The Ruse and Fall of the American Empire

     Since we lack the words or imagination or perspicacity or even the moral courage and wherewithall to adequately gauge the corruption infesting this nation, it'll likely fall to future generations to wonder what the fuck we were thinking since 2015.

     Corruption, graft and grift have become spectator sports in the Trump years, especially in this term. In fact, it could be said that the corruption we're seeing literally on a daily basis is greater than that of the Grant, Harding, Nixon and Bush years combined. The brazen level of pay-to-play politics far exceeds even the worst excesses of the infamous Tammany Hall of 19th century New York.

     But as corrupt as Tammany was in the 1860s and early 1870s under Boss Tweed, the bosses and sachems understood the civic need. It was rotten with corruption, yes, but at least bosses like Tweed put up the New York County Courthouse (even though it originally was supposed to cost the taxpayers just a quarter of a million dollars and wound up costing up to $13 million).

     And we're seeing the same exact graft (charitably referred to as "cost overruns") with the ridiculous ballroom that Trump is building. What was once a project projected to cost $200 million in private donations (read: bribes) is now up to $1.6 billion. Everything Trump originally told us about it turned out to be a lie. He wouldn't touch the East Wing until he knocked it down.

     Then there's his arch, which is projected to be 250 feet tall and, according to Trump, will house drones and even snipers. After taking over the Kennedy Center like a bloated aging Viking, then he then put his name on it and thereby stealing President Kennedy's honor.

     Boss Tweed could have learned a lot from Trump. But at least Tweed and his minions understood the need for "honest graft".

     But at least the Tweed Courthouse, as it came to he known, served a public need. There is no such thing with Trump's ballroom or arch. The ballroom, if it's ever completed, will merely be a place for 1% scumbags to bribe Trump in his waning time in office. And what can you say about a 250 foot-tall arch where snipers will be positioned ready to take out American citizens?

     At no time in US history had a president been given a jumbo jet by another country. Trump accepted one from Qatar, a plane valued at $400 million then, of course, cost the taxpayers another billion dollars to retrofit. He bankrupts the Secret Service by charging them through the nose for the privilege of protecting him, making them pay for their rooms and even golf cart rentals during his endless taxpayer-funded golf trips.

     And then there's his so-called Trump Institute for Peace, which requires nations to pony up a billion dollars. Naturally, there's no transparency and we have no idea where the money ends up, although we can venture an educated guess. In 2024, Trump openly offered oil executives whatever they wanted as long as they paid him a one billion dollar bribe, something that socked even the corrupt oil barons in attendance.

     And, of course, Republicans in Congress are more concerned about their own insider stock trades and keeping their seats than they are holding Trump's cloven hooves to the fire. The party that pretended to be so concerned about Hunter Biden's paintings and board spot on Burisma are suddenly not so concerned that their leader made $2.2 billion last year alone, mostly through shady cryptocurrency schemes. And that's just the money we know about.

     Yes, corruption has become a spectator sport these days and things like the Hatch Act, the Emoluments Clause in the Constitution and other federal laws are just quaint reminders of a bygone age when the government at least gave the appearance of respecting the rule of law.

     Corruption and complacence, an unshakable sense of its own dominion is what brought down the Roman empire. But at least it lasted for about 1000 years. We're barely 250 years into our own history and if any one man will bring it all crashing down, it's the demented freak sitting behind the Resolute Desk.