Our democracy is rapidly morphing into a dictatorhip and totalitarian government led by incompetent, fools and tyrants like Donald Trump.

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During Donald Trump's appearance at the United Nations he bloated his accomplishments braying, "In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country." That comment was greeted with laughter by the world leaders present. His doting liege, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, chimed in later explaining that they were laughing with him.

This legerdemain act is constantly cycled by Trump's economic adviser-jesters who omit or overlook the real figures reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov) contradicting Trump's exaggerated jobs creation and those participating in the labor force.

But, since the whopping $1.5 trillion tax cut larded out to the wealthiest 1% there has been little investment into rebuilding the nation's infrastructure or in creating more new, well-paying jobs. Also, Trump's senseless tariffs, higher interest rates and slowly creeping inflation are beginning to harm all American families and workers.

So, I compared the Trump 19 months in office through the end of August 2018 until Barack Obama's last 19 months ending in January 2017 when he left office:

1) During Barack Obama's final 19 months in office 208,400 average monthly jobs were created.

2) During Donald Trump's 19 months in office ending August 2018 only 188,600 average monthly jobs were created.

https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0000000001?output_view=net_1mth

These are anemic numbers considering the Republican whopping tax cut that benefited mostly the wealthiest people and corporations. Since the population has grown from 323 million people at the end of 2016 to 328 million people today one would expect more, not fewer, jobs created in this time span since more people should have entered the labor force. But, that has not been the case.

Also, the Labor Force Participation Rate is lower under Trump's custody. The BLS defines this as the sector of working population in the age group (16-64) of the economy currently employed or seeking employment. ... It refers to the total number of people or individuals who are currently employed or in search of a job.

This is an important number to remember because the Trump operatives during the 2016 campaign skewed this number to falsely claim that the unemployment rate was nearly 40%. Trump enthusiastically peddled that distortion and made it one of his key criticisms against the Obama economic policies.

3) When Barack Obama left office in January 2017 the labor force participation rate was 62.9%.

4) At the end of August 2018 under Donald Trump the labor force participation rate was 62.7%, lower than it was when President Obama left office.

Insignificant as that number is, it nevertheless puts the lie to Trump's "roaring" economy.

https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000

5) U.S. Quarterly Major Sector Productivity and Costs: Under Trump economic polices the quarterly growth has been far less than spectacular: Starting in 2017 January-March productivity rose 0.4%, April-June 1.6%, July-September 2.3%, October-December -0.3%. Average annual growth was an anemic 1.0%.

In 2018: January-March 0.3%, April-June 2.9%. averaging 1.6%.

https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/PRS85006092

In 2009, President Barack Obama's first year in office, those quarterly numbers were 4.0%, 8.4%, 6.4% and 5.6% respectively. The annual average productivity equaled 6.1%.

Again, these number magnify the gargantuan lies Trump is spreading proving that the main numbers that have grown during his term in office have been his ego and lies.

When George W. Bush left office in January 2009 the U.S. economy was shedding an average of 800,000 jobs per month. The 2007-2008 recession resulted in trillions of dollars in lost income, bankrupt companies and unprecedented bank collapses that resulted from the Bush-Cheney $1.35 trillion tax cut to the wealthiest 1%, the disastrous subprime predatory loan practices and lax to non-existent regulation.

The Enron bankruptcy and their scandalous accounting firm, Arthur K. Anderson which was also deep into the $4 billion WorldCom fraud during the heydays of the Bush-Cheney failed 8-year term began the domino effect of failures that were exacerbated the $3 trillion wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both remain unfinished, and both were unfunded by the Republican-controlled Congress which used a deceptive tactic called emergency supplemental spending all unpaid for.

Ironically, those same unregulated, "sky's the limit" home appreciation increases required no verification of job or income "NINJA" loan schemes which are coming back in vogue under Donald Trump.

Trump declared 5 bankruptcies during his decades of borrowing and spending other peoples' money. Therein lies the major flaw between Trump as the CEO of his corporate empire and governing as the head of a country. Once you bankrupt the country there are no take-backs or easy and quick loan bailouts.

Much of Trump's indebtedness today is owed to Russian oligarchs and other foreign lenders who conceal their financial and accounting schemes in overseas, offshore banks that avoid reporting income or even paying taxes. No wonder he won't release his taxes because he would probably be spending his remaining years in Ft. Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary for tax evasion and money-laundering. At least then he could have his Wall.

Though the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.9% from 4.8% which it was at the end of Barack Obama's final year in office under Trump employment and jobs numbers are strikingly weak considering the gargantuan $1.5 trillion tax cut but meager wage benefits which barely trickled down to average working people. Most workers' wages have remained stagnant for over 10 years. I am still having a good laugh over Speaker Paul Ryan's touting the effects of the tax cut telling a woman that she could afford a yearly membership to Costco.

Trump has trashed and denigrated every institution in our government including his own Attorney General and the U.S. Constitution which he called in his own words, "archaic" and it is "really a bad thing for the country."

But with few people of integrity or competence remaining in his thinning depraved administration or those willing to stand up to the wrath of Grendl who erupts in a rage at the slightest criticism or perception of disagreement with him, we have reached a critical mass.

What happens after the Wall Street hucksters and casino operators have binged on their whopping tax cut freebies? Predictably, they will go right back to their favorite piggybank: the U.S. taxpayers for more.

The Future of the Supreme Court

"Liberty can have nothing to fear from the judiciary alone, but would have everything to fear from its union with either of the other departments." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 78, 1788

As I write this I'm painfully aware that one of the most biased, partisan right-wing zealots, Brett Brett Kavanaugh, is close to being elevated to the highest court of the nation. There can be no doubt where he stands politically and ideologically after his tirade and torrent of anti-Democratic Party phlegm that poured from his mouth on September 27 Senate confirmation hearing.

Kavanaugh will not confine himself to merely calling the balls and strikes (a line he lifted from the Chief Justice's 2005 confirmation hearings). He wants to write the rules of the game. In fact, that view of government can only be described as Totalitarianism. But, that is exactly why he is the despot Donald Trump's top choice to sit on the highest court for a lifetime appointment.

In Hieromonk Seraphim's review of Alexander I. Solzhenitsyn's 3-volume book, The Gulag Archipelago he writes:

"No civilized man in the West can afford not to read at least part of this great work on life in the 20^th century. It has already achieved, in fact, a certain fame in the free world. But how many can dare to look for long at the stark and bitter reality it describes? The free and easy life of the West is more conducive to sleep than to awareness" until the time comes when we too must face something like Gulag. Solzhenitsyn has told us in advance."

How soon American gulags?

(Article changed on September 30, 2018 at 03:57)

Authors Bio:
Retired. 4 years USAF Air Weather Service, 4 years Accountant Western Pacific Railroad, University of San Francisco, B.A. in English University of California, Berkeley, 38 years National Weather Service. Recipient of NOAA Administrator's Award 2001.