Trump - the Ultimate Crony Capitalist

Cruz is Close-But Wrong on Trump

Cruz made a good point on Wednesday, saying that if voters are angry about a corrupt Washington, that Donald Trump is not their man; emphasizing that Trump has been a part of the Washington establishment for 40 years.

Trump answered saying that he was businessman, that he was "friends" with politicians, that he "owed" it to his company and his family to donate to politicians of both parties.   In other words, when he was donating to politicians, he was a lobbyist for his company.  In other words, when he was donating to politicians, he expected something in return, a political favor of some sort.  In Trump is the personification of the marriage of crooked government and crony capitalism.

It is the Trumps of the world that have bribed our politicians away from the people.  Who with their large donations convince congressman and senators to vote against their conscience and against the will of the people so that they can be elected under the guise that with the "donor's" money, they will be re-elected.

Trump acts like he loathes the "donor class" and the "lobbyists" to cover the fact that he was the ultimate "donor-robber" who with his money could get politicians to pay more attention to him than their constituents.

Contrast this to how the rest of us donate money to candidates.  Before any candidacy had been declared, I donated to Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz.  As Rand and Ted declared their candidacy I donated to both their campaigns.  I did so, in all cases knowing that the sums I was donating were not enough to make any campaign remember me, or for any candidate to seek me out the next time he came to my city.  I donated because I believed in what those candidates stood for, and lacking other means of promoting those candidates or their principles, gave some of my sweat and effort to their campaigns, trusting that they would use those funds to get reelected and continue to push for the policies that they believed in.

I did not expect a kick back.  I did not expect extra consideration with my bank loan, or with my offer on a house, or extra help while interviewing for a job.  I voted with my of unit energy we call money, encouraging those principles that that these senators were putting their necks out for.

Trump on the hand buys friends.  He is a briber.  He expects special treatment.  Like in George Orwell's animal farm, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".  With his monetary strings he seeks to influence (read control, Trump fashion) the actions of politicians of both parties like puppets on his own world stage, where Trump is the writer, director and producer.

During the debate Cruz seemed to dismiss the "corrupt" motive of this type of crony capitalism from Trump's donation history.  He implied that Trump donated to democratic candidates because he actually believed in the same actions that those democratic candidates espoused: Obamacare, gun control, abortion, etc.  While there may be some substance to Cruz's argument, he misses the glaring point staring all of America in the face.  TRUMP is a LOBBYIST.  The king pen of them all, so much so, that it doesn't matter what a politician's actual positions are.  Trump could not care less.  All he cares for is to tie as many politicians to his own personal control as possible with the strings of his wealth. He wants to be the puppet master.  He wants to surpass the laws, rights, and due process that 'common', 'ordinary' citizens of states and districts live with in a free and fair society.  Trump simply wants to win, on his terms, which means being "more equal" then everybody else.

Yes, Trump is playing to the fantasies of voters.  And like the politicians he supported, he doesn't care what voters actually think.  He is actor, he only cares enough to know what what the people want to hear.  He just cares that they like him, long enough, to do whats he wants them to do.  He will abandon them and abuse them just as soon as doing so seems what is best for Trump. He is the ultimate forked tongue politician.

The real Trump came out on Wednesday.  "I owed it to my company".  He didn't donate because he thought a politician he was donating to would be good for the country.  He would probably laugh at the thought of donating for such a reason. Laugh at the thought of any sense of civic duty in the political process. He donates for kick-backs.  He donates for special treatment.  He donates so that government can pick him the winner above the common, ordinary man.  He donates in order to corrupt politicians, to take their view away from the people, and rather focus on him, the ultimate donor, the ultimate crony capitalist, and if we will, a crooked president as well. 

"That which you gaze upon, you will become."

Glenn emphasized a point in his 12/12/14 program that I think is worth some discussion.  "That which you gaze upon, you will become" (12:40).  This has been a recurring theme that Glenn has discussed.  He included it in his show on 23 Oct 2014, and CNN has posted transcript of Glenn using this quote as early as 19 Dec 2006.

While Glenn remarks that he thinks the quote is "Eastern" at one time, or "Hindu" etc, the closest I can find is a similar quote by Nietzsche.

I'm not currently the biggest fan of Nietzsche.  He didn't have very nice things to say about Kant or Jon Stuart Mill, both of whom I respect, so I am going to ignore the possible original source as Nietzsche and look at the idea from Glenn's perspective, rather than whatever Nietzsche's perspective or intent was with his similar statement.

On the 23 October show Glenn held up his scriptures where evidently he had written the quote at the front  "because this is true".  This statement - that which you gaze upon, you will become - follows the line of thinking also in the Proverbs "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7); and from Jesus who taught "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, they whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, they body also is full of darkness." (Luke 11:34).  

This principle is both sweet and scary.  Sweet in the sense, that with willful effort, we can actually influence our own soul into becoming who we want to become.  By exercising our abilities in shaping our environment, and being assertive in choosing and allowing only those things that will encourage and uplift us to live or think at a higher or more enlightened plane, we can "become" more enlightened and encouraging ourselves.  

I suppose that perhaps that is why putting the statement in front of a set of scriptures could be an especially poignant reminder.  As the reader opens and prepares to read from a source of God given truth, he is reminded that by daily 'gazing' upon these pages of truth, the reader might also be filled, even 'become' truth in way.  

The 'scary' side, is that the opposite influence also holds true.  As Jesus taught "when thy eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness".  

My thoughts turn to an image of children watching television, movies, commercials, video games, and YouTube videos of every sort and variety.  How many of these have elements of evil in them?  How many may even be predominantly evil? 

I also think of those individuals exposing themselves to pornography, pictorial or literary, handing over control of their emotions as surely as cocaine addicts hand over their happiness to cocaine.  What becomes of them?

I think what we view and the effect it has on us can be perfectly described by the "parable of the pickel". When a cucumber is put in vinegar, it does not turn into a pickle immediately, but over the course of time, by constant exposure to the vinegar, the cumber changes.  If we want to become better people, we must make an effort to surround ourselves with the influences and images that will uplift us to that higher plane and avoid those images that could 'dry out' the benefit of those good exposures.  

During the show Glenn said "Unfortunately there are not a lot of options left to gaze upon that will leave you better than you were yesterday"(12:45).  

The counter-point (and the good news): There is.  

The availability of good and uplifting books, movies, videos, not to mention music and every other form of media are unlike any period in the history of the world.  It is easier to fill our lives with light than ever before.  Not only has the printing press, electricity, and manufacturing etc made books and printing inexpensive, our digital media has made that availability exponential.  Ultimately, it is a choice that is ever within our grasp.  

Perhaps Glenn's point was that among the major T.V. and cable networks, there is not much choice.  If that is the case, which it is, then we have to look beyond T.V. and cable for where we 'gaze'.  Maybe that is why I have a subscription to the Blaze.  

And it begins....

After my trepidatious foray into the world of blogging, I feel like my sled has quickly taken speed and I'm making a lot of ground and quickly.  I am now through six episodes of the Glenn Beck Program.  My endeavor has expanded not to only catlogue books he has recommended, but also guests on the program, movies mentioned or recommended and sponsors.  Why?  Firstly because I used to take notes on these things anyway... yes, even the sponsor's websites.  But I think the crux of the matter is to make more available the opportunity to "do your own homework" as Glenn has often said.  Such an admonition seems to presuppose that effort would be made to go back and do research on the topics presented.  This is my way of actually being able to do that.  Now I have a list that I can go back to, in particular the list of books, to read and study.

This is an enjoyable process in an of itself, but what makes it 1,000 times more exciting is the hope that someone at sometime in the future with a similar interest of study or further review might be aided by this information.

I am pleased to announce that the lists are now easily reached by clicking the links to the side of the blog.  This has allowed me to continue making new posts to this page rather than just keeping the links at the top and most recent blog post.

As the oldest episode I can access on the Blaze TV right now is from 1 Oct 2014, I feel some urgency to make up ground quickly before more episodes are taken off-line before I can get to them.
I'm surprised how rewarding an experience this is.  Already the plans for other blogs I had once mused about now seem in reach and possible.  I can feel the anticipation growing to begin work on them too.

First post made to the list of Glenn Beck recommended books!

Well, I've finally done it, I took the critical first step to starting on the list of recommended books from Glenn Beck.  In physics the act of transitioning from complete rest to motion is enormously significant, no matter how fast or slow the ensuing motion.  I'm not sure the velocity I have started with is especially fast, but at least we are moving.  Also, I've already had over a hundred views since my last post. WOW!

Entries will be made and updated here:
http://inksplotgazette.blogspot.kr/p/books-recommended-by-glenn-beck.html

Concise Alphabetical Listing:
http://inksplotgazette.blogspot.kr/p/alphabetical-listing-of.html

Concise Listing by Author:
http://inksplotgazette.blogspot.kr/p/blog-page.html

Extra books in advertising spots:
http://inksplotgazette.blogspot.kr/p/extra-books.html

Sponsor Websites (not all inclusive):
http://inksplotgazette.blogspot.kr/p/sponsor-websites-not-all-inclusive.html

Guests:
http://inksplotgazette.blogspot.kr/p/guests-on-glenn-beck-program.html

Movies Recommended or Advertised on the Glenn Beck Program:
http://inksplotgazette.blogspot.kr/p/movies-of-glenn-beck-program.html

Purpose of this Blog

Well,
I haven't a clue how to do a blog, I imagine this particular post should be in the "about me" section, but since I haven't found how I am supposed to update the "about me" section I'll write this here.

I'm a big fan of Glenn Beck.  However, one of the problems I have had is finding the books he has recommended on his show.  A couple of months after watching an episode I'll see something on the news, or something will trigger a thought and I'll suddenly want very badly to read a book that Glenn was talking about on his show two or three months past.  So how does one try to find a book that Glenn has talked about?

The first step starts with looking on "The Blaze" website for the book.  This usually ends in frustration as their 'Book' section is poorly designed.  It is nearly impossible to actually find anything because their index is by article, or by the latest group of books that they are advertising.  If you want to actually find something besides the last five books they have decided to advertise on the site it is pretty much impossible.

The next step includes the laborious task of finding the episode where Glenn discussed the book, watching it again, and then using that information to find the book on Amazon.  The method has actually proven more fruitful then checking "The Blaze", but it still has only worked once or twice for me.  It relies heavily upon remembering with a high degree of accuracy the week or month that the book was discussed on his show.  If you are not lucky enough to remember the month, it takes hours and hours to find the right episode, frustration mounting with every click.

So, after multiple requests to Glenn Beck's worldwide apparatus to have a list of books I could refer to without getting the results I need, I've decided to fill the void myself.  Yup.  I am going to begin the gargantuan task of reviewing EVERY episode of the Glenn Beck program on "The Blaze TV". I'll record the title, author, brief synopsis, and method to purchase every book that has every been recommended on the the program.

If you would like to help with me this task, please send me an email with the title of a book, episode/air date Glenn recommended it, along with the author and brief synopsis as well.

Cheers!

An Open Letter on the Cost of Military Commitments Abroad

An Open Letter Summer 2010

ON

THE COST OF COMMITMENTS ABROAD

1. The United States has more than 662 overseas bases costing the United States 41 billion dollars a year (Ahn & Hong). In addition, it is running three contingency operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. These and other contingency operations cost an additional 118 billion per year according to the Department of Defense (DOD) 2012 Budget Proposal. The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) states that these commitments are made in in order to protect United States interests (iii). While U.S. interests are promoted by these commitments, there are three areas were these commitments may be damaging to the United States. First, cost of overseas commitment is competing with resources at home for military sustainment and advancement. Second, extreme spreading of military resources renders the nation vulnerable to calculated attack. Third, commitments abroad contribute to severe debt, which result in more expense for the military and possibly creates national and world instability.

2. The QDR states “as a global power, the strength and influence of the United States are deeply intertwined with the fate of the broader international system—a system of alliances, partnerships, and multinational institutions that our country has helped build and sustain for more than sixty years. The US military must therefore be prepared to support broad national goals of promoting stability in key regions, providing assistance to nations in need, and promoting the common good” (QDR iii). Actions taken in accordance with this vision have resulted in success. The US military has removed or defeated significant enemies worldwide including Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi. In addition, United States presence in Korea, Japan and Europe have contributed to stability in those regions for decades. There are however, unintended consequences.

3. In 2012 a full 23.4% of the entire 671 billion dollar military budget will be spent on maintaining bases outside the US or in overseas contingency operations (DOD 8). With projected military budget cuts of 350 billion in the next 12 years, this percentage will likely grow. In an era of aging air frames, aging ICBM structure, and new environments requiring changing expertise and technologies, there is a lot competing for limited military funds. The 2012 DOD budget only allocates 113 billion for procurement of equipment and 75 billion for research (DOD 2). Directing 23% of the military budget to operations outside the US effectively reduces the money available for procurement and research by about one half. This loss of attention has taken its toll as Navy and Air Force forces have shrunk, and the Army is using rundown, overworked vehicles and equipment (Youssef).

4. The thinning of our military resources renders the US more vulnerable to attack from two angles. First, military responsibilities in the US are left to be managed by fewer personnel because so many personnel are directed to overseas locations. This creates situations that encourage sloppy habits to ‘save time’. This type of environment promotes mistakes such as what occurred in 2007; nuclear weapons were misplaced and flown between bases without anyone knowing about it (The Defense Science Board Permanent Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Surety 5). Mistakes like this can be costly and dangerous, and are the result of straining a military force beyond its designed capabilities for long periods of time. Troops “wind up with older equipment…receiving less training” (Youssef). Second, should a calculated attack occur against the US, 350,000 of the 1.5 million US military personnel (and much of the US war making capability) would be deployed abroad (Thompson). The extra time it would take to bring these resources to an urgent area of conflict provides a significant advantage to would be enemies.

5. The high cost of the military, made so primarily by commitments abroad may no longer be sustainable without significant impact on the financial health of the United States. United States debt has increased by nearly 50% since September 2008, from 10 trillion to 14.6 trillion (US Treasury Department, USdebtclock.org). The total spent in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last ten years is 1.2 trillion (Daggett 2). As the national debt has increased at record rates in recent years the Federal Reserve has printed significantly more money in measures called “quantitative easing” (Censky). This has caused a parallel rise in fuel prices (a significant issue for the military) and a rise in the cost of replacing equipment in American dollars. One expert likened the change in purchasing power of the military to that of replacing a Lamborghini with a Volkswagen (Youseff). High inflation will not only mean more expense for the military to acquire goods and services in the world market, but may also decrease the standard of living in the US. The instability that comes with enormous debt problems, and significant rises in fuel and food prices, may contribute to national instability, similar to the unrest recently seen in the UK, Greece, Spain, Egypt, and Syria. Perhaps it is for these reasons that former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, called the national debt the biggest threat to U.S. national security (Youseff).

6. While U.S. presence abroad has largely accomplished the overt military objectives for which it was originally employed, the sum of these commitments has created a burden which acts opposite to US interests. Military spending abroad significantly limits money available for procurement and advancement of weaponry, renders our military more vulnerable to aging equipment, enemy attack, and human error, and contributes heavily to the current national debt --our biggest threat to US national security. Military presence abroad has served US interests in the past; however, the nation is no longer in a position to support such a burden. Continuing presence abroad may ultimately damage US interests in the future, until the nation can once again afford the cost.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ahn, Christine and Sukjong Hong. “Bring War Dollars Home by Closing Down Bases” Foreign Policy in Focus, March 31, 2011. http://www.fpif.org/articles/bring_war_dollars_home_by_closing_down_bases (accessed 12 August 2010).

Censky, Annalyn. “QE2: Fed Pull the Trigger.” CNN Money. (3 November 2010). http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/03/news/economy/fed_decision/index.htm (accessed 12 August 2011).

Daggett, Stephen. “Costs of Major U.S. Wars.” Congressional Research Service, (29 June 2010). http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22926.pdf (accessed 12 August 2011).

Department of Defense (DOD). “DOD Releases Fiscal 2012 Budget Proposal.” U.S. Department of Defense, (14 February 2011). http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14263 (accessed 12 August 2011).

Quadrennial Defense Review Report. February 2010.

The Defense Science Board Permanent Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Surety. “Report on the Unauthorized Movement of Nuclear Weapons.” Washington, DC: Department of Defense, February 2008 (Revised April 2008): Section 1 (pages 1-3) and Section II (pages 5-6).

US Treasury Department. “Historical Debt Outstanding - Annual 2000 – 2010”. Treasury Direct.

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo5.htm (accessed 16 August 2011)

US Debt Clock.org. “US Debt Clock”, http://www.usdebtclock.org/ (accessed 16 August 2011).

Youseff, Nancy A. “True Cost of Afghan, Iraq Wars is Anyone’s Guess.” Miami Herald (16 August 2011). http://214.14.134.30/ebird2/ebfiles/e20110816836482.html (accessed 16 August 2011).