When will Trump supporters realize they were duped?

[Silver]

Some of them...never. For those who still have ears to hear and eyes to see, check out the following.

http://theantimedia.org/when-will-trump ... ere-duped/

Will Trump Supporters in the Freedom Movement Realize They Were Duped?
January 7, 2018 at 8:39 am
Written by Derrick Broze

What will it take for Trump supporters to admit they were duped like Obama supporters before them?

Killary_The Killer_The Murderer.JPG (95.11 KiB) Viewed 2301 times

(AP) — One of the most surprising (and disappointing) effects of the Trump presidency has been the shift of certain “independent” and ” alternative” media outlets from truth seekers to establishment supporters.

We have seen several once great outlets become part of the divide and conquer put forth by the powers-that-wish-they-were. It’s been one year of the Trump administration and I think it’s quite clear that any perceived benefits are vastly outweighed by the negative actions of the administration. Some indy and alt outlets saw that Trump was a deceiver from the get go, but others somehow fell prey to the deception. Some have since abandoned the Trump train, picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and rejoined the fight for liberty.

Now, of course, there are the diehards who will inevitably stick with Trump through his entire presidential career no matter what policy he takes, even when in contradiction with not only his own words, but with the principles previously espoused by these die hard followers. Just as with Obama (and Bush, Clinton, etc. before him) some of the supporters have such a level of cognitive dissonance that they are literally incapable of having a rational discussion without a flood of emotion and panic which shuts down all reason and critical thinking. It’s best to walk away when you recognize this stage.

However, if you are a Trump supporter and you’re still reading this, I’d like to offer four pieces of evidence showing where Trump has displayed authoritarian behavior. Let me preface this by stating that attempts at defending Trump by claiming “he is only carrying on what Obama did”, or, “it’s not his fault”, etc. will be dismissed outright. However, if you have something substantial – a legitimate reason you can put forth for supporting him – I will consider it. I won’t support him by any means (he needs some serious help), but perhaps I’ll have a more full understanding of my fellow human. So here you go…

The Border is Turning Into a Surveillance and Police State
Under the guise of “border security” and “fighting illegal immigration” the Trump administration has granted the Customs and Border Patrol and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement wide ranging powers which violate constitutionally guaranteed protections (and rights that all people should have). The expansion is not about catching illegal immigrants, but establishing a “biometric wall” with facial and retinal scanning for ALL people leaving and entering, armed surveillance towers, automatic license plate readers, and other forms of surveillance.

The Trump administration is already facing lawsuits over their use of secretive handheld devices which gather biometric data from immigrants. In addition, the authorities have already been stealing people’s phones and laptops. This is only going to increase under the rest of Trump’s presidency and it will expand further and further into the mainland United States. Activist Post has previously reported on efforts to monitor social media and establish a “threat assessment” for all visa applicants.

Trump Administration Supports the Deep State
For all the raving about Trump “draining the swamp” and removing the “Deep State” elements from the CIA, FBI, and federal government at large, the Trump administration is actually fighting to save these elements.

For one, Trump was never an anti-establishment candidate. That’s the same BS the media sells every four years. Second, Trump is fighting to save the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) courts and controversial section 702. According the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Section 702 of FISA “allows the NSA to collect emails, browser history and chat logs of Americans. Section 702 also allows other agencies, like the FBI, to search through that data without a warrant. Those searches are called ‘backdoor searches.’”

Check this article for full details, but suffice to say, the FISA Court is a glaring example of The Deep State. A secret court run by secret judges who interpret the law behind closed doors and who refuse to publicly release their findings or their interpretation. The court is only one of many tools at the hands of The Deep State and the Trump administration is doing its best to allow the program to continue.

Detaining an American Citizen Without Trial/Lawyer for Over 3 Months
For the last three months the Trump administration has been holding an American citizen who is “suspected” of fighting with ISIS in a secret prison in Iraq. Now, I know many Trump supporters will have no sympathy for this man, but that’s my point. He is an American citizen and he has only been accused of fighting with ISIS, not charged because there is a lack of evidence.

Despite the Trump admin’s best efforts, a federal judge recently ruled that the man must be given access to a lawyer. If we let them do this to this man it is only a matter of time before it spreads to other Americans in different situations that might be even less black and white. If we truly value liberty for all people, we must be consistent when standing up for rights of all people or you are a hypocrite.

Trump Administration is Continuing and Expanding Drone Kill List
This is an area where Trump is actually extending a secret program started by the Obama administration. Specifically, the secret kill list and rules which allow for the assassination of American citizens. It may sound like fantasy or “fake news”, but the Obama administration created a secret list of potential targets, including American citizens.

Recent reports allude to the fact that the Trump administration is loosening the already flimsy protections established by the Obama admin. These protections were reportedly put in place to minimize injury and deaths of civilians. Not to mention that Trump has increased the amount of airstrikes in his first year, leading to more civilian deaths than during the Obama administration. I am no fan of Obama, but Trump is definitely the new Drone King.

If you made it this far, please ask yourself what differentiates this man from the last warmonger? Surveillance, police state, war, loss of civil liberties, divisive rhetoric, friends with Goldman Sachs and other banksters, and a defender of the Deep State.

Is this the Trump you voted for? It’s time for the free hearts and critically thinking minds of the world to reject the “independent” and “alternative” media who continue to support the Trump administration. Remember, the enemy of my enemy (or in this case, the perceived enemy of my enemy) is not always a friend. We can defeat the new world order, the deep state, the elite, the ruling class, etc., but we will not do it by believing narratives pushed by the deadstream corporate media and the co-opted alt-media.

We must continue to seek truth and accountability while remaining consistent with our principles and values.

By Derrick Broze / Republished with permission

[Jonesy]

I don’t know exactly why really, but I just like Trump. I’ll say this, too; I’m done with politics! Everyone creates their own story but nobody really knows what’s going on.

[eddie]

I like Trump more and more, he makes us feel american again.

[gradles21]

I didn't vote for Trump but I absolutely love what he's doing for our country. I will be voting for him in 2020.

[Silver]

Called it!

[LeastDisplayOfMind]

I didn't vote for Trump but I absolutely love what he's doing for our country. I will be voting for him in 2020.

Turns out that the best case scenario, Trump hits the MSM while delegating judicial appointments to FedSoc and letting Rao dismantle the regulatory state, is more or less what we got.

I have many gripes but overall have been pleasantly surprised by DJ Trump's first year. We didn't vote for him in 2016, but will likely do so in 2020.

[PressingForward]

Unless a viable candidate actually runs, I’ll vote Trump. Won’t like it, but I’ll do it.

[Silver]

Q: How is it that a flaming liberal can see through the deception better than the so-called conservatives on LDSFF?
A: Because the so-called conservatives have completely forsaken the words of Ezra Taft Benson.

https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2017/12/28 ... n-support/

ARTICLE DECEMBER 28, 2017 AUTHOR: CAITLIN JOHNSTONE1 LIKES2262 SEEN2 COMMENTS
Iraq-Raping Neocons Are Suddenly Posing As Woke Progressives To Gain Support

The invasion of Iraq was unforgivable. It remains unforgivable. It will always be unforgivable. Its architects should be tried in The Hague and imprisoned, and nobody who helped inflict that unfathomable evil upon our world should ever be employed anywhere they could do any more damage or mislead anyone else. All behaviors of the mainstream media, US intelligence agencies and US defense agencies should be viewed through the lens of those unforgivable lies and murders forevermore, and nobody should ever take them at their word about anything ever again.

Instead what has actually happened is that nothing whatsoever has changed since the invasion, Americans still take it on faith that Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad and Kim Jong Un are world-threatening enemies in sore need of ousting, and bloodthirsty psychopaths like Max Boot who have been consistently wrong about everything are still hailed as experts worth listening to.

Oh yeah, and now they’re being adored as progressive heroes.



Boot, who is a PNAC signatory and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, published an article yesterday in Foreign Affairs which perfectly matches the newfound love of progressivism in his neocon soulmate Bill Kristol. The article, titled “2017 Was the Year I Learned About My White Privilege”, details in halting, equivocation-laden prose the months-long journey into awakening that this lying warmonger claims to have experienced during the Trump administration.

This spectacularly evil man, who wrote an essay titled “The Case for American Empire” just weeks after 9/11 in which he called in plain English for America to “unambiguously to embrace its imperial role,” is now seeing his latest essay shared eagerly by Democrats everywhere enthusiastically exclaiming “Look! See? This conservative gets it!”

I’m seeing some progressives arguing that Boot’s sudden public recognition of his white male privilege is intrinsically worthy of praise and acceptance, and that the proper response is to applaud him for it, not spit in his face. These people are wrong. Max Boot did not have some personal epiphany about race and gender dynamics which he felt like sharing in Foreign Policy magazine (the obvious place everyone goes for publication of their enlightening insights into privilege and inequality); Max Boot is courting Democrats because his war-hungry ideology is being increasingly rejected by Republicans.

If you want to see why neocons are courting Democrats with increasing desperation, check out the response to Boot’s latest essay by Fox’s Tucker Carlson, who has come to align with the popular anti-interventionist sentiments of Trump’s base, or Carlson’s debate with Boot on his show back in July:




Meanwhile what have Democrats been doing? Supporting escalations with Russia based on accusations with no evidence that are reported as fact by the mainstream media in the exact sort of manic, violent, fact-free climate we saw in the lead up to the Iraq invasion (an invasion that Max Boot says nobody needs to repent for). Resistance hero Keith Olbermann says he owes George W Bush and John McCain an apology for the times he disagreed with them, and MSNBC’s Joy Reid openly admitted that she prefers people like Boot as allies instead of actual leftists and progressives:

One of the most amazing outcomes of the Trump administration is the number of neo-conservatives that are now my friends and I am aligned with. I found myself agreeing on a panel with Bill Kristol. I agree more with Jennifer Rubin, David Frum, and Max Boot than I do with some people on the far left. I am shocked at the way that Donald Trump has brought people together. [Laughs.]
~ Joy Reid

Reid’s comments are typical of the way the cult of anti-Trumpism has mainstream Democrats swooning over Bush-era neocons like they’re the Kennedys reincarnated instead of a bunch of child-butchering war profiteers. Just check out the top comments under this “Gosh I’m so woke all of a sudden!” tweet by neocon psychopath Bill Kristol:




In reality, nothing Trump has done in his administration so far is anywhere remotely close to as evil as the invasion of Iraq. The fact that hatred of the sitting president has Democrats so desperate they’re not only forgiving the crimes of vestigial Bush neocons but also helping them in their agenda to sabotage any movements toward detente with Russia shows just how brutally efficient the psychological manipulations of the establishment propaganda machine have become.

It was just in 2012 that these same Democrats were laughing along with their president at the Russia fearmongering of Mitt Romney.




Neoconservatism first rose to prominence in the 1970s, and right off the bat one of its key principles was an opposition to detente with the USSR. This never changed. Not when neocons moved from the Democratic party to the Republican party, not when the Soviet Union fell, and not when neocons began migrating back from the Republican party to their old home in the Democratic party. Neocons have always been fixated on the world-threatening agenda of aggressively crushing Russia, and today the Democrats have picked up that flag and run with it right alongside them.

Which is why now we have depraved psychopaths like Max Boot and Bill Kristol acting out the bizarre performance of suddenly woke progressives. Their new Democratic buddies have already helped them resurrect the cold war on the same amount of evidence as was needed to manufacture support for the Iraq invasion, and with a little tweaking they hope to eventually convince them to help satiate their bloodlust in Iran and Syria as well.

The neocons don’t oppose Trump because he is evil, they oppose Trump because he isn’t evil enough. The slight bit of inertia he’s been placing on their death cult has been enough for them to pivot full-scale toward the Democratic party, which they hope to rebuild and lead into power with full sympathy for all the wars on their infernal wish list.



The extremely influential neocon think tank Project for a New American Century’s most well-known publication, “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources For a New Century”, argued extensively in the year 2000 that America’s victory in the Cold War against the USSR means the US must step into a planetary leadership role and maintain that leadership role by any means necessary, including military force.

“As the 20th century draws to a close,” PNAC’s 1997 Statement of Principles reads, “the United States stands as the world’s preeminent power. Having led the West to victory in the Cold War, America faces an opportunity and a challenge: Does the United States have the vision to build upon the achievements of past decades? Does the United States have the resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests?”

The answer to this question came after 9/11: yes, yes it does. The New American Century has seen an immense increase in military interventionism across the globe to ensure the hegemony of the US dollar and prevent Russia and China from climbing the global power ladder unchecked.

That’s all we’re seeing here in Woke Max Boot and Woke Bill Kristol. Neoconservatism has always been an ideology/military-industrial complex war profiteering scheme which advocates bullying and sabotaging all governments that could pose a threat to the planetary dominance of the US power establishment, and lately rank-and-file Republicans have been proving less useful in facilitating that agenda than rank-and-file Democrats. So they’re saying and doing whatever they need to in order to win the approval of the Dems.


And by golly, it sure looks like it’s working.

It’s not okay to be a neoconservative. In a healthy world, being a neocon would carry as much social weight as being a child molester or a serial killer. These people should not be embraced, they should be recoiled from. Always.

Until Democrats turn away from neoconservatism, the fact that they don’t should be pointed to at every opportunity. The correct response when any Democrat tries to tell you about Russia or Syria is “Get out of here with that Saddam-has-WMDs filth, neocon.”

That omnicidal death cult deserves nothing but our most sincere revulsion.

[Silver]

Pride results in secret combinations which are built up to get power, gain, and glory of the world. (See Hel. 7:5; Ether 8:9, 16, 22–23; Moses 5:31.) This fruit of the sin of pride, namely secret combinations, brought down both the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations and has been and will yet be the cause of the fall of many nations. (See Ether 8:18–25.)

Ezra Taft Benson, General Conference, April 1989

[Arenera]

I think the “republicans/conservatives “ like Trump policies.

Most don’t like his Twitter antics, and hope he doesn’t draw us into a war.

[Sarah]

The gadiantons were amongst the Nephites AND the Lamanites. What it looks like to me is that today the Nephites equal the west and all the combinations from the remnants of the Roman empire and papal power down to the latest NWO conspirators. The Lamanites equal the east and everyone lining up on Russia's and China's side in their communist aspirations. There are no good guys, and I see a danger in true freedom lovers ignoring one side and only focusing on the conspiracies of one group.

[Sarah]

And just as the Lamanites overpowered the Nephites in the end, the same will happen to us

[Silver]

And just as the Lamanites overpowered the Nephites in the end, the same will happen to us

Mostly. Christ will not come to a continent empty of valiant Saints when Zion is brought down from above.

[Sarah]

And just as the Lamanites overpowered the Nephites in the end, the same will happen to us

Mostly. Christ will not come to a continent empty of valiant Saints when Zion is brought down from above.

Agreed. Remember the Christian flight to Pella!

[Silver]

The gadiantons were amongst the Nephites AND the Lamanites. What it looks like to me is that today the Nephites equal the west and all the combinations from the remnants of the Roman empire and papal power down to the latest NWO conspirators. The Lamanites equal the east and everyone lining up on Russia's and China's side in their communist aspirations. There are no good guys, and I see a danger in true freedom lovers ignoring one side and only focusing on the conspiracies of one group.

Follow the money. For all the noise about how close the world came to total nuclear destruction during the Cold War, America never attacked Russia or China directly. More people killed in China by Mao's commies than Saddam Hussein, for example, ever killed in his own country or in Kuwait and Iran. Why didn't America go fight for democracy in China? Well, there is something that America has in common with China and with Russia, and that is money.

Of course, we don't use the same currency, but all three countries belong to the IMF and to the BIS (Bank for International Settlements). So as long as a country is copacetic with the money guys at the top of the food chain, it's all one big happy family.

That Russia, China and US are on the same team at the highest levels is what makes the secret combination hard to understand.

Likewise, that the DC Democrats and Republicans are drinking buddies when the cameras aren't pointing at them is what makes ignorant Latter Day Saints vote Republican in such large numbers.

[Silver]

And just as the Lamanites overpowered the Nephites in the end, the same will happen to us

Mostly. Christ will not come to a continent empty of valiant Saints when Zion is brought down from above.

Agreed. Remember the Christian flight to Pella!

The Christian flight to Pella? Which airline is that on? I'd like to give them my business.

[LdsMarco]

Whether people think Trump is a good man or not he was chosen for this time to become president. Why? To reveal the secret works of darkness in order to preserve the land of Zion - The Americas! (2 Nephi 10:11-16). It's just that simple.

[Arenera]

Whether people think Trump is a good man or not he was chosen for this time to become president. Why? To reveal the secret works of darkness in order to preserve the land of Zion - The Americas! (2 Nephi 10:11-16). It's just that simple.

Don’t you think Trump has his own secret works of darkness?

[LdsMarco]

Whether people think Trump is a good man or not he was chosen for this time to become president. Why? To reveal the secret works of darkness in order to preserve the land of Zion - The Americas! (2 Nephi 10:11-16). It's just that simple.

Don’t you think Trump has his own secret works of darkness?

AGAIN, you are missing the POINT! He was chosen to reveal secret works. It doesn't matter if he is good or bad. It amazes me how people miss the whole point on why he is here. Take for example Judas Iscariot. He was chosen, right? He was chosen for a reason

[DesertWonderer2]

Is the USA better off now than before Trump took office? Without a doubt , yes.

[Sarah]

And just as the Lamanites overpowered the Nephites in the end, the same will happen to us

Mostly. Christ will not come to a continent empty of valiant Saints when Zion is brought down from above.

Agreed. Remember the Christian flight to Pella!

The Christian flight to Pella? Which airline is that on? I'd like to give them my business.

LOL! Nice one.

[larsenb]

Some of them...never. For those who still have ears to hear and eyes to see, check out the following. . . . .

When will Silver realized he is trapped by a wholly unbalanced, black-and-white view of Trump? Probably never. He has been in this trap at least as long ago as the start of the Presidential election cycle, late 2015.

[Sarah]

The gadiantons were amongst the Nephites AND the Lamanites. What it looks like to me is that today the Nephites equal the west and all the combinations from the remnants of the Roman empire and papal power down to the latest NWO conspirators. The Lamanites equal the east and everyone lining up on Russia's and China's side in their communist aspirations. There are no good guys, and I see a danger in true freedom lovers ignoring one side and only focusing on the conspiracies of one group.

Follow the money. For all the noise about how close the world came to total nuclear destruction during the Cold War, America never attacked Russia or China directly. More people killed in China by Mao's commies than Saddam Hussein, for example, ever killed in his own country or in Kuwait and Iran. Why didn't America go fight for democracy in China? Well, there is something that America has in common with China and with Russia, and that is money.

Of course, we don't use the same currency, but all three countries belong to the IMF and to the BIS (Bank for International Settlements). So as long as a country is copacetic with the money guys at the top of the food chain, it's all one big happy family.

That Russia, China and US are on the same team at the highest levels is what makes the secret combination hard to understand.

Likewise, that the DC Democrats and Republicans are drinking buddies when the cameras aren't pointing at them is what makes ignorant Latter Day Saints vote Republican in such large numbers.

They might all appear to be on the same team now, but we know at some point the kings of the earth will turn upon the whore, Babylon the Great, and destroy her.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

[Silver]

Rights?! We don't need no stinkin' rights because we got Trump to take care of us.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01- ... hed-border

Police State: Thousands of Americans’ Electronics Illegally Searched at Border

by TDB
Mon, 01/08/2018 - 14:38

Via The Daily Bell

Over 30,000 people had their electronic devices searched without probable cause or a warrant by Customs and Border Protection in 2017. This is a 50% increase from 2016.

Most of the searches took place at airports when travelers were leaving the country. And 80% of those searched were not American citizens.

I happen to think anyone on American soil deserves every protection under the Bill of Rights. But maybe you think foreigners do not qualify for those protections. That still leaves 6,000 Americans who had their rights against unreasonable search and seizure violated by American Customs Agents in 2017.

Imagine the helplessness of having your phone taken by an Agent, and searched without your consent. No suspicion of any crime. No probable cause. Just some thug using brute force to violate your privacy.

In these settings, travelers are powerless. You just want to get home or continue to your destination, but the American police state shakes you down.

Hundreds of traveler complaints about such oppression have now surfaced thanks to a Freedom of Information Request.

Two U.S. citizens and their family were stopped at the Houston airport when returning from a vacation to Guatemala. They reported: “We were separated and individually interrogated . . . including my teenage daughters. All our luggage was searched, all our papers were copied–including newspapers we had picked up in our travels. Our phones and electronic devices (ipad etc.) were taken, searched and all information was copied)–all this without any explanation or accusation. We were advised if we refused such search, that we would be indefinitely detained.” [Complaint dated 01/26/13]

It is quite obvious that these searches violate the Fourth Amendment which says the people have the right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.”

Government agents must obtain a warrant based on probable cause specifically “describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

But a lot of good that has done the American people. The government simply ignores those limitations on their power. They justify it based on terrorism.

The authority agents use to violate Americans’ and foreigners’ rights are directives from the Bush era, implemented after 9/11. But support for the illegal intrusions goes all the way to current top government officials, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who left the agency last year to become Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, said during a June Senate hearing that such searches aren’t routine and conducted only when necessary…

Mr. Kelly suggested last year that border agents may even ask travelers for their social-media passwords and access to their internet browsers.

Last week, Customs and Border Protection released the details about their new policy.

The new guidance makes clear that agents can only examine information stored on the device, not additional data in “the cloud” that can be accessed.

The policy makes clear that while agents can ask for passwords to access a device, the passwords aren’t to be retained in any way.

And the policy sets forth standards for agents to do an “advanced search,” which involves connecting the device to a computer to retrieve and copy information. Under the rules, advanced searches are allowed only if there is “reasonable suspicion” and “articulable facts” to support it, and with the approval of a supervisor. The standards for more in-depth searches hadn’t been spelled out before. No such standard exists for basic searches.

If there are reasonable suspicions and articulable facts, then why don’t they get a warrant? And what happens when an American refuses to give their passwords? Is that now a crime to exercise your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent?

Reading the complaints from interrogated travelers, a picture emerges that contradicts Kelly’s claims. He must have an interesting definition of the word “necessary” to think the behavior of agents is justified.

A U.S. citizen, a freelance journalist who writes for the New York Times and other publications, described demands by border agents at a New York airport for information about his or her reporting: “For three hours I was questioned, my notebooks and camera was taken (to make copies I assume) as was my laptop. I was asked about details of whom I met and interviewed, asked for contacts, telephone numbers, emails and I was physically searched. . . . I believe[] it interferes with my right to privacy and press freedom when traveling becomes a burden and security agents copy my notebooks, photographs, contacts and hard drive. . . . I would like this matter to be solved as soon as possible so I can continue my work as a journalist without being treated as a suspect.” [Complaint dated 10/18/16]

And complaints like this one are why the ACLU has filed a lawsuit alleging violations of the First Amendment in addition to the Fourth.

This illegal authority threatens the freedom of the press and chills freedom of speech. If you know the government will dig through your contacts or scrutinize your social media posts everytime you travel, maybe you will be more careful about what you say and write.

For American citizens and green card holders, it is wise to encrypt your devices before traveling. Then if you are willing to put up with the hassle and possibly hours of detainment, at least agents will walk away with nothing. If you are a foreigner, however, refusing the search may get you denied entry into the United States.

In one complaint, the man who is now a U.S. citizen, says the illegal searches and abuse he suffered under American Customs Agents took him back 29 years to when he left Syria due to similar treatment at the hands of government officials.

My sentiments echo those of one of the complaints, emphasis added.

A U.S. citizen whose family was detained and searched at the U.S.-Canada border lamented: “[M]y children grew up in America and love America but every time my kids and I get detained for no reason they start to question me and ask, Dad, why do we always get detained? They are starting to lose faith in the American system.” [Complaint dated 02/01/12]

[Silver]

Previously, true conservatives would have rejected the idea that the federal government should spend $1 trillion on infrastructure. Now, if Trump proposes more spending, the so-called conservatives just lap it up. What changed?

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01- ... e-problems

No, We Don't Need A Federal "Solution" To Infrastructure Problems

Tue, 01/09/2018 - 09:56

Authored by Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute,

On December 19, an Amtrak train in Washington State killed three people and injured 100 others when it derailed and crashed into traffic lanes on a nearby highway.

The day before, Atlanta's international airport suffered a disastrous power outage:

the whole airport, the world’s busiest, went dark for 11 hours. Thousands of flights were disrupted. For many hours nobody in authority attempted to explain—or even seemed able to explain—what had happened.

Both cases have been used to bolster claims that the US federal government needs to spend more on infrastructure.

In the wake of the Washington derailment, President Trump quickly took to Twitter to call for more government spending:

The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly...

Meanwhile, USA Today declares that the Airport's power outage has "demonstrated" the "nation's state of disrepair."

The assertion that there is an "infrastructure crisis" at all remains quite dubious. As just a recent example, we might note that in his tweet about the Washington State derailment, Trump neglected to mention that the derailed train was making its first run on brand new tracks as part of a $180-million expansion of the train system in the region. It was in no way a result of "crumbling" infrastructure.

But for the sake of argument, let's assume that many railroads, airports, highways, and bridges need repairs, and that governments will be frequently involved in addressing these needs.

But that leaves us with a another question: why is a local bridge a matter of national concern? Why must a New Yorker be taxed to fund a stretch of highway in Boise?

A common response to this is "well, the New Yorker might some day drive through Boise," or "New Yorkers rely on goods via highways that goes through Boise." That's interesting, but it's already in the self-interest of people in Boise to ensure that goods and services can easily travel in and out of the metropolitan area. This is hardly something that needs to be pointed out to local residents and officials by federal bureaucrats.

Moreover, if Boise infrastructure ought to be funded by everyone who might trade with anyone in the region, then the realities of global trade and travel require that people in Tokyo be taxed to pay for a highway in Orlando. After all, those Japanese people might visit Disney World some day! Or they might purchase a good or service that originates in Florida.

States and Cities Already Have More than Enough Wealth to Construct Infrastructure
Also unconvincing is the claim that state and local governments do not possess the resources to fix bridges or build an airport. In a global context, every state in the US is among the wealthiest places on earth.

The GDP of Georgia ($531 billion) for instance, is larger than that of Sweden, which stands at $511 billion. Georgia's GDP per capita ($50,900) places it above that of the Netherlands, and only slightly below that of Austrian and Sweden.

Similarly, the total GDP in Washington State totals $476 billion, which puts its total GDP well above that of Belgium, Austria, and Norway. It's GDP per capita is even higher than that in Georgia, and at $56,800 it is higher than the GDP per capita in Denmark, Singapore, and Australia.

And yet we're meant to believe that the problem of fixing a train track is just too hard for Washington State and its nearly-500-billion-dollar economy to handle.

This, at least, is what Washington DC politicians, and the national news media would have you believe. State governments, local governments, and the private sector all all just too dumb, powerless, or inept to pull off the inscrutably difficult task of building roads and airports. Sure, much smaller, poorer countries in Europe can do this all by themselves, but in North America, everything must be done with the "help" of Washington, DC.

To be sure, it may very well be that local politicians in Washington State or Georgia are too inept to maintain a railroad or an airport properly. Granted that, however, it hardly follows that bureaucrats in Washington, DC, are smarter or more competent. Nor does it follow that throwing more federal money at those already-well-funded state and local governments isn't going to solve the core problem.

Why Everything Is Supposedly a Federal Problem Now
The real reason that every problem is now a federal one is that it's good politics for politicians. It's also often easier for federal policymakers to increase spending than it is for state and local officials.

This is why Donald Trump has continually harped on the issue of infrastructure spending since his campaign. It's an easy way to buy votes and score points with voters by pledging to spend more on infrastructure. After all, everyone wants safe roads!

Unlike state and local politicians, however, Trump can pledge to increase spending on infrastructure (and an endless list of other things) while also pledging to cut taxes — or at least not raise taxes.

As one can imagine, this is a great place to be politically.

Trump and other federal politicians can get away with this because of the ease of increasing and sustaining deficit spending at the federal level.

State governments, on the other hand, often erect legal barriers to deficit spending.

In the US, 49 out of the 50 states have some form of balanced-budget mandate. In some cases, this mandate is merely in statute, but in 45 of them, the balanced-budget requirement is actually written into the state constitution. This means that in order to increase spending, debt must be explicitly increased, or taxes must be increased. A report from the National Council of State Legislatures states:

In some states that lack explicit language requiring a balanced budget, a generally observed practice of doing so is based on a limitation of state debt, interpretation of other statues or traditional practice. ... [T]wo points can be made with certainty. Most states have formal balanced-budget requirements with some degree of stringency, and state political cultures reinforce the requirements.

The political culture in DC, on the other hand, is one in which the national debt continually grows and deficits occur year after year after year. In Washington, the attitude is "why do things the honest way (i.e., openly raising taxes) when you can just run deficits and heap a greater tax load on future generations?"

This habit of pushing more and more debt is also facilitated by the existence of a central bank that is willing to buy up federal debt while forcing down interest fates to keep debt payments low.

State and local governments, of course, can't do this. Were they to continually pile on more and more debt, they would in most cases have to pay higher interest on their debt in order to find enough buyers. Interest payments would eat up state revenue, creating political problems for politicians.

The other dimension to this is the inflation tax. As the central bank buys up federal debt, it often does so with newly created money. This taxes holders of US dollars who now have less purchasing power. This is a form of taxation, of course, but since few taxpayers see it as taxation — and since the rate of taxation for each household is essentially impossible to precisely calculate — it becomes a politically feasible means of exploiting the taxpayers without having to explicitly raise tax rates.

States which lack central banks must raise taxes the old fashioned, non-stealthy way. As Ludwig von Mises pointed out, raising taxes out in the open is politically unpopular, and it's always more attractive to elected officials to raise tax revenue through other means, such as through inflation.

Not surprisingly, we see that in recent years, federal spending as outpaced state and local spending.

Since the dot-com peak of 2000, federal expenditures have increased 116 percent at the federal level. For all state and local governments combined, however, expenditures have increased 89 percent.

The real story, here, though, is in debt levels. According to an analysis from the Tax Foundation, the the highest per capita debt level among the states is found in New York where state and local governments owe $17,400 per capita.

All other states (including the local governments therein) have smaller combined debt totals. The per capita debt in Texas, for example, is $10,400.

All of these numbers — which are from 2012 — pale in comparison to the total US debt load per capita. Using 2012 numbers for US debt, we find that federal per capita debt was around $51,000, or nearly three times that of the most indebted state. (As of 2016, this number is closer to $61,000).

Meanwhile, few voters seem terribly concerned about these debt levels at the federal.

So, why go through the trouble of raising state and local taxes to repave a highway, when the federal government can just "solve" the problem with newly-printed money and more deficits? Just declare any problem to be a national problem, and then spend away.