By Rev. Dan Vojir
The "greed is good" portrait of Donald Trump is ugly and frightening.
The pic to the right is my creation. I admit it. It's terrible in so many ways, but it is sincere: when Trump announced his candidacy, I laughed like the rest of us. I've joined the chorus of "trump haters" (and will continue), writing snarky articles about Trump, his candidacy, his presidency and everything in between.
The picture started out as the usual Dorian Grey/attic thing: I intended all fiery reds, with blood and grotesque deformities, but then, as if by itself, it started to take a different direction, a cold image saturated with greed. Here is a man who is obsessed with making money from the Presidency at all costs, even if that means courting America's enemies and alienating it's treasured allies. Here is a man whose whole life centers around bullying and bilking people for money and now has the chance to do the same to the rest of the world.
His lack of decorum and integrity have become the U.S.'s greatest liabilities:
Earlier this year, more than 1.8 million people signed a petition seeking to block Trump's UK trip over fears that it would "cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen."
Of course, his manners and attitude evolved long before his portrait was painted, but there is no doubt that when he looks in a mirror, he still sees himself this way: young, handsome and having incredible self-confidence - based on a narcissistic isolationism. He and only he would be the winner ... and the richest.
...And The Greediest
"You can't con people, at least not for long," Trump writes. "You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you can't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on." - Art of the Deal.
The irony of a con man telling this to people is irresistibly laughable. Donald Trump is counting on his base to never catch on: his "achievements" as President so far are hollow, with no real substance backing them up. For example, his boast of the arms deal to Saudi Arabia is considered by many to be "fake news" with some of the weapons not even produced yet.
"My whole life I've been greedy, greedy, greedy," Trump said. "I've grabbed all the money I could get. I'm so greedy. But now I want to be greedy for the United States. I want to grab all that money. I'm going to be greedy for the United States." The problem: people are addicted to greed - Trump still is greedy for himself.
Greed embraces hypocrisy
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t was revealed today that the Trump administration will issue 15,000 new H-2B visas (live-work). This may rile some of his supporters who have just heard "hire American" from his lips.
The president may have some familiarity with the H-2B visa program. Between 2013 and 2015, President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago hotel hired 246 H-2B visa holders. A DHS official couldn't comment on whether the Trump family would file petitions for additional H-2B visa workers this year.* But these workers come cheap and Trump, if ethics come up against Trump's greed, ethics fair ill.
The greed extends to Trump's "faith": Norman Vincent Peale was his pastor while growing up (indeed, Peale married him and Ivana) and his "spiritual adviser" is none other than prosperity gospel preacher Paula White. His greed is covered by God himself.
Son Eric's charitable foundation (Eric Trump Foundation) may soon be under investigation for a kind of self-dealing back to dad: using Trump's Bedminster Golf Club as a venue for his annual charity golf tournament costs a disproportionate amount of money. Close to $500,000 each year, in essence, goes into his father's pockets and not to the charity for which it is intended (St. Jude's Children's Hospital).** Charitable donations (or lack thereof) would definitely be scrutinized should Trump's tax returns ever see the light of day.
For The Love Of Russia
"We get a lot of money from Russia," said Donald Trump, Jr. back in 2008. Curious this statement hasn't been focused on too much in the midst of the Great Collusion Scandal. People have speculated that the Deutsche Bank loans of over $300m (plus $240m for Kushner's enterprises) are backed by Russian oligarchs (if not Putin himself). And while Kushner said he personally backed his loan, no one with any financial/business acumen would ever do something so risky.
Trump's 2013 Miss Universe contest in Moscow was purchased (it's rights and branding) by a Russian real estate developer.
All of this makes the Trump/Putin relationship a quid pro quo with Putin saying "you erase the sanctions and we'll help you get the Presidency as well as prosper in Russia."
The Greed Continues
"I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it."
According to a campaign watchdog, running as a Republican was profitable for the crook because his "various Trump enterprises made over $12.5 million;" a figure that is unprecedented in American history and probably grossly underreported. Political campaigns are generally not in the profit-generating business, but this is a con man and it is worth noting that the Trump presidential campaign did not earn millions of dollars in profit, Donald Trump's businesses and family did. It is a portent of things to come and exactly what most conscious human beings are certain is going to happen regularly with corrupt Trump in the White House.
In the past six months, Trump's businesses (via his children) have profited off the name of "President Trump" and although some branded real estate are rushing to remove Trump's name from their buildings, Trump's business expansion will continue to be profitable - and more diverse, more complex.
"Greedy for the United States"?
Bullshit.
*If you stay at Trump's new DC hotel, you may encounter a LOT of staff with heavy accents, some "just off the boat" and working on H-2b visas. The excuse for the additional visas is that some companies are in "dire labor shortages". Is his hotel in dire straits? Will Mar-a-Lago request H-2b workers again? Put it this way: if it's at all cheaper for Trump, yes. With Trump, if ethics go against Trump's greed, ethics fair ill.
**Eric Trump's charity has also been cited formisrepresentation since donors believe that all their money goes to St. Jude's when some of it goes to other charities.
Submitters Website: http://sacredcowsmakethebesthamburgers.blogspot.com
*If you stay at Trump’s new DC hotel, you may encounter a LOT of staff with heavy accents, some “just off the boat” and working on H-2b visas. The excuse for the additional visas is that some companies are in “dire labor shortages”. Is his hotel in dire straits? Will Mar-a-Lago request H-2b workers again? Put it this way: if it’s at all cheaper for Trump, yes. With Trump, if ethics go against Trump’s greed, ethics fair ill.
[premium_newsticker id=”154171″]Parting shot—a word from the editors
The Best Definition of Donald Trump We Have Found
In his zeal to prove to his antagonists in the War Party that he is as bloodthirsty as their champion, Hillary Clinton, and more manly than Barack Obama, Trump seems to have gone “play-crazy” -- acting like an unpredictable maniac in order to terrorize the Russians into forcing some kind of dramatic concessions from their Syrian allies, or risk Armageddon.However, the “play-crazy” gambit can only work when the leader is, in real life, a disciplined and intelligent actor, who knows precisely what actual boundaries must not be crossed. That ain’t Donald Trump -- a pitifully shallow and ill-disciplined man, emotionally handicapped by obscene privilege and cognitively crippled by white American chauvinism. By pushing Trump into a corner and demanding that he display his most bellicose self, or be ceaselessly mocked as a “puppet” and minion of Russia, a lesser power, the War Party and its media and clandestine services have created a perfect storm of mayhem that may consume us all.— Glen Ford, Editor in Chief, Black Agenda Report
Oy, I would rather watch Oprah !
Sorry to see another Clinton wing anti-Russian propaganda bit in this article about nothing. True, the super-rich Clintons don’t actually brag about their wealth, and they’ve tried to sound downright decent as they threw the poor off the cliff. Same ideology, but it’s all in how you present it.