A Is for Angst

Angst — may well be the emotion that breeds much of the Trump-derangement feelings that infects our news media and, seemingly, half of the world  ... and causes instability in otherwise stable people (Mitt Romney?) President Donald Trump is unconventional to a fair-thee-well. When expected to do “A” he does  “B” and drives observers nuts. These people experience such strong anxiety over this unconventional behavior that it makes them angry. “Why can’t this man do what he is supposed to do?”

I’m certain that this quirky behavior drove his parents to pack him off to military school when he was young. Didn’t help. He thrived there (see: Washington Post Article) and this apparently set this behavior in concrete. After college he defied his father once again when he moved his family’s real estate operations to Manhattan and was a roaring success ... with some monumental setbacks .. but, in the end, he prevailed. And this told him that he should follow his gut ... which he has ever since done ... for better or worse.

We know why and who hates The Donald, So, who likes this man? For one, they must have a high tolerance for ambiguity. For two, they must believe that Trump has their best interest at heart. And for three, they must have confidence that this man can keep pulling rabbits out of his hat. His performance on the economy so far reinforces this confidence ... as does his survival of the Mueller witch-hunt. And the more the Democrats chew on this impeachment bone, the better he looks.

I can’t really say I “love” Trump, but I have bought into his agenda and admire his spunk. I believe he has shaken this country out of its winning-the-Cold-War-stupor, our anti-terrorism frenzy ... and made us realize that we were ignoring many serious problems. For this alone he deserves a marble monument. He probably won’t win all his current battles ... after all, half the world is biting at his heels. But he is likely to prevail in enough of them that Americans can wipe that big “L” off of our foreheads and get on with rebuilding our nation into what our destiny has manifested.

Reality

The angst that we are now suffering  is as a result of a clash of weltanschauungs. Trump's is far too close to reality to be tolerated ... therefore he must be destroyed ... or nuts.

Happiness Formula

Happiness occurs when there is very little angst overhanging one's life.

And how does one banish anxiety from one's life?

Approach all potential problems with a smile and a positive attitude ... put on a happy face.

In other words, happiness begets happiness.

(Apparently, for a number of people, alcohol and/or weed also works.)

Angst

You can feel it in the air. The transition from the Obummer presidency to a Trump one is causing quite a bit of angst. It could easily be compared to having an infected tooth pulled. Yes, in a way it is good, but the event itself is a bit traumatizing. After all that tooth has been yours for quite a few years ... and in a way you'll miss it.

I sense this angst is strongest among those who voted for Obummer twice. You know who you are. You see the majority of Obummer's questionable legacy about to be razed by the Trump wrecking crew ... and you naturally believe that, although sub par, it was still usable.  And you are not sure that what will replace it will be any better. In fact, somehow you know it won't be. This conclusion is reinforced by most of the media pundits and your inner political circle who fear, with you, that the Goldwater daisy-petal-picking commercial may be about to come true.

And this anxiety dish is over-spiced by your hero president's small-minded actions during this transition period. Yes, he is still president and his fighting to stay relevant is a tad satisfying. But, you are just a little embarrassed by his pettiness ... and this adds to your angst. Could you have been wrong twice choosing this neato adolescent to run things? No, this next guy is clearly even more puerile! Just you wait and see how he screws things up! But, then again, this thought causes even more heartburn.

And you don't need this stupid blogger bringing all this dreck up! Where is the Pepto Bismol?

Crisis Fatigue Cure

I don’t know ‘bout you (I’m startin’ to elide words like our fearless leader in order to appear more folksy), but I am rapidly fallin’ into a fatigued funk about the United States’ inability to deal with even the tiniest of crises that are floodin’ our world. I don’t think I need list them as they would again sully this blog with more angst. So I’ve decided to put on a happy face to try to counter all the hatin’ and baitin’ goin’ on.

Let’s begin with puppy dogs … cute little puppies that wag their tails incessantly and lick you face with unbridled enthusiasm. Next, how ‘bout a cool rain shower that vanquishes the day’s heat and throws in a double rainbow to boot. Then I’ll go for a root-beer float … made with that old-fashioned root beer tastin’ of sassafras and sarsaparilla with lots a good vanilla ice cream wit’ those flecks of vanilla bean. Followin’, let’s have a bit of big band music … you pick the crooner … I’ll go for ol’ blue eyes. And we can end wit’ a soothin’ nap in a hammock under a wisteria bower.

Feelin’ better? OK, now remember … don’t turn on the TV or read a newspaper for 24 hours. Who’s our president again?

The Liberal Vortex

You sense that something is seriously wrong … most things seem to be out of sorts. You are worried about having enough money to pay your bills, whether your job is secure, how to prepare this year’s tax returns, more global warming, the meagerness of your life savings, what happens if you get seriously sick, and for the safety of your neighborhood. The only thing that relieves this angst is when you watch the nightly news and see President Obama assuring you … against a backdrop of nodding and applauding Americans … that he has your back. He sounds so confident.  He will crush those rascally Republicans and make sure that all of your worries are dealt with by his folks.

Suddenly all your troubles seem far away as you tuck in for the night … until you see the news the next morning and things have gotten worse. The United States is losing on the world stage and many countries are laughing at us. The economy sucks and our national debt seems to be skyrocketing … people are dropping out of the workforce in droves … and no one is proposing a serious cure. Random violence seems to be spreading on our streets and many of our cities are facing bankruptcy. So you fret and sweat through another day … waiting for your President to reassure you on nightly TV that things are getting better. His dulcet tones do it once again as he proposes two new government programs to fix things ... for just a small increase in taxes.  And you feel better anew.

This scenario is repeated daily for five years and, by now, you have gotten use to these mood swings.  In fact you have learned to enjoy them … and love that man who brings up your disposition every day. Finally, in resignation, you turn to the government to solve all your problems … to provide your housing … to feed your children … to entertain you … to give you healthcare and birth control … to insure your retirement … and to satisfy all your other wants.  But be careful … for you have been sucked into the Liberal vortex … and there is no escape. You have sold your soul and you must worship those who now nurture you.

Small price to pay.

Angst Redux

Change produces anxiety.  Radical change produces angst.  Not that change necessarily is bad.  It’s just that its results are not necessarily predictable.  Take Obamacare for instance.  This is a radical remake of the United States’s health-care system … not just the way the insurance process works within it.  Therefore the American people (at least those who are paying attention) are suffering a bout of dyspepsia over this transformation … particularly since much of its consequences clearly have not been well thought through.  

It’s always been a puzzle to me that the Obama-ites are so good at the political processes … planning, polling, message construction, computer systems building, funding, communications, etc. … yet so inept at the policy processes.

Our current administration is fumbling so many fundamental policy issues that those who are watching things justifiably have great concerns.  Viz:

-        Our current handling of the nuclear threat from Iran is gone squishy.  Six months ago we seem to be putting the squeeze on Iran.  Now we are pulling a u-turn much to Israel’s consternation … see: Weekly Standard Story.

-        The United States military is undergoing a radical transmogrification under Obama.  In the last five years 197 top military officers have been summarily removed from their posts … including General Petraeus and General Ham.  For the disturbing details see:  Investors Business Daily Item.

-        President Obama has dramatically expanded the U.S. welfare state … despite his timid talk of entitlement reform.  Obamaphones, EBT cards, Medicaid expansion, etc. are costing tens of billions of dollars more than when he took office … see: National Review Article.

-        The many scandals that the Obama administration is playing Whack-a-Mole to keep off the front pages – Benghazi, Fast and Furious, IRS suppression of the Tea Party, NSA snooping, his extra-Constitutional executive orders involving immigration, global warming, gun control, etc.

-        [Add three or four more here of your own choosing.]

Barack Obama promised “hope and change” in his first Presidential campaign.  In fact he often added the word “fundamental” before the word “change” ... read this rather as "radical"… and he is surely living up to this pledge … a simple recipe for our current national angst.

Not Not No

Of late I have been plagued by a gnawing feeling of angst … and trying to decipher what is at its source. To allay this feeling, I wanted to find what is in disarray in our public space.  Clearly there are excesses everywhere one looks -- huge sovereign debt, not just in the United States but worldwide; rampant drug use; a socially-transmitted disease pandemic (see: Were Number One); a galloping moral permissiveness (mostly centered in the media, Hollywood and Washington); governmental dysfunction at almost every level; parcels of pissant people impinging upon our freedoms; the accelerating crumbling of our time-honored social structures … enough … I’m sure you can easily extend this list.

After some sleeplessness I think I may have a clue as to what is the wellspring of my anxiety … we are rapidly losing our ability to say “no.”  Saying “no” has become a big no-no.  The Republicans are being tarred in the media with the pejorative “The Party of No.”  We are told that everything new should be unthinkingly embraced. Permissiveness is how to be hip.  Saying “yes” (to anything) is what is expected ... and makes one instantly brilliant and popular.

How should we respond if someone, who can’t afford it, applies for a home mortgage?  What do we say to our tween girls who want a personal cache of “morning after” pills?  Should Jon Corzine get away Scott free after his firm “loses” billions of his clients’ money?  Can we allow our government unfettered access to our personal records?  Should we look away when politicians abuse their positions of power … or waste billions of taxpayer dollars?  Mr. Paul Krugman, is it OK to run trillion dollar federal government deficits year after year?  Was Hillary Clinton right, in her Benghazi testimony, when she shouted, "What difference does it make?"  Mr. Ben Bernanke, is it permitted for the Federal Reserve to have printed more than four trillion dollars of new money?

Recognizing this contemporary societal flaw has set me free.  I can now view the world through puce-colored glasses … without being self-conscious.  I can now shake my head from side to side with unfettered abandon.  So the next time I am accused of being a sour-puss and a nay-sayer, I intend to secretly smile to myself.

Dope

It’s fortuitous that many states have now legalized marijuana because our nation is now on a drug jag that is bound to destroy our psyche and our future.  Last night the House passed the Senate’s “solution” to our fiscal-cliff crisis which adds $3.9 trillion more to our already-crushing national debt of $16.4 trillion (see: The Hill Story) … and in the process gives additional tax breaks to Hollywood and NASCAR … and extends unemployment insurance for another 12 months.  

Yes, President Obama looks like a hero to the takers in this country in that he tucked it to the millionaires and billionaires (and the Republicans) … but, in truth, he really punished very few people (except the Republican party) since this “compromise” is allowing the carried-interest tax break to survive for hedge-fund managers … and Warren Buffet.

But since, to the majority of Americans, perception is reality, the stock market is poised to soar … and our former dope-smoking jamoke, Barack Obama, is soaring back to Hawaii to finish his vacation on a high.  I think maybe I might just be tempted to take a toke myself … since this could be the only way I can alleviate the crushing angst I now feel for our country’s future.