PERMISSION TO DESTROY

by Ruth A. Sheets

Following his inauguration, Donald Trump began the process of dismantling the Federal Government.  He did not ask the American people if we wanted this; he simply jumped right in.

How did he do it?  He nominated for each of the departments in the cabinet someone completely inappropriate for the position of secretary.  Because he is "Republican," and because the Senate is controlled by Republicans, and because winning is all to Republicans these days, the Senate confirmed every name that came to them.  A non-educator, public educating hater is now Secretary of Education.  A former surgeon is Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.  A man totally unable to acknowledge climate change heads the Environmental Protection Agency.  The Department of Defense is headed by a man who has said "I am polite, but I am prepared to kill everyone I meet."  He also got a waiver since a military person should not be in a civilian position until they have been out of the army for at least seven years.  The Secretary of State is a man whose previous experience is not with diplomacy and foreign relations, but with running an oil giant.  The Secretary of Transportation's claim to fame is that she is married to the man who runs the Senate (how convenient).

When one looks at the list, it is clear this is a deliberate plan to undermine the work of the Government.  If little by little the departments fail to provide the services needed by the American people, the people's dissatisfaction will grow and ta-da, the Republicans were right!  The Government is a mess and should be shrunk, even disappeared.  They will not know what should replace it, so that's where Mr. Trump and his cronies will come in.  They will have a plan alright, and it will not be pretty for anyone, but it will be too late to stop it.

It is easy to blame Mr. Trump for all of this, but let's face it, he's just not strong enough or smart enough to pull this off by himself.  He has had considerable help from his "advisors" who carry with them their own brand of hatred and distrust of anyone who is not white, male, rich, and nominally Christian.  These men believe in their own brilliance (they are rich after all).  And, they would be even more wealthy if those other people were not in the way.  Those people are taking the money we could be spending on more military stuff to prove how strong we are.  Of course they don't actually go and fight; that's for the "takers" who need to earn their place in America.

The Republicans in Congress and Mr. Trump's entourage either help to shape Mr. Trump's "Executive Orders," or they do nothing to stop them.  They have all benefited from the gerrymandering that has been storming state legislatures since the 2010 census, insuring that Republicans have little opposition.  Major efforts are underway to keep people, mostly minorities, from voting in a nation that claims to be a democracy. 

Congress could fix all of this with new laws requiring independent groups to draw district lines.  They could make automatic registration at age 18 mandatory for all Federal elections (as they have had men register for the draft).  Congress could stop the travel bans cold, knowing they are targeting Muslims, something that is un-American.  They could override any veto with their patriotic fervor. 

Why don't they do these things?  I suspect it is because these actions would make America more fair and they are afraid that if things were fairer, they might not be in the positions they currently hold.  When you are addicted to power, it is hard, perhaps impossible to imagine yourself without it.  Giving more people voice threatens those who would monopolize the conversation.

I know many people disapprove of any  comparison of this administration to that of 1930s Germany, but there are similarities that are hard to ignore.  Adolf Hitler did not have the ability to cause the destruction of Germany and the Holocaust by himself.  He needed and received an enormous amount of help from men who were even more lethal than he was.  He got the ball rolling and talked the talk.  They moved the process forward possibly beyond anything Hitler dreamed of. 

We at least have that example to learn from if we would.  Just because Mr. Trump says something does not mean anyone should act to support it.  Congress had no trouble opposing nearly everything President Obama recommended.  One can't help but wonder if Republicans even think of what is best for all Americans, even those who voted them into office.  Since actions speak louder than words, I would say "Not likely."  Republicans are giving Mr. Trump permission to do whatever he wants to do.  Maybe we humans really can't learn from history.