America Faced the Perfect Storm, and the Outcome Has Been Horrific

As the meme here suggests, liberty is being eaten alive by ignorance and fear.  But how did this happen in a land that, until recently, was productive, relatively lawful, and deeply respected on the world stage?

Until very recently, there were no White Nationalist riots, e.g., Charlottesville.  There were no MAGA insurrections with policemen beaten and killed, while human feces was smeared on the Capitol walls.  Federal troops were not being ordered to attack American citizens in our largest cities whom the U.S. president had deemed to be “the enemies within.”

My observations:

Economics – Although the country has experienced a long and steady growth in annual GDP/capita, almost all of the new wealth coming into the US since 1980 has gone to the top 1%.  Wages for the common American have stagnated for nearly half a century, eventually causing deep levels of frustration among working class whites.

Education – Standards have fallen badly, as budgets have been ruthlessly cut.

The Politics of Demagoguery – Donald Trump, a man of the lowest conceivable character, entered the political scene, to the instant adoration of the angry and poorly educated.

The Media Cashes In – Early on in Trump’s career in politics, the President of CBS said, “OK, it’s clear that Trump’s terrible for our nation, but he’s fantastic for CBS.”  Not a lot more need be said.  If it makes money for rich people, nothing else matters.

Congress Shares the Same Motivation – One wonders who anyone of any self-respect could stand behind the criminal sociopath we find in the White House.  The obvious answer, of course is that “self-respect” is a distant second priority, perhaps eighth or ninth, behind the wealth and prestige that comes with serving on Capitol Hill.

Still, it seems strange that until very recently that anything remotely like this could have happened.  How likely would it have been to have an insurrection on the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn an election loss, at the encouragement of any previous U.S. president?

We met the perfect storm, and we failed so miserably to meet the challenge, that turning this around will be quite a feat.