All of Us Will Regret Trump’s Support by Billionaires
I’m publishing this series of articles to share and discuss my ruminations on coping with a troubled and messy world. You can “follow” me to never miss an article.
According to Paul Krugman, Billionaires will likely end up supporting Trump even though they will ultimately regret it[i]. Once a dictator is in power, even your wealth isn’t enough to protect you especially all the more one thought it would be. If there are any doubts about this, ask the oligarchs who once supported Putin.
Even though Billionaires have not been exactly suffering under President Biden, the quick and easy answer why they would support Trump is that their Tax situation will benefit even more under him. However, what’s especially disconcerting is that according to Krugman, Billionaires are essentially shielded from the awful things Trump promises to do if re-elected, and thus the Threat he poses to American Democracy. The fact that America would become a much scarier place should matter more than they’d pay less Taxes, but the message doesn’t seem to be getting through. Again, for the most part, they’re remarkably shielded from the World.
There have always been sharp lines of division and distinction between ordinary people and the super-wealthy. But given all of the Divisiveness and Polarization in the Country and World, it’s become even worse.
Postscript
A case in point regarding how bad Divisiveness has become, the New York City School System has become a battleground over what’s taught[ii]. Even though Manhattan, and the surrounding Boroughs, have always been party to heated debates over the nature of Education, they’ve turned especially bitter and ugly in recent days. Thus, even the Bluest of the Blue isn’t free from the kinds of Divisiveness that has plagued the rest of the Country. Primary is what if anything should be taught about Discrimination and Racism.
In the words of Troy Closson, the author of the article:
“Parents have shouted over one another, called one another bigots and made formal complaints about behavior at meetings traditionally focused on issues like school improvements and student achievement. Some parents have filed police reports against one another for harassment. One woman said she was mailed a parcel with feces inside.”
[i] Paul Krugman, “Why Some Billionaires Will Back Trump,” The New York Times, Friday, April 5, 2024, P A21.
[ii] Troy Closson, “Spraying Vitriol, Parents in New York Clash Over What’s Taught,” The New York Times, Friday, April 5, 2024, PP A1 and A16.
Ian I. Mitroff is credited as being one of the principal founders of the modern field of Crisis Management. He has a BS, MS, and a PhD in Engineering and the Philosophy of Social Systems Science from UC Berkeley. He Is Professor Emeritus from the Marshall School of Business and the Annenberg School of Communication at USC. Currently, he is a Senior Research Affiliate in the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, UC Berkeley. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Management. He has published 41 books. His latest is: The Socially Responsible Organization: Lessons from Covid, Springer, New York, 2022.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
