Trump Has Taken a Wrecking Ball to Good Governance

This president’s proclivity for deploying distractions to avert public scrutiny of what’s really going on and what the effects are, has consequences far beyond the obfuscation of illicit activity. Outlandish assertions cover up the undermining of democratic principles and the evisceration of critical institutions. National capacity to address our most critical concerns is severely hampered. Most nefarious is the theft of a decent future from young Americans.

In the 20 months since President Donald Trump took office, he has overwhelmed public discourse with a virtual tsunami of distractions. The theme of all of them, some personal, some national, some international, is domination.

• Perpetual Bluster: “I’m in charge; I’m on top of this; I keep winning in Iran”—over and over again.
• Acquisition Aspirations: Encroaching on other countries’ sovereignty—Canada, Greenland, Venezuela, Cuba.
• Grandiose Building Projects Aimed at Redefining National Identity: A gigantic ballroom, a triumphal arch, a rehabbed national arts center.
• Reverberations of “Dear Leader”: Affixing his name to major institutions, his picture on paper currency and passports.
• Arbitrary Prosecutions and Harassment: Indictments regardless of cause—James Comey, John Bolton, Letitia James.

There is frequently a measure of verisimilitude to these moves, yet the timing of their announcement usually coincides with developments that the administration would rather the public not heed. Included are links to Jeffrey Epstein, subverting the independence of the Department of Justice, suspicious stock market windfalls. That the media feels obliged to report the distractions as news may be understandable, but the result is that they become complicit in promoting increasingly outrageous distortions.

Good governance is defined by the concentration of attention to matters central to public welfare, not only in the moment, but in the long term. This is what we count on from our elected leaders. To our misfortune, the main aim of the present administration is “pillage and plunder,” so as to feed private coffers. Beyond covering up seedy, illicit, and corrosive activity, these manufactured diversions detract from a focus on addressing common needs.

Rather than expending the energy to mislead, our government should be about injecting consideration of the following concerns into public discourse. Sidelining them will likely be this administration’s most enduring legacy.

• Education: American public education is in crisis. Across the country, students’ academic performance is worse than it was a decade ago. From a recent New York Times story, reading scores were down last year in over 80% of school districts. Math scores were down in 70% of districts.
• Healthcare: The US ranks highest among developed countries in the cost of healthcare. The recent elimination of Affordable Care Act subsidies will further erode access to adequate coverage for middle- and lower-income individuals.
• Home Ownership: Owning a home is largely out of reach for young people and those of lesser means. Because of wage stagnation, low housing inventory, and high interest rates, many younger buyers can’t afford to buy a home.
• Climate Imbalance: Extreme weather events are highly probable going forward, the risks magnified by heat reinforcing carbon emissions. Increased hobbling of emergency management capabilities will make matters worse. El Niño’s anticipated arrival will produce a marked increase in natural disasters this year.
• Financial Stability: The national debt is now closing in on $40 trillion, larger than our Gross National Product. The only precedent for this was at the end of WWII. But that level of debt was directly related to the demands of a world-wide conflict, into which we had been drawn.
• Energy Affordability: The Iran War has hamstrung the availability of energy from fossil fuels. Along with AI’s voracious appetite for electricity and the increased demand for AC to keep us cool, the nation’s energy infrastructure is likely to be stretched thin in the years ahead.

The near total absence of governmental attention to these and other critical areas, amid countless distractions, is not just dangerous, it’s effectively suicidal. Palpable is the probability of a stunted future for all of us. But most of the burden and suffering will fall on the shoulders of the youngest among us—on whom the nation depends for its future safety and well-being.

We’re witnessing machinations aimed at covering up crimes that result in neglect which most severely harms those citizens who will be responsible for creating a livable future.