Trump's State of the Uniom

-
Many are giving President Trump high marks for his state of the union address. It was both well organized and delivered. The question is whether a speech should be considered a great  oratory if it is full of "false promises". President Trump has been known to create facts on the spot to make a point or dodge an issue.

President Trump often uses the phrase "fake news" when talking about something in the media he does not like. The question is did President Trump fill his state of the union address with fake objectives and promises so his audience, the American people, will like it and him. We have all been around people who will do or say anything to be liked or to avoid a awkward situation. Based on his history we should not take what he says at face value.

Drug addicts will say or do anything to get there next fix. There is no question he delivered the speech well. Time will tell whether much of it was just fake rhetoric. In the long run he will be judged by his actions and results. When I was grown up a phrase often used in politics was "Guns and Butter". Trump is promising both. Per Wikipedia

"In macroeconomics, the guns versus butter model is an example of a simple production–possibility frontier. It demonstrates the relationship between a nation's investment in defense and civilian goods. In this example, a nation has to choose between two options when spending its finite resources."

Trump is promising a big build up in our military, a reduction in taxes, a heavy investment in infrastructure and other expenditures to "make America great again". All of us must ask where is the money going to come from.

Jerry Maguire heard it well!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

China And The Five Baits

-
Image
If you are under the age of 50 you should be concerned about China from an economic and global power standpoint. Some believe China is seeking peace with the rest of the world. Based on their long history, I am not convinced. For China long term is hundreds of years and for the United States it is the next election cycle. China's focus is always on the long term. Much of this post is drawn from a book,  On China , written by Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State under President Nixon and a research paper of the National Intelligence Council titled  Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds . Whether the future will prove China's desire for peaceful co-existence depends on whether its middle class will sufficiently benefit from economic growth and not allow their leadership to throw it away by creating enemies with trading partners.  This requires the country becoming more democratic and less inclined to be a threat to the remainder of the world.  The jury is still looking
Read More

Keep Freedom on The Internet!

-
Image
Net neutrality under attack:   Don't let Verizon and Google dictate the future of the Internet. Contact the FCC! This post reflects a comment received from Common Cause. It is time to stand up with them and keep the internet free . As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers how to write the rules to protect freedom and openness on the Internet,   who should they turn to: consumers like you and me, or the oligopolistic telecommunications companies?   Verizon and Google announced this week that they have it all figured out when it comes to net neutrality.* They unveiled a policy framework that would give telecom companies the right to speed up or slow down certain kinds of content, and to block outright  applications or content on wireless networks.
Read More

Save Some Art or Save Detroit

-
Image
  This is something I wrote back in 2014 while Detroit was struggling with a bankruptcy. I profess not to know the value of all the art held at the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA). Further, I do not know how much of the art is owned by the city of Detroit. I think we should find out and use it in the best way possible to save Detroit and its citizens. I  commend all the foundations and the state of Michigan who have stepped up with hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed contributions to save the DIA and the art work that it holds. Is the plan presented to the creditors concerning these donations and the leveraging of the art the best way to save Detroit and its citizens? Is saving the artwork more important than saving the city and its citizens? Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press made a valid point with his editorial titled “ Detroit’s Rebirth Must Include More Than Downtown, Midtown “. Detroit will not succeed  if it does not cultivate a middle class and we cannot wait de
Read More