©2016 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee       [caption id="attachment_3738" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Justin and Barack Head to Head[/caption]  

A Political  Meltdown?

Really. Let us Cut to the chase:  A meltdown. Turmoil. Is a political meltdown of North America  in progress state by state?  You decide.   With political instability, fear, insecurity, anger,  social unrest and cracks in once-trusted  political and institutional glass towers, can rage and revolution be far behind?  As Canadians we shake our heads in wonder at the U.S. primaries.

Gaps

Finding signs of a  meltdown is usually not difficult.  Major dissension fueled   by  racism, a stumbling economy and  continuously-expanding  historical gaps between the obscenely rich— and ordinary , average-Joe, hard-working people.  Worth repeating, that would be the hard-working, fully-employed but still, inexplicably poor sector.  Equally  insatiable and obscene wealth vs. the  reality of hard work and poverty in some cities is the status quo. Well, hello, reality.

Why would that be? You ask;  the richest country on the globe touts  the Great American Dream, supposedly offering  "opportunity,  prosperity and equality" to all?  Does anyone any longer swallow as acceptable the status quo,  hook, line and sinker,  or do  you prefer to face reality? Listen as the same lies are repeated over and over...

In simple observation, surely the same bad joke has been perpetrated for centuries upon slaves.   How opportunity is defined  may be one "explanation."  After all, the "opportunity" to  pick up garbage on night shift, deliver flyers, wait tables, or fry hamburgers part-time for two days a week is a far cry from the corporate elitist  "opportunities " and others taken by monopolies to  walk down Wall St.  , gouging  consumers ever more deeply for essential services like food, water, electricity, housing,  real estate, resource exploitation,  transportation, clothing, prescription drugs  or medical care.  Okay, we're tired,  you name the rest.

 

The Unacknowledged  Corporate Socialist-Welfare State

A historical,  corporate socialist welfare state is self-evident with  subsidies, corporate-written and corporate-enabled 'legislation', off-shore tax  tax avoidance, unethical business practices,  corporate gouging of consumers and unfettered exploitation of  both cheap off-shore labour and natural resources without environmental responsibility all stir the pot. Are we getting the idea yet?

Opportunities for billionaires to outsource North American jobs  for ever-greater corporate profits abound. The opportunity to import cheap, shoddy, substitute  products has become  standard and common  practice after outsourcing local jobs.  Bulging concentrations of wealth thereby grow in arrogant tax-free coffers of once-millionaires-but-now billionaires , who pride themselves in the shameless gouging of ever more profit from consumers and the government itself— at any cost.

Most notably, a  nation-wide, skewed, single-minded view of reality reigns.  Perhaps the observable meltdown is adequately demonstrated by the divisive politics evident in both the  Democrat and American Republican parties.   The 'Let's be-billionaire-politicians-at-any-price club'  salts the wounds of American taxpayers in a predictably nasty current  presidential race.    The sad fact is,  political nominations for candidates for the presidency are  controlled and  funded (at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars for each 'candidate' )  by corporate interests  in  the Land of the "Not quite free, Not very equal, and the exceptionally greedy".

Which is worse, an uninformed and ridiculous fear of  the coming  "Big Bern" threat exposing truth and upsetting the 2%  apple cart,  or the prospect of a completely unconventional protocol  proposed by a nattering,  brash and outspoken businessman-billionaire?

 

Enter Bernie Sanders.  The melting pot is bubbling.

The  challenge of the 'Big Bern' mounted by Bernie has been formidable; few would predict how successfully  "Boogie-man socialist Bernie" Sanders  has been  snapping fiercely  at reportedly untrustworthy Democrat  Hillary Clinton's corporate-financed bid to go play  White House.  Realistically Hillary will do everything to satisfy corporate wallpaper-hangers on Wall St.

Reportedly Bernie, on the other hand,  has raised campaign money  from ordinary people (a dime at a time, or maybe a buck or two ) .  Corporate interests, declared supporters of Hillary,  are unhappy because Hillary and her old favourite Willie can lose.   Why?  Guess.  Oops..that's not necessary. We will politely speculate it's always about money;  corporate types  are counting upon their eligibility for yet another giant slice of hog-trough  American Dream Pie, which, as usual, will be doled out judiciously  by either a new duly-elected  Republican President , or Super-Pac-approved 'Billary'.  Smack your lips, CEO's,  Corporate Pie Day is coming soon. There's not much difference, is there? Go figure.  "The taxpayer loses regardless" may be the usual outcome.

A bad economy— but "Welfare" is  "Socialism"

—If the boogie man strikes.  Sadly, many Americans shun Bernie because they  traditionally and incorrectly equate honesty in government, reasonable, responsible, just, social policy, universal health care and welfare for the needy  with "evil socialism"  —and even call it Communism.   Is that because of lack of understanding,  or  is it  because Americans have been 'conditioned' to prefer not to display any weakness inferred by encouraging welfare for the needy, social responsibility, justice, protection of the weak and economic fairness which collectively interfere in the "survival of the fittest and greediest grab-all  no-holds-barred " American Dream?  You decide,  I'm Canadian.

The Corporate Welfare State

The same Americans frightened to death by Bernie  —arrogantly, and knowingly)  contradict themselves , encouraging taxpayer bailouts of  the private,  financial sector and auto industries because "profit is good."   With equal gusto, they  nobly  pay billions in profits into insurance companies for the outrageous, $800.00-per-aspirin corporate-run  health care system, one of the greediest, silliest, worst and most ridiculously-expensive health care systems  in the world.  Remind us again how HMO profits and multi-million-dollar  CEO bonuses  reduce health care costs.

The status quo similarly ensures endless subsidies for the petroleum industry,  —and allows friendly tax loopholes for the richest, off-shore tax havens and all, more mega-million dollar 'bonuses' for CEO's who,  realistically are  the same corporate traitors  greedy individuals who endlessly and shamelessly  exploit resources and outsource  American—and btw...Canadian jobs.

The same willful  arrogance has  historically enabled a  corporate-purchased political system  --which historically assures the continuation of self-entitlement of corporate interests  and  ensures   an elitist, socialist corporate welfare state.

With a few notable exceptions, rich, powerful and self-entitled hypocrites arrogantly whine about  any and all forms of government social assistance,  and social security and welfare, since those are  'scary boogie-man socialism'  — including food stamps  for the most desperate families,  the homeless, and veterans.

Enter Trump: The  Elephant in the Room

Turmoil and anger with a bogged-down, antiquated political system  is amassing amazing support   for Donald Trump, a hybrid "( an almost-Republican  hated by many Republicans   )  candidate, an outspoken,  at times brash, apparently racist,  hate-inducing, and controversial  billionaire ideologue.   Trump has instinctively and cleverly recognized opportunity in the divisive, foolish politics of failing governments and the Republican party, a meltdown of the system—and big-haired showman Donald certainly knows how t0 push the buttons of angry, disillusioned  voters —leaving other Republican candidates typically-covered with presidential star-spangled mud-in-your-face.  Everyman's pet elephant  Trump " is not going to be removed from the room by Republicans easily,— if ever. He is gaining momentum and the lead in a very visceral, ugly race without honour.

At this date,  Donald Trump can, and may very well WIN  the Republican nomination and move on to win the Presidency of the United States of America.  Unbelievable. Things are about to get a lot worse as Republican naysayers and conspirators  do what they all do best--conspire —to defeat the Donald.

You're fired.

Loading up and heading for Canada, anyone?  North of the Canadian border, recently-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's  "bright and sunny ways" may also be the biggest snow job (and biggest deficit)  in Canadian history,  or not.  Perhaps the new  P.M.K.  (Prime Ministerial kid) will pull it off, take some more selfies,  garner more attention from screaming young ladies than Justin Bieber,  and expand the refugee system to include disillusioned, angry Americans.  Justin may actually make a difference.  How about this coup?    He's already been  off visiting Barack and Michelle at the White House for a steak dinner and ceremonial conflab. More selfies were taken at a truly- impressive party at the expense of trusty old taxpayers.  O.P. (Old Pierre— his late daddy and an either hated or beloved  master of political manipulation),(depending upon who you talk to)    would have been proud.

Do tell.

Meanwhile back in Davey Crockett-land,  with outgoing President Barack,  tension mounts as the meltdown persists.  Who will decorate the White House next  is a sketchy bet at best, with big upsets in store. Which is it to be, let's see, a motif of severed elephant tails and leopard skins, adverts for a new Trump reality show,  or the newest secret email wallpaper  designed by Hillary?

Btw, all of you anti-Republicans, worrisome anti-Trump types, and anti-Hillary Yankees, —you may wish to line up at the Canadian border when the Big Bern picks up steam,  —just in case.  Bernie may offer his own distinctive wallpaper as he redesigns the U.S. of A.

Relax,  we Canadians are sympathetic to the pain of American politics  and polite to boot,  we really are...and we have 6% beer and popcorn ready for the show too...   eh? ...There, that ought to help... Keep watching.

Is that Incoming I hear?