Damage from executive arrogance

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

For more than 100 years, the executive branch of the federal government has made outlandish pronouncements and promises that, later, led to disasters. By executive branch, I obviously mean the president. This is not a group exercise (or at least it isn’t supposed to be). Harry Truman made that clear with his desk sign “The Buck Stops Here.”

Let’s review some in case your history is a bit rusty.

President Woodrow Wilson gleefully donned the mantle of Great Savior and went to Paris in late 1918, early 1919 with his “14 Points.” He foolishly claimed his “League of Nations” would stop all future wars. Twenty years later, Germany invaded Poland and the worst war in history was launched.

Herbert Hoover thought he could ignore the Great Depression. That didn’t work, and consequently, he handily passed the presidency to Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt brought in socialist ideas that are still costing us money and wrecking society.

Truman created the CIA, which has been tearing up governments, often democratically elected governments, around the world ever since. Truman barely had a chance to start down this path, but the grandfatherly Dwight Eisenhower, with the aid of the Dulles brothers, supercharged the CIA.  

We are still cleaning up his mess in places like Guatemala and Iran.

Johnson’s Great Society has nearly wrecked parts of the economy. Don’t forget Presidents Johnson and Nixon policies killed 58,220 young Americans in South Vietnam. Of course, Nixon went on, feeding his ego, by opening up China and adopting the “one China” policy with respect to Taiwan. We haven’t seen that completely play out yet, but it is coming. 

Clinton ignored the terrorist threat from the Middle East. He was having too much fun playing around in the Oval Office.  

Then George W. Bush may have gotten overzealous about clamping down on the Middle East. Invade Afghanistan? Had he not seen what they had done to Russia in the 1980s?

Obama’s anger at America and his identity politics have left us mistrusting each other ever since.

Trump’s mouth. Need I say more? All the good deeds in the world cannot overcome insults.

And then there is Biden. Transparently, he is spending our money anywhere and everywhere to buy votes. He is ignoring the Supreme Court. He has weaponized the Department of Justice. And remember what I said about the executive branch not being a group exercise (see opening paragraph)?  

The Biden administration has indeed made the office a group exercise, which may be the most dangerous development of all.

Consider your choice very carefully this fall.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press. He may be reached at jthompson@taii.com.

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