How's It Going, America? Post No. 13

When I started this writing project in May, my first post was an explanation of our decision to sell our vacation home in southern California. That didn't happen quite as quickly as we had hoped - this place has a very short selling season, and now Canadians are almost entirely sellers and not buyers, affecting both the supply and demand side of the local market. But it seems that we are now a couple of weeks away from a sale and the end of this part of our journey is in sight. So how do we feel now?

Well, sad of course. We love this part of California and we have many friends here. Paradoxically though, the end of our time here can't come soon enough, for a variety of reasons. In May I suggested that Americans needed to prepare themselves for the most litigious presidency ever, and that has surely come to be. The amount of Supreme Court docket and hearing time taken up by either Administration appeals or references, or challenges by states and individuals and companies to Administration actions is truly mind-boggling. It seems that Trump cases are almost all they hear. And that doesn't include revenge prosecutions of political enemies, which are only beginning to wind their way towards trial.

There are so many disturbing stories that it's really hard to keep up: Tesla shareholders approved a pay structure for Elon Musk that could see him earn share compensation of up to $878 billion, with a "b", if the company meets its targets. Fortunately as the largest Tesla shareholder by a considerable margin, Musk could guarantee there was little risk that the shareholders would reject the proposal. At the exact same time, the federal government shut down meant that marginalized Americans will probably not receive some or any of their food assistance this month, leading to food banks with empty shelves everywhere. A country that chooses not to care for those at risk of hunger, but shrugs at paying one person $878 billion for his efforts. I know that Elon is special, but really?

A country whose citizens don't seem to understand or care that in a few months they have paid hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs imposed on goods being imported from friendly neighbours, like Canada and Mexico, and unfriendly ones, like China. Regardless of where the goods come from, tariffs have been increased and collected from Americans. And those revenues are going to a government that isn't actually providing services to citizens because it's shut down.

You might think that the reasons for these tariffs relate to important policy objectives or strategies. Maybe they do, but they also exist because we are accused of not doing enough to protect America's borders from illegal drug traffic, as if protecting US borders was our job, and because we were (or rather, the government of Ontario was) impudent enough to run a TV ad which featured the thoughts of Ronald Reagan on the dangers of trade protectionism. In his own words. Being Canadian though, Prime Minister Carney apologized for our bad manners, for embarrassing the current President by using the words of a revered conservative former President. Thanks Prime Minister! Don't apologize on my behalf!

The United States is a country that:

a) uses its navy to obliterate boats (and people) in international waters that it claims are doing illegal things, but without the annoying burden of having to prove that, or even having to present evidence of truth after the massacre takes place and without oversight of any kind, by Congress or anyone else;

b) would mobilize its National Guard to patrol war-ravaged cities like Portland or Chicago, if the courts wouldn't keep telling them to cut it out. Heads up, Supreme Court, this is coming your way! Hey New York, think it can't happen to you? Hah! This is a president who mused, in front of 800 generals and admirals, that US cities, especially the war-ravaged Democratic ones, would be a really great place to train the troops. Train them for what?!?

c) permits an unnamed private individual, reported by the New York Times to be a Trump donor named Timothy Mellon, to give - donate to - the Department of War (cool rebranding, Secretary Hegseth) $130 million to be used to pay its troops during the government shutdown. How exactly does that work? Did he at least get a receipt he can use when he files his taxes?

This is not say that things are going real well in Canada, it's just that the news in America is so much more ... disturbing? Perplexing? Insane? But Alberta and it's populist agenda is back at the top of my list of things to think about. So I will.