Trump’s America – Episode #9 – Donald Trump’s ‘Magic’ Act

Where’s The Rabbit?

By Arthur Piccolo

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Mar. 17, 2017: WARNING … it is too early to make a final judgment but….

The Trump Presidency sure seems to be falling apart already.

NO, not because of the nonsense from Schumer, Pelosi and others about their Russian “Manchurian candidate” fantasies, but because of everything else …

One clear sign – very few if any recent tweets from Donald Trump!

All his promises are turning to dust. Beginning with health care!

Yes, indeed Obamacare is certainly not the solution to America’s over priced health care mess. It was a cynical effort to give the impression it would be. Criticizing it makes sense but coming up with something else to replace it is another story as we are learning, and most of all, as Trump is learning.

Let’s go back to the core issue – Trump’s success in being elected President was the Democrats FAILURE in nominating Hillary Clinton. NO Hillary Clinton, NO President Donald Trump – and for a logical reason he was and is selling smoke and mirrors.

EMPTY promises he cannot deliver.

In the first weeks of Trump’s Presidency, before he had to do anything, the same old rhetoric still seemed to be working, even if not on whacky Schumer & Pelosi chasing after Russian ghosts but now …

NOW it’s a different story that Trump has to produce his “miracles” ,.. making the world better for ALL Americans now that he is President =!

First up health care, and his budget and immigration. FAILURE on all three fronts if we are discussing ALL Americans – not just the RICH like him. What we are getting is a crazy quilt of nothing worthwhile?

And ……

The irreconcilable differences within the Republican Party he can never fix. The Republican “leaders” are indeed the Party of the Rich, even more than the Democratic “leaders,” and Donald Trump one of the Rich himself, wants to please his own and the rest of us too.

CANNOT DO Donald!

So how exactly is Donald Trump going to provide affordable health care insurance for all Americans, increasing benefits while reducing cost of medical care, and doing nothing to go after the highly profitable over pricing medical and drug industries (just as Obama did not) and giving the best benefits of all to the rich?

And with the very powerful Right Wing of the Republican Party only wanting to eliminate Obamacare and do NOTHING more just that? And watch all the poor and lower middle class Americans who flocked to Donald Trump are left with no medical insurance at all?

CANNOT DO Donald!

Of course Trump could propose the ONLY realistic solution to health care for ALL Americans – universal single paper health care. But of course he never ever would do that. So instead, Trump is left with a major FAILURE in the early part of his Presidency – no way to produce the wonderful replacement to Obamacare – his #1 pledge.

And get this, so far anyway, Trump is NOT supporting allowing the government to negotiate pricing with drug companies even though the government spends hundreds of billions of dollars each year paying for drugs for Americans receiving Medicare or Medicaid nor does he support allowing Americans to buy drugs they need in Canada or elsewhere from approved pharmacies that charge far less outside the United States.

At “best” (sic), and very unlikely, he and Paul Ryan will ram through some version of the current Republican “plan” which will only prove Trump FAILED to deliver on his health care plan for all Americans, not even for all the un-rich Republicans who put him in The White House.

What a mess!!

Now let’s briefly turn to President Trump’s first Federal budget. Another mess! All he does is throw a lot more money at the military because that always sounds good – “rebuilding the military.” America already has far and away the largest military budget on Earth …..

But worse to pay for this reckless new military spending, what he does is cut other agencies wildly. Let me bring in media partner New York Times here. Their front page on Thursday with this headline … “Pentagon Grows, While E.P.A. and State Dept. Shrink in Trump’s Budget” which begins …

“President Trump will send a budget to Congress on Thursday that sharply reorders the nation’s priorities by spending billions of dollars on defending the southern border and bolstering the Pentagon while severely cutting funds for foreign aid, poverty programs and the environment.”

Again .. “severely cutting funds for foreign aid, poverty programs and the environment.”

If Trump thinks this in America’s interest he may be fooling himself but he is not fooling most Americans.

Let’s get more specific in The Times article …

“The budget would cut the Environmental Protection Agency 31 %, the State Department 28 % and Health and Human Services by 17.9 %. Funding to several smaller government agencies that have long been targets of conservatives — like the Legal Services Corporation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts — would be axed entirely.

Again completely eliminated …. “Legal Services Corporation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.” Legal Services Corporation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.”

There is much more …

“Mr. Trump would also cut funding to the United Nations for its climate change efforts, and curb contributions to its peacekeeping efforts. Contributions to the World Bank would be cut by $650 million.”

“The brunt of the cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services would be at the National Institutes of Health, the country’s medical research hub. The $403 million currently used for training nurses and other medical professionals would also be eliminated.”

“Mr. Trump’s team also proposed a wide array of cuts to public education, Amtrak and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including eliminating the $3 billion Community Development Block Grant program, which funds popular programs like Meals on Wheels, housing assistance and other community assistance efforts.”

There is so much more but let me just add the PUNCH line … “Much of the money saved by these cuts would go to national security programs.”

What a great way to “defend” America – bloating the military budget by SAVAGING so may programs Americans depend on and need.

Finally in this episode – immigration and the Trump WALL ..of course there is money in the budget for the WALL of shame  …. “The White House is expected to make a supplemental request of $1.5 billion on Thursday to get work started on the WALL this year.”

The full cost will be many, many times more meaning even more cuts from necessary worthwhile programs.

So while this is only the first of many “reports cards “ Trump will receive in Trump’s America and it is possible he will wake up and realizes what he is doing to most Americans while making Rich Americans even richer ….

Trump’s first report card is a very clear ‘F’ … for FAILURE!

EDITOR’S NOTE: About The Writer: Arthur Piccolo is a professional writer and commentator and often writes about Latin America for New Americas.