Trump and his Extended Family of Liars

How do you deal with shameless liars? With those who have embodied the capitalist ethic so completely–that is, that the only good, the only virtue, is self-interest–that they have become mockeries of civil beings. And of human beings.

Adam Smith took a basic sense of fairness, shame, and integrity for granted. Perhaps he missed that it was his own “economic man” that poisoned the social contract by its definition.

***
American history is already so thick with blood and corruption, with being the bully in the neighborhood, that we all have to ask whether or not the American Republic worth saving? I do know conscientious anarchists who answer that question “no,” that it is not their job to save late-stage corporate capitalism. And I know conscientious Buddhists who don’t believe it is their place to work for social change at all, in the political sphere.

And Lordy, they may be right. And as far as saving “the masses,” a lot of them have joined the reactionaries. We may have to accept defeat.

And tell sad stories of the restoration of kings.

The slave owners stacked the deck against democracy over two hundred years ago. Only men of wealth and property (= slaves) were given extra standing as a bulwark against the demos. When the property owners finally lost the presidency in 1860 they said “Oh, we only support elections when we win, our property is more important than the Constitution.” When Barack Obama was elected they announced that they would oppose every word he uttered, even if the words were their own.

So now they have their revenge. But let’s clarify a few things.

*They don’t believe in “states rights” unless it suits them—look at Jeff Sessions restarting the War on Drugs,

*They don’t believe in “original intent” in the Constitution either, unless it suits them—-look at “money is speech” and “corporations are people.”

*They don’t believe in “fiscal responsibility” either, except when they are out of power—which party has created the biggest deficits, and which party has brought them down?

What do they believe in? Tax cuts for the rich, consistently. They also are quite aware that without chains, shackles, and bull-whips, literal or economic, people won’t willingly work until they drop, which is what “master” wants them to do. They used to make up names for “theories” to defend their raiding of the public till, such as “trickle-down economics.” Now they don’t bother: they just tell lies.

Trump lies. Trump Jr. lies. Jared Kushner lies. Jeff Sessions lies. Mike Pence lies. This is not gut instinct: this is recorded history! Not one with the honor of a frog.

You could wash your hands of the current farce—it would be less headache. Besides, it’s up to the majority party to stop the debacle, and thus far they have shown no inclination to do so. So: pursue art, or money, or spirituality, or pleasure—all democracies fail, all republics fall.

Yeah. Or. Resist.