What Trump Has Brought

I know that the great majority of my neighbors here in McLennan county voted for Donald Trump,  and for the other candidates of the Republican party that he dominates utterly,  in all the federal and state races.  I must wonder if you actually like what you have been getting.  I’m pretty sure it is not what you thought you were voting for.

The Economy

He promised you lower prices and prosperity.  What he has done with his tariffs inducing trade wars,  is to push what was a good economy to the brink of recession,  and start high inflation,  in less than 80 days.  This from the “expert businessman” who actually has 6 bankruptcies of record.  Look it up yourself!

The first symptom is the recent huge drop in the stock market.  Wall Street is not the economy,  but it is an early indicator,  as are the recent job losses and layoffs (besides the fired government workers,  which also makes job hunting more difficult for you).  The actual effect on the full economy lags by months.  The sharp rises in prices for just about everything due to tariffs will happen much faster,  but will persist well into the coming recession,  because of the supply disruptions the trade wars also cause.

You did notice the drops in your 401(k) accounts and investment portfolios,  did you not?  That’s just the beginning of this! 

Border Security

Trump promised both a closed border and mass deportations,  and he has begun doing exactly that.  But how he is going about this,  is the problem!  Adding more wall doesn’t help,  because all you need to get over a wall is a taller ladder.  You fix the immigration system instead,  which is a job Congress has failed to do,  since not long after the end of World War 2. 

It is the mass deportations without any due process that are the big problem!  Mass deportations of anyone not white,  regardless of whether they are legally here or not (or even a bona fide citizen)!  That is entirely illegal!  Not to mention unethical and totally immoral!

This is based on the demonstrably-false belief (and propaganda) that all immigrants are evil.  Trump’s minions that are in charge of ICE and the related agencies,  are betting that you will let them get away with these crimes,  because too many of you believed the propaganda lie about immigrants,  and so don’t care what happens to the deported. 

They are even defying court orders to return some of those they deported in error,  rather than trying to correct those wrongs.  “Commit any evil not to admit being wrong” seems to be the order of the day.

Social Safety Nets

Trump and the Republicans promised they would cut government (which they are doing),  but also that they would not damage your Social Security or Medicare.  Given the disparities between promise and action described above,  there is absolutely no reason to think your Social Security and Medicare are safe! 

They are in fact the largest portion of the budget:  the biggest,  fattest target!  The government workers who run them are already being fired.  So,  what do you think the ultimate result will really be?  It will start with the chaos of payments erratically not made to you,  or on your behalf!  Then it will get worse!

Operation of Your Federal Government

Trump and his minions (especially Musk) have been firing government workers at the FAA during a spate of airline crashes and near-misses.   They have been firing government workers at the IRS during tax season.   Just how does that serve you? 

Trump put a vaccine denier in charge of Health and Human Services when we are threatened with two possible pandemics (bird flu and measles),  and he and Trump have been firing heads of agencies that see to the safety of your foods and drugs. 

Funding has been cut for all kinds of medical and other scientific research.  That last includes criminal extortion:  universities are being forced to implement Trump-desired policies (many based on propaganda lies,  not fact),  or else lose their research funding.

This extends to pressuring the mainstream media outlets to say only positive things about him,  lest they get taken to court,  or in the case of PBS and NPR,  lose their federal funding.

Trump and his minions control the Executive Branch,  and they also control the Legislative Branch of your government because they utterly dominate the majority party in both houses of Congress.  They have demonstrable friends on the Supreme Court,  and several minions appointed to federal judgeships that will do their bidding instead of properly following the law.  The courts that still oppose them are now being openly defied. 

If you remember your civics classes,  consolidating all federal power into the Executive branch would be the very definition of dictatorship!  Now do you understand the “ways” that Trump spoke of vaguely,  in order to stay in office for an illegal third term (or more)?

You are about to lose your democracy!

Foreign Policy and Our Allies

Trump and his minions have already angered our NATO allies by apparently switching sides in the Ukraine-Russia war.  He so very clearly wants to give Putin a victory there,  when the Ukraine was actually NATO’s proxy army against Putin’s ambitions of European conquest.

Trump’s tariffs and trade wars only make that anger worse.  Our allies around the world,  not just NATO,  now consider us an unreliable ally at best,  and likely not an ally at all.  Damaging our alliances when we face four threatening adversaries (Russia,  China,  North Korea,  and Iran),  three of which are nuclear armed,  is doing our adversaries jobs for them. 

Doing your enemy’s work for him is very clearly “providing aid and comfort” to that enemy.  That is one of only two definitions of treason written into our Constitution.  Go read it for yourself!  It’s written in plain English,  not legalese.  You need no lawyer or judge to interpret it for you.

Treason is most certainly impeachable,  and it lies far outside any “Presidential immunity” intended by a Trump-friendly Supreme Court.

Protests

Here in the last few days,  there have been mass protests around the country against the policies of Trump and his minions.  There has even been a protest right here in Waco,  Texas!  Given the magnitude and severity of the problems described above,  why is that surprising?  Especially since Trump’s majority in the popular vote was quite slim nationally?  I hope these protests continue and grow,  despite the attempts to shackle the mainstream news media. 

Recommendations

I have two:  (1) join the protests if they continue (and I think they will),  and (2) contact your federal Senators and your House Representative. 

If you do contact them,  point out the ongoing crimes,  and demand they take action against them,  lest they be complicit in them. 

I already have.  3 times now,  without any observable effect so far.  So,  I will continue.

Update 4-8-2025:  A slightly-edited version of this article ran as a board of contributors opinion piece in the Waco Tribune-Herald today.