Don’t let the billionaires behind the curtain distract you while they steal your money and your freedom.
George W. Bush believed that replacing theocratic government in the Middle East with democracy would bring peace, justice and equality to that part of the world. With this rationale, he and his party justified the Iraq War, which went on for eight years, with the loss of 4,500 American lives and a cost of two trillion borrowed dollars.
I voted for Bush. I admired his love for democracy. If only Donald Trump could show that devotion, but sadly, it is not in his nature. The conservatives I know did not want or expect this outcome. They knew Trump was a narcissist, but he concealed his plans. He denied any knowledge of Project 2025, for example. But in the first six weeks of his administration, he followed that plan step by step.
Freely electing an autocrat was not a historic first. It happened 90 years ago in Germany when the disheartened German people became enamored with Adolf Hitler. But as chaotic as this Trump administration is, this is not Nazi Germany, and the onslaught of our democracy can be stopped. For that to happen, the root cause of people’s disillusionment must be appreciated, for it conditioned voters to accept the disinformation from and about Trump that flooded social media.
Sixty years ago, our presidents and congress people valued America’s founding principles, freedom, equality and democracy. Elected officials honored their oath to the Constitution, and they supported other liberal democracies that shared our values. Issues of religion were handled by religious leaders, who were satisfied with America’s guarantee of religious freedom. They did not have political agendas.
We must again elect representatives who are principled and stop mixing religion with politics. And reality TV personalities should not be running American government.
The Trump administration and the billionaire oligarchs are working at a lightning pace to take your money and make America another Russia.
We can still stop them.
Bob Topper is a retired engineer.
