Diversion by a dictator

 Trump is acting like a dictator.  We hear a few Republican congressmen dislike some of his policies, but somehow they let him do what he wants.  His chosen advisers are selected for their loyalty and are quite adamant what a great person he is--proof of their loyalty.

Some voters like much of what he has done.  They fear immigrants and are stirred by talks of eating dogs, murdering innocent people, etc. etc. although the facts are, immigrants actually have less violent crime and are hard working tax payers.  They hate racial minorities and homosexuals.  They think taxes are always too high although they don't seem to notice that inequality is widening and the national debt is a contributor to inflation.

Some of them are willing to overlook his sexual escapades and his gender bias.  But he realizes that part of his base is Christian evangelists who normally frown upon sex outside marriage.  Many others also are disgusted with what has been suggested by the Epstein Files.  He has already announced that he has been completely exonerated.

That is hard to digest.  Pam Bondi years ago gave Jeffrey Epstein preferential legal treatment and seems to be delaying more information.   Melania Trump apparently was introduced to Trump by Epstein and it seems she had some sort of relationship before hooking up with Trump.  Admittedly there is a lot of gossip, but it appears truth has been blocked.

Some of his policies have upset even some of his MAGA supporters.  ICE has been more intrusive and brutal than anticipated.  His tariffs have aggravated inflation.  What to do?  He cannot admit mistakes, but blames others and exaggerates his merits.  Diversion usually works.

We all detest drug abuse and the gangsters that profit from it.  To prove how determined he is to stop it, he bombs boats that without proof supposedly are drug running.  Then he attacks Venezuela and removes its leader, admittedly a criminal himself.  Not sure how that will work out, but it seems the U.S. has greater control over oil.  They have used that control to strangle Cuba.  As an aside the Cuban Revolution got popular approval by ridding the country of gangsters and exploiters.  

Drugs like everything have a supply and demand dynamic.  There is a lot of complexity over drug abuse, but surely more effort should happen to ease the need for an illegal supply.

Still the Epstein Files are gaining attention and mid-terms are not that far away.  To stay out of prison he needs to be president with legislators he can control.  Lots of efforts to gerry mander and talk of restricting voting to diminish Democrats.  

Iran is something popular to criticize.  A theocracy with fundamentalist views and corruption has been noted.  Their hatred of Israel is frightening.  They strongly support the Palestinian cause which until recently was opposed by Americans and most westerners.  United States does not have clean hands regarding Iran  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/09/king-of-kings-iranian-revolution.html Trump does not have clean hands either.  One of his acts once elected was to tear up the Iran nuclear agreement.  He criticized that Obama gave them a large amount of money, not crediting that it was money that had been confiscated plus interest.  Who knows how they might have softened Iranian attitudes if working with them?  He realized Israel feared and hated Iran and Evangelicals sided with Jewish occupation of the Holy Land.  

Yes, Iran is a terrible place where many are abused and free speech is almost criminal in some cases.  But there are other terrible places.  Trump seems to admire Putin and certainly supports his efforts regarding Ukraine.  Does he think the attacks are justified, no big deal or does Putin have some kind of hold on him.  Hopefully Ukraine would get a better deal from a different president.

News coverage has changed.  When Russia attacked Ukraine there was a lot of front page articles and many minutes on tv and radio.  When Hamas attacked Israel the coverage shifted.  Since then some Americans have realized Palestinians have long been poorly treated.  Netanyahu facing serious legal prospects stepped up reprisals hanging on to when Trump might be elected.  They are both in a similar situation and it is easy to speculate that Netanyahu encouraged an invasion of Iran and of course the terrorists supported by Iran.  

Hate can always be exploited.  Trump certainly needs to find excuses to divert attention.  It is too bad that saner minds have so little influence.  For all of us.

I hope that Iran is restored to democracy and becomes a positive influence for the world.  Might happen, but a long war might be beneficial for Trump's status quo.

It feels good to rant, but I hope more can be done to improve our situation.

Canada near a "Breaking Point"

I had a casual attitude when starting "Breaking Point" (2025), but soon realized that some of my comfortable progressive views might have to be adjusted.  Not only is the world a rough place, but so is Canada itself.  We have problems that can do us in, if we don't make some changes that may hurt.

It is not as if the signs have not been visible, but from a comfortable position they didn't seem as pertinent as problems in the rest of the world.  I own a home, have a reasonable pension, live in Ontario and in many ways I am better off than young males..

One stress is regional, particularly with Alberta and Saskatchewan that feel ignored by the federal government and have discussed separation.  There are still Quebekers who resent being part of Canada.

Another stress is inter generational.  Today's youth is not better off than their parents, in fact too many of them still live with their parents as they cannot afford to go it alone.  Young men often feel that the government treats women better and this causes a lot of social issues.  They are vulnerable to anti-government arguments.

Canada, once admired and feared for our military prowess, now is not living up to their military commitments.  We are not only more threatened over the Arctic, but Americans are mocking, and even threatening us.

Immigration has been a success, but now we have overreached and it is irritating Canadians.  We cannot find housing for everyone and citizens feel foreigners are threatening our jobs and our culture.

One of the causes is that housing is un affordable for too many first time buyers and immigrants.  The authors suggest we need to spread out our suburban areas.  I draw the line at sprawl which they favor.  There is a trade off between population and arable land and it is likely going to be a more difficult balance in the future.  They do speak of bureaucratic paperwork and NIMBY attitudes that if overcome, the resistance to  fourplexes and the like will be reduced.         

Although we have improved our treatment with our indigenous there is still resentment, distrust and waste.  Our history has for the most part fixated on assimilation, often forced.  We have written treaties and then ignored many of them.  Lately we have been going in the right direction, but need to work with them more.  They have been friends of environmentalists while not much sharing in the mineral and oil wealth.  Their education has mostly been inferior and needs to be upgraded.  An early effort to improve their lot came from Paul Martin  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/03/paul-martin-under-appreciated.html

Alberta does have legitimate grievances, but with too much of their wealth built around oil; dirty oil at that.  To my way of thinking climate change is the most pressing global issue (some would argue Nuclear war):  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/10/intervention-earth.html  They will continue to mostly resist a transition to electrical cars and other environmental engineering.  There is no easy solution, but as a starter I would suggest they be given a nuclear power plant or more that will help provide "clean" electricity.  More federal government offices to provide not only jobs, but greater control.  I know from personal experience that bilingualism is frowned upon and resented for job requirements.

Generational stress has caught some of us baby boomers by surprise, although we are concerned for our own offspring.  The baby boomers in many cases have comfortable lives, but not all their children do.  The authors suggest there ought to be transfers of wealth to the younger generations with taxes eased.  The real cure is education.  It needs to be more affordable and accessible, but also more targeted.  Trades had been looked down upon, but reality points out they are needed and can provide a comfortable standard of living.  At the same time as there is a stronger vocational aspect to education we also need to prepare for more leisure time, meaning physical fitness and appreciation for the arts.

Our military weakness seems to have developed since the 80's.  It was pointed out that Lyndon Johnson admired how the Canadian military handled a crisis in Cyprus and may even have given us favorable  terms with an auto pact.  The Arctic has opened up from global warming and both the Russians and Chinese are taking advantage.  We can build military bases in the north and also support northern urban settlements.  The cost of living is much greater in northern Canada which is a deterrent for immigration to the area.  Also the indigenous could be better supported.

Immigration is vital for our future.  We do not produce enough babies to support the older generations or to generate sufficient economic activity.  We are already relatively selective, but not as supportive as ideal.  Many qualified professionals are blocked by a need for certification.  We should also shift destinations away from the urban magnets of Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.  For some immigrants a willingness to locate to lesser populated areas could give them preferential opportunities.  

The media has been splintered with a variety of perspectives including extreme views.  Online sources provide information for many people while trained journalists have difficulty getting a job.  It is difficult to find trustworthy information.

Money is definitely needed to change for the future. Taxes are a touchy matter.  Money is easily transferred from one jurisdiction to another with more favorable terms.  By lowering taxes for younger workers trying to form families we all benefit.  We need innovation which often means we need to attract money.  Increased income is an incentive.  The opportunity perhaps lies with the idle rich. They suggest a means criteria should be applied to old age pensions.  How you might define them would be difficult and they would have clever lawyers to defend their interests. 

The authors tell a history of political bungling involving all parties.  They noted that when the conservatives merged with the reform party they gained power and were able to get things done.  They suggest that the progressive parties, Liberals NDP. and Green should merge and stop splitting their votes. 

I believe a two party system is going backwards.  The voters are not all dumb, they get a mixed package at best.  Many have figured out that unless they vote for the winner, their vote is wasted.  Some adopt a strategic strategy choosing their second choice in order to block a hated rival.  Bottom line, a lot of people do not vote at all and few really study the options. When a party has to co-operate with other parties to have any real power they are careful to avoid antagonism.  Votes are not wasted so in Proportional Representative jurisdictions, more people actually vote thus signifying true values  The authors threw out some examples of proportional voting countries that fail, but in fact there are far more where more people actually vote, more legislation sticks, the results are better for the country as a whole and most critically, scientific surveys suggest the citizens are happier, even though taxes are generally higher.  Honest collaboration is one of the keys.  Andrew Coyne pointed out that the voting system is the base for everything else.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/09/the-crisis-of-canadian-democracy.html  An earlier blog of mine gives more perspective http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/10/your-vote-neednt-be-wasted.html

 Donald Trump has provided more incentive to get our act together.  If we don't want to be American and risk having him as a dictator, we need to change.  Sacrifices that were required in warfare may be necessary.

There are a lot of relevant ideas in the book and blog readers should bear in mind this post is an incomplete summary.  

You can read about another earlier effort of the two authors.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/empty-planet.html