What we are witnessing in real-time are a quantity of lies and lying unprecedented in U.S. history. The self-destructing behaviors underlying the entire Trump movement are the exact opposite of what created America's success in the first place. Those being: honesty, hard work, humility, long-term investment, and frugality. All now replaced by the inverse - instant gratification and abdication of responsibility in every direction. Success cannot be inherited, however arrogance is easily passed down. MAGA is now running on the glue fumes of American mythology. Led by Trump, the prodigal son. Who better to take forward false pride cleaved of all actual accomplishment than someone born into that role?
This is what happens when a nation, high on its own crack myth, cultivates ignorance; and pseudo-elites exploit the middle class. Democracy gets hijacked by a demagogue:
Demagogue:
"A demagogue is a leader who gains popularity in a democracy by exploiting prejudice and ignorance to arouse the common people against elites, whipping up the passions of the crowd and shutting down reasoned deliberation. Demagogues overturn established norms of political conduct
Demagogues have appeared in democracies since ancient Athens. They exploit a fundamental weakness in democracy: because ultimate power is held by the people, it is possible for the people to give that power to someone who appeals to the lowest common denominator of a large segment of the population. Demagogues usually advocate immediate, forceful action to address a crisis while accusing moderate and thoughtful opponents of weakness or disloyalty. Once elected to high executive office, demagogues typically unravel constitutional limits on executive power and attempt to convert their democracy to dictatorship."
Among the immediate gratification of EPIC lies - the borrowed economy, the money printed stock market, the reckless abandonment of 70 years of American global economic leadership, the wholly insolvent and environmentally catastrophic "energy independence". The final decimation of the middle class.
The intersection of junk food and junk culture is proving to be particularly efficiently lethal.
In a nation having healthcare costs DOUBLE the OECD average and obesity rates DOUBLE the OECD average. It can come as no surprise that the opioid industry is now scaling up to meet the exploding "demand" generated by a profit-driven deathcare "system" that is no longer solvent.
OECD Health Indicators:
"Risk factors: the United States has the highest prevalence of obesity in the OECD (38% of adults, compared with an OECD average of 19.4%)"
Health spending averages $9,892 per person in the United States, almost two-and-a-half times the average of the 35 OECD countries"
Libertarians call this "consumer choice". Sadly, history won't be kind to that opportunistic view of middle class carbon harvesting. These views now exist merely as a cautionary footnote for how not to run a country into the ground, while worshipping the false god of Ayn Randian pulp fiction. Self-interest conveniently recycled as the *new* morality. About as morally aspirational as two dogs fucking on a lawn.
And compliments of junk culture dumbing down the populace to the level of a fucking brick, we know with certainty, they won't see it coming. Unless South Park has an episode informing the audience they are being sucked dry for corporate profit.
What remains of erstwhile "exceptionalism" is the dollar reserve currency. Which, due to its reserve status, attracts the largest capital flows and hence remains stronger than the majority of other currencies.
That is the primary factor now benefiting "stocks", the greatest bullshit market in human history:
The glaring and fatal flaw in this "greatest bull market ever", is the fact that none of the economically cyclical sectors have confirmed the 2019 rally highs:
“The other thing that’s helped the bull is how poorly the rest of the world’s done. It sort of kept everyone here. If they are going to buy anything at all, they’d buy U.S.” Paulsen said."
What everyone will now learn the hard way from Globalization, is that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
