Chaos

Donald Trump loves chaos.  Several weeks into (hopefully) his final term, he has solved numerous personal issues: no prison term for inciting an insurrection; having what should have been crushing debt apparently taken care of.  It’s pretty plain to me that Elon Musk has quietly done this for a price: having numerous outfits of his that do business with the federal government profit handsomely.  Does this sound like a quid pro quo?

In the meantime, Musk seems to be having a grand old time taking a wrecking ball to the feds.  As a federal retiree, I am absolutely disgusted with his latest outrage: Justify your existence by writing down what you have accomplished in the last week.  He has no line authority over any federal worker.  

For some reason, the wreckers have zeroed in on the US Agency for International Development, at the expense of some of the world’s poorest souls (this, from the planet’s richest man – or is he?) Well, close enough. How does he sleep at night? 

I can’t help thinking Trump is, as we used to say, ROJ (Retired on the Job).  Hell, he’s just north of 78, and if he survives to the end of his term, well, he’ll beat Biden’s record.  One TV commenter reported that he played four days of golf last week.  I draw no comfort from this – if he can’t finish his term, we get Hillbilly Elegy.

We have close friends here, who emigrated decades ago from Taiwan.  They are aware of nervous Chinese immigrants who staff some area restaurants.  Also freaking out are Spanish speakers, frightened of La Migra, aka ICE.  Some of them are “legal”, some, not so much.  

Meanwhile, it’s getting downright scary.  In the Washington Post (March 3, 2025) appeared a Page 1 above-the-fold story of Musk and his Whiz Kiddies getting rid of several hundred (or was it thousand?)  employees of a small agency which has the job of watching over our nuclear weapons, trivial stuff like monitoring radiation leaks, maintaining bombs, etc.  Never heard of them? Well, after they received pink slips (or emails) firing them, some nuclear stuff happened; the agency had to hastily rehire some key personnel, whoever they could find.  Oops! 

Hey, I’ve got a cool idea! Why don’t we start a Go Fund Me for The Donald, so he can pay Elon what he owes him for winning the election! It just might save what’s left of the federal government.  

How ‘bout the shouting match in the Oval between Trump and Zelensky.  Are we really ready to side with Putin? Let’s make a deal! First move: give away the store.  This from the best selling author of “The Art of the Deal”.