Roy Hjalseth, a FB friend who is an avid Trumpie. Like most Trumpies, enjoys the show … the parades, the posturing, the flag waving. Asked about achievements, Roy touts the military.
Elections have consequences.
The Trumpies shine with pride when there President wave a flag or celebrates their nation;s great white heritage. Meanwhile, we are losing, or have lost the battle for the 21st century, the battle for a 21st century of democracy in the traditions of Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King. Who has won? China.
Roy brags about how safe we are because of Trump’s spending on defense. He seems to think China is going to send a great WWII style army to invade the beaches of Santa Monica.
When I point out that Roy fears aa war that will never happen, I try to explain the futility of spending many times on war as China and Russia. Roy says that he knows there is some waste.
Trump’s budgetary excess is not about waste, it is about strategy. The job of the military and its monstrous budget is one small part of our geopolitical strategy.
While we build enough aircraft carriers to fill every sea and lake in the world, the oceans’ commerce is now carried in Chinese freighters. Which investment is better?
While we invest in coal, China and Russia have built ice breakers to control the now melting North Pole. How useful are aircraft carriers in escorting ships across the new northern oceans?
Back at coal, China now dominates toe world market for solar power. Meanwhile, Trump’s Saudi allies have risen the price of a barrel of oil to over $40. How valuable is Trump’s coal going to be in 20 years? Should Americans be paying taxes to the Saudis?
The there is the world’s greatest investment opportunity … Africa. All across the black continent, China’s companies, not its military, are building Chinese roads and railways. How much does Trumpism make America great in Africa?
Geopolitics is not just about the US having the best WWII style military. It is about alliances Trump has broken. It is about trade agreements, he has broken. It is about moral and ethical leadership R.. something no one thinks Trump has.
Trump’s only remaining competent adviser is the Secretary of Defense. Mattis is a great general but he is no replacement for an economist or an expert in world politics. Trump has lost are fired his economists and foreign policy experts. Even major businessmen can not work for The Don.