#77- Collusion In The Highest Levels Of The US Government

Sorry to disappoint you friends, but I am not talking about the possible collusion of members of the Trump Campaign with Russian backed entities to tilt the election away from the Hillary Clinton.  In all my posts, I have never once addressed this because, at this point in time anyway, collusion with Russia has not been proven, and because, simply because,  there is more than enough incompetence within the Trump administration to keep me busy for a lifetime,

No, the collusion of which I speak is so blatant, so disingenuous, so corrupt, so absolutely mind boggling, and blanketed in hubris that it leads me to believe that our country has truly lost its way, that we are incapable of being responsible for acts of true good in the world, because we are simply incapable of being responsible to ourselves. 

No, the collusion of which I speak is openly and coarsely perpetuated by every single Republican member of Congress who is in the process of voting for this upcoming give-away to corporate America and the top 1% of the country.

A paragraph from the Washington Post on Monday morning, discussing the upcoming vote  on proposed Republican tax “reform” sums it all up

“The plan schedules many of these individual-side tax cuts to expire in eight years, though Republicans say they expect a future Congress to extend these cuts and, as such, should be considered permanent.”

REPUBLICANS SAY THEY EXPECT A FUTURE CONGRESS TO EXTEND THESE  CUTS, AND, AS SUCH, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PERMANENT

What?

Excuse me, but what kind of crystal ball are Republicans using to predict that the economics of 2024 will permit that Congress to extend the cuts?

Excuse me, but what kind of crystal ball are Republicans using to prove that the $1.5 trillion tax cut and deficit builder which grotesquely favors corporations and the wealthy will trickle down to the LONG TERM benefit of those most in need?

Excuse me, but what happens if things aren’t hunky dory eight years from now?  It’s a distinct possibility you know.  Sh*t happens.  You don’t have to go back too far in our history to remember that.  It was less than ten years ago on September 15, 2018 that Lehman Bros. failed and many economists and financial types were whispering the “D” word, for fear that if it was spoken aloud, it might just come to pass…..

And that crisis was of our own making.  It was not caused by external forces such as authoritarian dictators in the Middle East or the latest manifestation of your basic head chopping terrorists or a little Rocket Man in North Korea. 

We did it to ourselves.

Despite the fact that the 1980’s were a time which proved real estate values can decline precipitously, just two decades later, we permitted the sub-prime industry, which was predicated on real life estate values never declining, to grow and prosper, and it nearly took us down. 

We were in control of our own destiny and we couldn’t control it.  

With this in mind, how in heaven’s name are we to put our faith in a future Congress when we have no faith in the current one ?

And even if we can get past our own collective incompetencies, how can we be sure that external developments will permit us to provide more tax cuts seven years from now ?

Republicans in Congress, let by Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, can’t legally make the individual cuts permanent today, so they have colluded to subvert the rules of the reconciliation process, which were written to prevent stupid politicians from doing stupid things. 

They have colluded together openly, willingly, abusively, all to placate the selfish desires of their real base, large corporations and the ultra wealthy, and they colluded with President Donald J. Trump to ride the back of the so-called populist movement he created which attracted lower and middle class, less educated, working Americans, and then chose ...to turn their backs on them.  

Betrayed, in the blink of an eye.  

If that is not collusion in the highest levels of the US government, I don’t know what is.