversight. How does anyone figure Madoff managed to scam billions of dollars from investors? SEC protections were not as strong as they needed to be, and enforcement powers were also weak. And what about monopolistic powers of utilities and other ‘single suppliers’; are they actually allowed, even encouraged, to soak consumers with high prices?  Think also of pharmaceutical companies and how well they are protected so they can charge ridiculously high prices to Americans while supplying the same drugs to the rest of the world’s markets at low prices. Where is the justice in all of this?
4. Education standards set and enforced or totally left up to local standards. Where do conservatives think desegregation came from? Not from the southern states but because of Federal focus and attention forcing the southern states to conform to a national standard of fairness and equal treatment under the law.
5. Equal treatment for the LGBT community. There are regional religious variations that make LGBT folks targets in various states. The US Constitution mandates equal treatment and fairness. This is a civil rights issue, not a religious freedom issue. Religious freedom speaks to living freely your religious beliefs and exercising them. It does not require religions to cram their beliefs down everyone’s throat. That would impose an unwanted religion on others. LGBT people having rights and freedom does not impose a burden on opposing religious views. These religious people still can practice and believe what they want. No one will bother them. But they want to bother the LGBT people. See the difference?

I get it that we all have differences of opinion. But there is no law that says you and I have to agree. The laws and processes of justice ensure that you and I can continue to disagree. What we cannot do is make either one of us believe each other’s points of view. Nor does one party have the right to force another to act contrary to their nature.

Gracious discussion of issues is fine. Bombastic, threatening and forceful language and actions is not fine. Neither is it fine just because the president says so.

It’s about the Constitution and the Law. Let the system work. And let it be fully funded to work as efficiently as possible. For all of our sake!

March 31, 2017