On the EDge: How’s that ‘drain the swamp’ thing going for you?

April 2, 2018 Utah Channel 3

OPINION — So, how’s all that “draining the swamp” thing working out for you?

Are you happy with your transient government?

Are you pleased by the fact that more than 20 percent of ambassadorships remain unfilled, that there have been two dozen high-level resignations or firings among a staff that was put in place a little more than a year ago and at the lack of serious legislative activity? That’s not draining the swamp, that’s bad management.

Are you comfortable with the temperament of the nation? It’s pretty nasty out there right now. Don’t believe me? Venture out into social media with a cogent opinion and see what happens.

Does it make you all warm and fuzzy that the news is dominated by right-wing talk show hosts who are feeling the heat from advertisers who have had enough of their foul proclamations.

What about the lurid allegations coming from porn stars and magazine centerfold models?

Did you like the false promises of preventing jobs from leaving the U.S.? You know, the folks, like Carrier who promised the president and its workforce that they would keep jobs in the country instead of shipping them to Mexico. Yeah, well a year into the deal, hundreds of workers are on the street and, according to industry analysts, all of the jobs from that Indiana plant will land in Mexico in a year or so. So much for the art of the deal.

Are your representatives in Congress responding to your needs? Has that so-called tax break resulted in a nice, fat raise? Will that savings of roughly $100 a month for a family of four translate into real savings after you take into consideration the prices of goods purchased from overseas being hiked as a result of capricious tariffs?

And, about those tariffs, who do you think will pick up that bill? Certainly not the corporate gods who try to add onto their physical plants and factories. We’ll be the ones who get hit with the tab without any reward from the so-called trickle-down economic promises. It didn’t work for Ronald Reagan. It didn’t work for George H.W. Bush. It won’t work for D.J. Trump.

How about the threats of nuclear war? Did you cringe just a little when you heard about a, thankfully, errant broadcast warning that Hawaii was under imminent nuclear attack? You should have because given today’s international climate, it is certainly a possibility.

Think the $30 million the president wants to spend on a military parade will truly raise the American spirit or will it be reminiscent of the old Nazi, Soviet Union or current North Korean displays of military might? I don’t know about you, but I can think of a lot of things that would stir my heart more than the sight of soldiers marching down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Give them their honors, give them their due, but that $30 million would be better spent helping veterans through the physical and emotional damage done by a senseless war than stroking a massive ego. Help them find jobs. Help them find housing. Help them put their lives together. Yes, they volunteered for military service, but I guarantee you the ones in need never figured they would come home scarred.

What about the arrogance, brashness of a Russia run amok to the point where even this administration has been forced to send about 60 of its comrades packing?

Like the fact that there is a personal feud between the president and our largest retail outlet, Amazon? Actually, the feud is between the president and Jeff Bezos, who owns both Amazon and The Washington Post. The president has consistently thrown daggers at Bezos and the newspaper – as well as other longstanding news outlets with reputations for accuracy and fairness. Call it fake news all you like, the bottom line is you cannot tamper with the truth and the newspaper has a history of dealing in truth, something that cannot be said about the president.

Governance is a tough business that requires tact, discipline and organization. What we have seen, however, is about as much tact, discipline and organization as the mosh pit at a death metal concert.

You see, America, this is what happens when in your zeal to replace the black man in the White House you pick somebody who looks, acts and speaks like you. And, there were enough voters with payback in their hearts to swing the Electoral College based on contorted promises to drain the swamp.

What was forgotten in all the campaign rhetoric and fervor is that there is a larger swamp a few blocks away from the White House in the House and Senate chambers.

Make no mistake, what is going on in the Oval Office is akin to a Ken Kesey novel. It is a matter of great consternation and embarrassment.

But so is the mess in Congress.

Look, we knew going in that no matter who won the presidency last time we went to the ballot box would be a lightning rod for scandal, controversy and suspicion. We knew we were going to be shortchanged no matter who was handed the keys to the Oval Office.

But, what we failed to do was use our power to pull the plug on the swamp and clean it up ourselves by kicking those folks to the curb.

So, it was, in all honesty, our chance and we blew it.

You can love or hate the president. That’s all a matter of perspective and ideology. But for all that bluster and delusional drama, the fact remains that the real seat of power resides in the hands of the men and women in the House and Senate and if you want to drain the swamp, you’re best bet is to start there and relieve them of their duty.

They operate with neither dignity nor honor.

They serve only the lobbyists and special interests who toss fistfuls of cash onto their collection plates.

And, they are not about to correct the mistakes of the ineptitude and treachery in the Oval Office because it gives them cover as they continue to plunder the money men.

There is a lot being predicted about the upcoming midterm elections. Some are saying it will result in a bloodbath for the Republican Party. Others are saying that voter apathy and discontent are so high the turnout will be minimal, which means little of substance will occur.

Meanwhile, that cloud of mosquitoes rising from the bog continues to grow.

No bad days!

Ed Kociela is an opinion columnist for St. George News. The opinions stated in this article are his own and may not be representative of St. George News.

Email: edkociela.mx@gmail.com

Twitter: @STGnews, @EdKociela