Kleptocracy: government
by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the
governed
Kakistocracy: a state or country run by the worst, least qualified,
or most unscrupulous citizens
As
I write, this on the eve of the Electoral Colleges vote…a vote that will likely
confirm the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States, we
see the septuagenarian degenerate creating a cabinet of people eminently
unqualified for the positions he is appointing or nominating them to. His inner
circle is occupied by racists, homophobes, misogynists, anti-Semites,
Islamophobes, religious extremists and amoral plutocrats. Let’s take a look,
shall we?
·
Secretary
of State: Rex W. Tillerson: President and CEO of
Exxon-Mobile, with extensive ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin. It is worth
noting that Exxon-Mobile had to put the brakes on exploration and development
of oilfields in the Russian Artic Circle in 2014. This as a result of US sanctions against Russia for its incursions
into Ukraine. This exploration and development could resume with “improved”
relations with Russia, and represents a HUGE conflict of interest for the
Nominee for Secretary of State.
· Interior Secretary: Ryan Zinke: Representing Montana’s
at-large congressional district for one term, Rep. Zinke has a 3% voting score
with the League of Conservation Voters. Also of note, Oasis Petroleum was Zinke’s
largest campaign contributor, and also has a stake in the Dakota Access Pipe Line.
· Energy Secretary: Rick
Perry: Ricky, in his 2011 presidential bid, couldn’t remember which three
government departments he wanted to scrap, has been tapped to head one of those
departments. Perry will be replacing nuclear physicist, Ernest Moniz. Ricky’s
only real qualification for the position are his ties to the fossil fuel
industry. His bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M was in “animal science”.
· Treasury Secretary:
Steven Mnuchin: A former Goldman-Sachs broker, Mnuchin is a cipher, having no previous public,
political or organizational experience to speak of. His most recent accomplishments
include buying Indy Mac from the FDIC, changing the name to “One West” and
selling for a huge profit in 2015. He has also provided financial backing to
the movie industry. He will likely support policies which will net billions of
dollars in profits for hedge fund managers, like Trump supporter John Paulson.
· Education Secretary: Betsy DeVos: Ms. DeVos is a Michigan
billionaire and conservative activist who has spent millions in lobbying efforts
directed at expanding school voucher plans which siphon tax dollars form public
schools into the pockets of private education companies, all in the name of “school
choice”. Ms. DeVos has no educational credentials or experience to speak of. In
addition, there is the issue of “$5.3 million in fines imposed on
her political action committee for campaign finance violations in Ohio
eight years ago”, fines that have yet to be paid. Her only apparent qualification
for the position appears to be the nearly $1.8 million Ms. DeVos and her family
contributed to the Trump campaign.
·
Housing and
Urban Development: Ben Carson: Does
anything else really need to be said? Hell, even Carson admitted he’s not
qualified for the job.
I could go on, but if you
don’t get the point by now, you won’t. Trump is packing his cabinet and inner
circle with a growing list of plutocrats, lobbyists, hate-mongers, extremists
and the morally and ethically bankrupt. And I didn’t include the list of big
money campaign contributors who are getting plum posts.
No, Trump is setting the
stage for government corruption on a never before seen scale with the conflicts
of interest surrounding his own financial empire and those of the future members of his administration.
They will loot the treasury and leave everyone who actually works for a living
holding the bag, and reduced to serfdom. Trump’s kleptocratic kakistocracy,
soon to be squatting in the White House.
References
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