Capitalist Outlier

Teaching Trump in the classroom is like trying to describe "chaos theory" to an English Professor.  I have been struggling for months trying to explain the radical, inhumane, undisciplined, and sometimes just moronic words and actions of our President, Donald J. Trump. Now I believe I have the key.

Trump came to politics from the business world -- but even there he is an "outlier." What is an outlier?  Someone who says and does shocking moves to scare and intimidate competitors and foes into thinking that such instability is normal, unpredictable, and likely to result in disaster at any moment.

As a "capitalist" Trump was not very good -- losing and winning vast sums of money on the basis of his own outrageous and often stupid gambles. The Taj Mahal project(s) in Atlantic City are a good example. Trump steps in at the last moment to "save a struggling" project -- in this case the proposed largest active gambling casino in the world. He takes over, adds to the project (with "signature branding Trump hotel(s)"), always using other peoples' capital -- and then fades out quickly when he discovers that once again, he has miscalculated. Lying and miscalculation (especially with other peoples' money) leads unfortunately to the protection of the bankruptcy laws -- and losses all around.

So as a businessman -- as a real estate developer -- that was the Trump motif. Now transfer that process to the world stage: relationships with countries, with industries larger than most countries, with leaders whose personalities are often as warped as Trump's -- and you find many chances for error -- and "bankruptcy" laws cannot protect anyone once the bombs are falling, once the stupid and harsh words have been said.

So Trump is a "loser" more often than not as a developer -- and equally a loser in human relationships (his family; comforting the families of fallen soldiers; his ridiculous hyper-patriotism via his worship of the flag/anthem/etc;) -- and we are stuck with him.

All we can reasonably do -- is "resist." 

Pro Forma

The title is a lovely Latin phrase -- which really indicates a lot of what goes on in college administrators' minds. We survive an assessment (say by SACS) and we instantly formulate a plan (usually involving everyone in the school who is willing) to answer, minimally; and improve, minimally, the state of the educational process at the school. Such is the case with the QEP at Savannah Technical College.

Reading the document I am stunned by the "low aims" of the instrument -- and the tremendous amount of energy that will be expended to complete it. It is yet another program to prove "we are worthy:  referring of course to Achieving the Dream, among others. The reason why technical colleges like ours languish in the ditches of advanced education -- is that nothing on a higher level is ever tried. A four-year campus that is purposeful and progressive, say a Georgia Tech, will describe a problem, formulate a plan (not for solving the problem simply), but getting to a larger solution that will be a platform for even greater growth in the future.

Why can't Savannah Tech be more like Georgia Tech? Weak minds -- NO; many faculty and some administrators are capable of big ideas. Too little money -- too often an excuse for small scale institutions like ours, and never a complete "raison d'etre". Then why? No will to be the best? Perhaps.
Only the will NOT to stand out? Probably.  I have great difficulty trying to fathom the quest for mediocrity.

Resist; everyone; continue to resist!

Trump ... a Hero in His own Mind

Trump's list of accomplishments (though nothing has actually been realized) grows and grows. His stature as a leader and President shrinks and shrinks. Why? Because he cannot really delegate -- he does not really watch what his "staff" is doing until they go too far (which is often) and upset too many people (also equally often).  What is the biggest offense?

The fact that he unilaterally stopped support of the Obama-era insurance support paybacks, and thereby threatened the health insurance of maybe 50 million Americans, to say nothing of the insurance exchanges and the insurance companies that participate. Yes, once again he has thrown an industry and a solution into chaos, and for no good reason. He says (lying, I might add) that these insurance payments only prop up the insurance companies profits and play no part in helping the insured. Is he crazy? Is he using once again, the "big lie" to bolster his position -- figuring no one will check his outrageous claims. There are so many outrageous fabrications to check in the Trump repertoire that checking them all may take a lifetime, or two. Or perhaps the historians "per" several years from now when this embarrassment of a President is out of office -- one way or another.

Don't fail us Moderate Republicans (the Kasich wing of the party); don't fail us Moderate Democrats (the Castro/Schumer wing of the party). We will continue to wait -- for your eventual success -- and we will --

Resist!!!

Because...

Because we are not at war yet with North Korea, because the blame for "tax relief," the ACA "fix," and numerous other policy changes have all been laid off on Congress, because the people of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, etc. have not all died -- some people think D. Trump is doing a "great job."
How stupid can people be? Stupid enough to elect a charlatan.

Keep on resisting. 

Not With a Bang, But an Impeachment

Paraphrasing T.S. Eliot here in the title -- hopefully it will not be a prescient title. Trump has done more to destabilize institutions both in America and the world -- than any other human being in the past 50 years. He is perhaps unstable himself, loose tongued, and mostly ignorant when he tries to speak with authority (or on Twitter) -- and he manages to defy logic, supersede emotion, and reflect the character of a failing human being.

We have already had enough Trump -- and most everyone bemoans the fact that, if he survives politically and otherwise, we have years left to put up with him. Using pressure "bargaining" on other elements of government (rather than trying to work with them) -- puts everyone at war with everyone else --- all for the good of no one except cheering and ignorant supporters of Donald J.

We are left with no government trying to handle real problems in critical times and situations. We are leaderless, heartless, and rudderless. The country moves forward only because it used to have direction -- and that force overcomes static inertia. There are better ways to live than in this kind of turmoil.

Which is why I, and millions of others, must continue to "resist."

The Search for Sanity

Apparently White House aides are increasingly worried about Donald J. Trump, as are all of us. Trump is not happy at having so much criticism thrown at him, so he is lashing out with increasing virulence hoping to "scare his enemies" (primarily the press, his constituents, and the rest of the world) into his "camp of adulation." Trump is so far off the norm as to approach levels of psychopathy not seen in a leader of a major country since Pal Pot or Adolph Hitler.

Those are no mean comparisons: Pal Pot caused the death of millions, as did Adolph Hitler. Understand the history of the countries (Cambodia and Germany) and you will understand the history of contemporary America. We have a President who is not only egomaniacal, but also incredibly dangerous for all of us. It is not enough for us to "disapprove" of him, or "worry about him or us." We must consider the alternatives and document evidence for the application of the 25th Amendment. It is time to start that process.

And continue to resist!!

Political War Games

The American "system" of government is in turmoil. Due to two rambunctious and out-of-control elements: our President, and the media that cover him -- are the two complicit causes. Of course, in the "age of Trump" it all really starts with Trump.

He is the one who "stirs the pot"  (i.e. all athletes who kneel during the National Anthem should be fired; "why can't we use all those 'nukes' we have"?, fake news from the networks is ruining America!)  The problem with the media is that they print all this stuff about Trump -- and I'm pretty sure the "news media" have sources (and double sources) for all of it. If, and a mighty big IF; if we could only ignore Trump for maybe a year or so, the world might creep away from the edge of nuclear war and fantasyland solutions back to "common sense" or what we used to call "civilization."

That is why we must continue to resist!