CONTACT CAROLINE
facebook
rss
tumblr
twitter
goodreads
youtube

  • Home
  • Write Away Blog
  • Books
    • Books
    • Trompe l’Oeil
    • Heart Land
    • Gothic Spring
    • Ballet Noir
    • Book Excerpts
  • Video Interviews
  • Press
    • News
    • Print Interviews
    • Plays
    • Ballet Noir in the Press
    • Trompe l’Oeil In The Press
    • Gothic Spring In The Press
    • Heart Land Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
  • Resources
    • Writer Resources
    • Favorite Blogs
    • Favorite Artists



The Willingness To Lose Oneself Can Lead To Insanity

Feb 21, 2020
by Caroline Miller
Brook Sutherlund, coronavirus, Donald Trump, Pizzagate, QAnon, Trump's rise in popularity
2 Comments

Courtesy of wikipedia.com

Here’s what I’d like to know: after the impeachment trial, why did Donald Trump’s favorability numbers rise in opinion polls? The uptick occurred not only among Republicans but also among independent voters. I find that last bit of information, worrying, and I’m not alone.  One woman on my Facebook page responded to the information with a single word, “Bull!.”

By now, most of us can recite the list of offenses that has dragged our 45th President into the courts. He could wallpaper the whole of Miralago with his indictments. Nonetheless, he continues down the same belligerent road, unabated.

Beyond his felonies, his records on climate change and health care are abysmal. The picture gets worse when we peek into his upcoming 2020 budget proposals, draconian measures that threaten the existence of the working class, the poor and anyone careless enough to be growing older. Even his handling of the national debt is so bad his fellow conservatives at the Cato Institute deem it a  dismal failure.

Someone might object that I am cherry-picking, selecting articles that put the president in a poor light.  For some, our economy looks great as writer Brook Sutherland admits.  (“Two Economies,” by Brook Sutherland, Bloomberg Businessweek, Feb. 10, 2020, pgs. 14-15.) But like presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren, he agrees it doesn’t work for everyone. Mostly, it works for the rich.

Here’s why we have two economies, says Sutherland. The industrial side of things is hurting, for various reasons. Trump’s war on China doesn’t help.  On the other hand, those companies dedicated to meeting consumer demands are thriving. 

If he’s right, the question to ponder is how long can the consumer continue to fuel our prosperity while the industrial economy languishes? And there are unknowns to ponder, like the coronavirus that has the potential to become pandemic.  Of course, there will be those who can turn a profit during a financial upheaval. We saw that in the housing crisis of 2007-09.  But if we hit another financial Typhoon, a majority of the population may reach out to their government for help only to find Trump has punched a hole through the safety net and has plans to do more.

So, why does our president remain popular? I haven’t a clue. Frankly, some of his followers are inscrutable to me:  White Supremacists, the Klu Klus Klan and people who are fond of conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and QAnon.  

To be honest, as the President’s performance continues to meet with applause, I’m coming round to the Cheshire Cat’s way of thinking.  “We’re all mad here.”

 

Social Share
2 Comments
  1. ALC February 21, 2020 at 10:33 am Reply
    The only thing that amazes me more than Trump’s behavior is the response of his followers. When they are interviewed, they say the most astounding things and don’t recognize that they are often contradicting themselves. I naively used to believe in the ultimate wisdom of the “people.” I hope I live long enough to see the country restored to sanity. Please hurry!
    • Caroline Miller February 21, 2020 at 11:23 am Reply
      I share your concern about speed. I'd hate to leave this planet so far worse than the way I came into it.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

Subscribe to Caroline’s Blog


 

Archives

Categories

YouTube-logo-inline2 To access and subscribe to my videos on YouTube, Click Here and click the Subscribe button.

Banner art “The Receptive” by Charlie White of Charlie White Studio

Web Admin: ThinPATH Systems, Inc
support@tp-sys.com

Subscribe to Caroline's Blog


 

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Sitemap | Privacy Notice

AUDIO & VIDEO VAULT

View archives of Caroline’s audio and videos interviews.


Copyright © Books by Caroline Miller
Posting....