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There is likely no silver lining to this election
Posted on: November 11, 2016 at 15:05:02 CT
SparkyStalcup MU
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A friend of mine wrote this. Not my words, but spot on.
Regarding the election, I don't understand the talk of a silver lining. Trump as President is unimaginably embarrassing, but Republican control of all three legislative bodies (Senate, House, White House) is where the real danger lies. Trump will be a paper leader, allowing more sinister forces (Ryan, Cruz, Gingrich, etc) to impose their will on the American people. It will take decades to undo the damage that will be done over the next few years, if it's even possible.
Among the actions we can look forward to are:
* Repeal of ACA (Obamacare) and privatization of Medicare. Tens of millions of people will be without health insurance and/or health care, including seniors who will now have inadequate access due to conversation and large loss of coverage. Some people will die. The US will not only continue to be the only first-world country without universal health care, it will worsen its position as providing low-quality service (around 33rd among western nations) at the highest cost (almost double second place Germnay). Benefits: health insurers, health care conglomerates.
* Deregulation of the banking industry (already underway). The global financial meltdown of 2008 was extremely lucrative for a few, and a disaster for millions around the world. Billionaire bankers and investors can expect another windfall. Benefits: bankers. Losers: everyone else.
* Environmental protections will be rolled back. The EPA will continue to be gutted and emasculated. Climate change science will be denied or ignored in favor of short-term profits. Fracking will be expanded, pipelines built. The poisoned water, earthquakes, and widespread death of flora/fauna will not affect oil executives. Benefits: oil industry, Koch brothers, Cheney.
* Continued privatization of for-profit prisons, which incentivizes locking up as many people as possible, mostly people who cannot affort proper representation. Benefits: prison executives, racists.
* Unions will be squeezed by management-friendly laws. Wages will stagnate. The minimum wage will remain below the poverty level or be eliminated. Benefits: corporate executives, the Walton family.
* Restrictions on sexual harassment, sexual assault, hate crimes, and various forms of discrimination will be relaxed or removed, some in the name of "religious freedom". Racism will become less punishable and more prevalent, as will LGBT discrimination. Benefits: conservative white men.
* Taxes for the upper end of income earners will be reduced. The estate tax and capital gains taxes will be reduced or eliminated. Benefits: the rich, super-rich, and ultra-rich.
* Gun control laws will be eliminated in favor of a "guns everywhere" approach. Annual gun deaths will continue to increase, as will mass shootings. It will continue to be illegal to research ways of reducing the carnage. Benefits: gun industry, gun owners who buy large guns because they have other large inadequacies.
* The social safety net will be greatly reduced. There will be many more homeless and mentally ill people struggling to survive. Many will die, but they won't die on the manicured lawns of stately white mansions. Food stamps and aid for children will dry up. Benefits: the rich and comfortable.
* Immigration will be greatly restricted. Instead of amnesty, a violent military approach will be used. There will be no wall, maybe just some high-publicity border strengthening. Benefits: no one.
* Our military will be deployed impulsively. We will claim ideological and humanitarian reasons for military intervention in areas where we have economic interests. Thousands of our own servicemen will die, and tens of thousands of foreign brown people will die. It will be horrendously expensive and pointless, and we will trumpet our great victory. Benefits: the military-industrial complex.
* America will continue to be an economic force, but it will become a cultural and moral laughingstock to the rest of the civilized world.
You can probably sense a theme in the list of people who will benefit from the hegemony of the new ruling elite. If you are a white man with a net worth of at least eight digits who doesn't give a flying **** about what happens to the rest of humanity, the election is for you a home run. So congrats on that. Those who have everything will have a bit more, and multitudes more will struggle to get from one day to the next. The saddest part is that a great number of those who will be hurt most in the coming years voted for Trump. The rock they thought they were throwing at the Establishment was a glass ball containing their future, and the real Establishment is looking down at the broken pieces and laughing its ass off.
Edited by SparkyStalcup at 15:05:46 on 11/11/16
Regarding the election, I don't understand the talk of a silver lining. Trump as President is unimaginably embarrassing, but Republican control of all three legislative bodies (Senate, House, White House) is where the real danger lies. Trump will be a paper leader, allowing more sinister forces (Ryan, Cruz, Gingrich, etc) to impose their will on the American people. It will take decades to undo the damage that will be done over the next few years, if it's even possible.
Among the actions we can look forward to are:
* Repeal of ACA (Obamacare) and privatization of Medicare. Tens of millions of people will be without health insurance and/or health care, including seniors who will now have inadequate access due to conversation and large loss of coverage. Some people will die. The US will not only continue to be the only first-world country without universal health care, it will worsen its position as providing low-quality service (around 33rd among western nations) at the highest cost (almost double second place Germnay). Benefits: health insurers, health care conglomerates.
* Deregulation of the banking industry (already underway). The global financial meltdown of 2008 was extremely lucrative for a few, and a disaster for millions around the world. Billionaire bankers and investors can expect another windfall. Benefits: bankers. Losers: everyone else.
* Environmental protections will be rolled back. The EPA will continue to be gutted and emasculated. Climate change science will be denied or ignored in favor of short-term profits. Fracking will be expanded, pipelines built. The poisoned water, earthquakes, and widespread death of flora/fauna will not affect oil executives. Benefits: oil industry, Koch brothers, Cheney.
* Continued privatization of for-profit prisons, which incentivizes locking up as many people as possible, mostly people who cannot affort proper representation. Benefits: prison executives, racists.
* Unions will be squeezed by management-friendly laws. Wages will stagnate. The minimum wage will remain below the poverty level or be eliminated. Benefits: corporate executives, the Walton family.
* Restrictions on sexual harassment, sexual assault, hate crimes, and various forms of discrimination will be relaxed or removed, some in the name of "religious freedom". Racism will become less punishable and more prevalent, as will LGBT discrimination. Benefits: conservative white men.
* Taxes for the upper end of income earners will be reduced. The estate tax and capital gains taxes will be reduced or eliminated. Benefits: the rich, super-rich, and ultra-rich.
* Gun control laws will be eliminated in favor of a "guns everywhere" approach. Annual gun deaths will continue to increase, as will mass shootings. It will continue to be illegal to research ways of reducing the carnage. Benefits: gun industry, gun owners who buy large guns because they have other large inadequacies.
* The social safety net will be greatly reduced. There will be many more homeless and mentally ill people struggling to survive. Many will die, but they won't die on the manicured lawns of stately white mansions. Food stamps and aid for children will dry up. Benefits: the rich and comfortable.
* Immigration will be greatly restricted. Instead of amnesty, a violent military approach will be used. There will be no wall, maybe just some high-publicity border strengthening. Benefits: no one.
* Our military will be deployed impulsively. We will claim ideological and humanitarian reasons for military intervention in areas where we have economic interests. Thousands of our own servicemen will die, and tens of thousands of foreign brown people will die. It will be horrendously expensive and pointless, and we will trumpet our great victory. Benefits: the military-industrial complex.
* America will continue to be an economic force, but it will become a cultural and moral laughingstock to the rest of the civilized world.
You can probably sense a theme in the list of people who will benefit from the hegemony of the new ruling elite. If you are a white man with a net worth of at least eight digits who doesn't give a flying **** about what happens to the rest of humanity, the election is for you a home run. So congrats on that. Those who have everything will have a bit more, and multitudes more will struggle to get from one day to the next. The saddest part is that a great number of those who will be hurt most in the coming years voted for Trump. The rock they thought they were throwing at the Establishment was a glass ball containing their future, and the real Establishment is looking down at the broken pieces and laughing its ass off.
Edited by SparkyStalcup at 15:05:46 on 11/11/16
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There is likely no silver lining to this election - SparkyStalcup MU - 11/11 15:05:02
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