Regarding Reality

Two Conflicting Narratives - One Nation in the Balance

Preface

Roughly 10 minutes into nearly every conversation I’ve had over the past 11 months—excluding my wife and kids, who have banned the topic—someone drops a political grenade, “Is this still America?” Without exception, no definitive answer is forthcoming. We look down, offer excuses, chuckle nervously, speak of embarrassment, and within another 10 minutes, move on to a less perplexing subject … leaving a small, lingering fret, dangling in the air: “Should we move to Switzerland?”

Of course, maybe I’m talking to the wrong people. There seem to be a fair amount of other opinions. Some talk about an upcoming Golden Age.

Undeniably, after almost a year of head-scratching, the implied question, What's happening to our democracy?, seems to deserve a reasonable effort; definitely more than 10 minutes (probably 45, you'll need some coffee). A thorough investigation of the subject felt pressing. I gave up resisting. 

The following treatise considers a multitude of quotes, news articles, books, lectures, posts and postulations (it seems a good deal of people felt equally pressed). Not one to suppose I have answers, I am simply summing-up, condensing collective wisdom, and outlining a path forward.

While addressing such a politically-charged query, I am eager to diminish any thoughts of party allegiance. Confessing a significant aversion to our two-party system, and their associated spinners-of-yarn, my emphasis is on our collective future. You shall hear little mention of Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal.

In the course of checking our self-governing temperature, regretfully, generalizations were inescapable. I’m referring to the type of inferences that require one to say things like, “Americans are patriotic.” Certainly, all Americans are not patriotic, but it’s probable there are slightly more patriotic folks than nay-sayers. Where generalizations were necessitated—otherwise, I’m writing a book of clarifications—I have tried to err on the side of most-likely.

Finally, while attempting to snatch fragments of certainty from a whirling hurricane of contradictions, it seems much of the answer to our question has been found in the settled dust of reality. Thus, reality is where we shall start … and where we shall end.*

*Speaking of the end, the Appendix at the conclusion of your read contains disturbingly relevant information, crucial to our line of reasoning. We recommend it.

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The Superstore

Reality is just what refuses to go away when you stop believing in it - Philip K. Dick

Headed to a more-northern destination, my wife and I recently drove through the town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Like any beach megalopolis of the south, we encountered the colorful pancake houses, seafood buffets, putt-putt courses, and arcades (each betraying the quality and respectability reminiscent of a Ford Pinto). Occasionally, we’d note something uniquely classless (the Gay Dolphin comes to mind). About 12-miles in—like seeing a Ripley’s Believe It or Not inside a Ripley’s Believe It or Not—we came auto-to-face with the ultimate bizzaro: The Trump Superstore.

Plastered with signs and banners—God, Guns, Trump; Jesus is My Savior, Trump is My President; Trump Country, Love It or Leave It; Ain’t Nothin’ Finer Than Jesus, Sweet Tea and Trump—we slowed to a crawl, and gaped in presidential-wonder. Instinctively, my mouth uttered the most bewildered expression it could come up with, “What in the world?!”

Peering in, we discovered Trump mugs, glassware, bobbleheads, license plates, keychains, magnets, T-shirts, tote bags, garden gnomes, rubber ducks, bathing suits, and of course, the ubiquitous red baseball caps. It was all there, in expansive, glorious, Elvis-style homage. 

Staring at this extravagantly-branded allegiance to Donald Trump, quite unexpectedly—one could say, in a Myrtle-Beach-epiphany sort of way—a remarkably obvious thought crossed my mind: It’s possible Trump could be the best thing that ever happened to our democracy (as the Trump Superstore, and Donald Trump, raucously assert); OR, Trump could be our worst, tawdry, less than third-rate, Ford-Pinto, Ripley’s-Believe-It-or-Not absurdity (one to be quickly relegated to shoddy, absurd history). 

What follows is an exploration of vastly incompatible persuasions, and the implications thereof. Granted, there are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of nuanced perspectives surrounding Donald Trump and the state of his democracy. Fortunately, Trump has given us little wiggle-room for nuance: “Nobody’s ever done a better job than I’m doing as president.” Either his daring assertion is true—and The Trump Superstore ought to be expeditiously franchised—or, well … let’s just say the Emperor’s New [Myrtle-Beach] Clothes comes to mind. Either way, our conclusion ought to illicit some kind of response (something other than doing nothing).

Depending on your opinion of Ford Pinto’s, Ripley’s Believe It or Not and naked presidents, what ensues may offend, alarm, inform, prod, or at a minimum, scare the democracy out of you … possibly all five. Ultimately, we hope to suggest a way forward when a culture seems to be living two wildly different realities—each intellectually allergic to the other; each recommending a vastly different trajectory for American democracy.

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Real People, Real Quotes, Real Confused

Some people create their own reality. The rest of us have to live in it - Unknown

Friend

Navigating a crowded grocery store, I encountered an old friend. We warmly eyeballed each other, and with a grin, his first words were: “Hey, did you go see the President today?!” He was referencing an earlier-in-the-day visit Donald Trump had made to our hurricane-traumatized city. It was obvious my old friend had seen the President and seemed eager for me to share his enthusiasm. I didn’t, and told him so. He grimaced and quickly shifted to a defensive posture, responding in earnest, “You know, Trump’s a Christian … he comes from a very godly family.”

Sportscaster

Responding to a comment about Trump during a TV interview, sportscaster Bob Costas commented: “He is by far the most disgraceful figure in modern presidential history … You have to be in the throes of some sort of toxic delusion, in a toxic cult, to believe that Donald Trump has ever been, in any sense, emotionally, psychologically, intellectually or ethically fit to be president of the United States.”

Virginian

A gentleman from Virginia brought his family to Trump’s military parade back in June. The father, speaking to a reporter from The New Republic, said the parade sent a positive message to young men, many of whom, he thought, had lost their way. “These young boys are looking for a father figure. And currently, there really are no father figures, a lot of fatherless homes. And that’s the reason Trump has gained so much popularity in the younger community.”

Mainer

In an opinion piece to the Bangor Daily News, Stephen McKay wrote, “Donald Trump’s return to power provides what I see as a distinctive model of character and leadership for America’s youth to emulate. The core tenet is, always put your personal interests above all others. Use threats and intimidation to control anyone who would challenge you. When they are cowed, you win … they lose. Empathy and any kind of service [to others] is for suckers and losers.”

Humanitarian

In a conversation with a reporter, questioning Trumps integrity, the director of an international humanitarian organization, Franklin Graham, shared this insight: “He is not a liar… No, he may get some wrong information from a staffer, he may get some facts twisted up sometimes, but he’s not purposely out there lying or misleading people… Donald Trump is a truth-teller.”

Historian

In an interview with a reporter, presidential historian Michael Beschloss said, “I have never seen a president in American history who has lied so continuously and so outrageously as Donald Trump, period.”

Trump Loyalist

Wearing a “Trump 2024 the Sequel” cap, a Trump rally attendee declared, “I trust him and I totally trust his cabinet. People just need to have a bit of patience. Our country was ruined over the past four years. I totally believe he loves America. He loves us and he’s doing it … He’s making our country great again.”

Democratic Senator

In a press release, Senator Chris Murphy offered this: “If you connect the dots, if you allow yourself to see the whole story, the totality of this story, you will see the grave danger that we are in… The authoritarian takeover isn't coming. It's here.”

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Walmart

Reality continues to ruin my life - Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson

Based on my small sampling of quotes—and the daily news—we would not be wrong to say, “Donald Trump draws unparalleled devotion and alarm, in equal, alternate-reality measure.” Amid the dueling narratives, one can’t help but wonder: Is this a thriving democracy, or a nation of confused Walmart shoppers?—millions purchasing caseloads of Miracle Don, chugging it as fast as they can, believing it will cure all ailments; millions seeking injunctions to permanently remove it from the shelves, confident it is poison.

Unsurprisingly, audiences outside the U.S.—who happen to read, see and hear a less-Americanized version of America—possess a unique, relatively homogenous assessment of the situation. David Behrens, a columnist for The Yorkshire Post, has summed up the international perspective in this way: “[Trump] is venal and amoral, narcissistic and petty; none of this is in dispute. Four years ago he tried to overthrow the government and made no apology. We in Britain—and most of the rest of the world—deplore and ridicule him, but America applauds him. They knew who he was and they voted for him anyway . . . the result is that rational Americans are now a minority—a nation to which we once looked up, has made itself almost a rogue state.”

Viewing American politics through an unclouded ideological lens can be informative. Lest we forget, our former allies have noted the following realities:

One-year-ago, seventy-seven million Americans …

• Elected to the U.S. presidency a man with 88 criminal charges, 27 sexual assault allegations, and 3 wives (two former, one current), all of whom could pen He Cheated on Me memoirs repulsive enough to keep airport bookstores in business for a decade.

• Entrusted (again) a very complicated system of government to a man who bragged “I don’t have time to read books,” and said things like, “I’m very highly educated. I know words; I have the best words.”

• Gave their full support to a man with a well-documented history of lowbrow, vulgar, hate-filled rhetoric (In reference to undocumented immigrants: “These aren’t people, they're animals”).

• Elected a pathological liar—one who comically lies about lying, “I’m the most honest person you’ll ever meet”—to govern a country rooted in truth and law.

• Hand-picked a defiant, nobody-tells-me-what-to-do—who refuses accountability and ignores rules he doesn’t prefer—to direct a government intentionally regulated by negotiation and compromise.

• Chose a man with a long history of financial failures—who boasts, “I know more about money than anybody”—to oversee their national bank account.

• Elected a man with a endless history of frauds: Trump University fraud, Trump Foundation fraud, inflated assets frauds, multiple tax frauds, and dozens of pending lawsuits, suing for—you guessed it—fraud.

• Chose a self-proclaimed stable genius to be the national role model (“Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest—and you all know it! Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure. It’s not your fault.”).

• Appointed a president who exhibits textbook narcissistic and sociopathic behaviors (see above and review clinical descriptions in Appendix).

Based on these—and other red flags visible from space—the free world is wondering: What kind of country elects a man who couldn’t get a JOB at Walmart? 

According to David Behrens, a stupid one.

Author’s Note: Trump fails every core standard Walmart requires: a clean background, honesty, integrity, humility, respect for others, reliability, and professionalism under pressure. His felony record, dishonesty, arrogance, bullying behavior, and disrespect for others disqualify him from a job most high school students, and 80-year-olds, could perform.

A caution to the reader: If none of the above resonates with you, brings you pause, or gives you the willies, you should probably stop reading. What lies ahead will further offend, and most likely, send you into a tailspin of denial.

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Seriously, Americans support Trump?

Reality is a mirror that never lies. Americans spend their lives

avoiding their own reflection - Unknown

Behrens conclusion is problematic: How on earth can most of the free world effortlessly grasp the folly of supporting a dangerous incompetent like Trump—like noticing Shaquille O’Neal is tall —while we Americans can’t seem to fathom our own intellectual bankruptcy? And more to the point, what does this mean for our democracy?

Before we attempt to answer these poignant questions—and before defensive mechanisms kick-in—a definition is in order.

“What do we mean by stupid?” Conventionally, a disparaging term suggesting a complete lack of intelligence—“You stupid moron, on a good day, you could be outwitted by a slice of toast”—we are applying a more-academic interpretation. According to clever people who write dictionaries (who choose not to belittle others), a stupid person is someone who exhibits a persistent pattern of poor decision-making, often resulting from: 1) a deficiency in critical-thinking skills, 2) insufficient access to education and/or 3) underdeveloped cognitive faculties. Straying from the traditional stupid, the concept of a fixed and inherently dimwitted individual, our stupid is a symptom of unrealized, suboptimal intellectual development. 

So if we were to agree with independent consultants (the free world), who suggest, “Americans are stupid for electing Trump again”, we would be suggesting “stupid Americans” are actually those who exhibit suboptimal intelligence. Although given the quality of the chap in question, a gracious verdict, labeling 77-million people of a sovereign territory as suboptimal may be a particularly harsh and sweeping judgement. You’ll be happy to know we are just scratching the surface. Further analysis may demonstrate a much more complicated, layered, and uniquely American psychosis. One we all share.

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The Math

Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas - Albert Einstein

Thus far, we’ve been referencing an observation, “Rational Americans are now a minority.” In support of global perspectives, reasonable mental health and Walmart employability, Behrens seems to have a credible argument. In support of national pride, let’s do the math: How many Americans are actually suboptimal? (the criteria of which, for this treatise, is based on unabashed support for a self-serving, swindling time bomb).

A hotly-contested race, most Americans noticed there were only two choices in the 2024 American election: bad and off-the-charts awful. Of 244 million voting-eligible Americans (of which only 63.9% voted, in and of itself, a sign of suboptimal intelligence), 31.6% voted for off-the-charts awful; just enough to swing the electoral college.

Of the 31.6 % who voted for Trump, we ought to consider, account for, and—to extend some form of intellectual grace—subtract: 

1. Those who despised Democrats (and therefore assumed the election was about, not electing a Democrat).

2. Those who always vote Republican and were therefore, required to vote for Trump.

3. Those who couldn’t swallow electing Kamala Harris (not a small number).

4. Millionaires and populist groups (who, knowing Trump, figured he would rocket-boost their tax breaks and their agendas).

5. Anti-establishment groups who preferred to blow up the system and figured Trump could do it.

6. Those who equated democracy with weakness, and saw a faint glimpse of something dictatorial in Trump.

7. Conservative voters with passionate who-cares-about-the-character-of-a-president agendas (who, rather than voting for Trump, thought they were voting for guns, pro-life, capitalism, the moral high ground, etc.).

With #’s 1-7 deducted, who’s left? Those who actually believed a seriously flawed con man could, “Make America Great Again.” Guesstimating, that translates to about 10% of the voting public. Therefore, we can semi-confidently say, “Only 24 million Americans gave the impression of being seriously deficient in critical thinking skills.”

Although this sounds like reasonable logic—and is rather comforting (“Hey, only 10% of us are suboptimal!”)—recent polls, if they are to be trusted, contradict these consoling assumptions. As of this research, (November, 2025), approximately 44% of voting-eligible Americans were supporting Trump and his policies. Assisting you with the math, that’s 107 million of us (more than actually voted for him in 2024). Despite our patriotic attempts to minimize bleak, just under half of us are offering moral support to someone who is unqualified to slip on a blue vest. 

What’s going on here? Why are an indecent chunk of Americans still supporting a remarkably obvious, one-decision-away-from-disaster incompetent?:

• A percentage of #'s 1-7 are likely still buttressing Trump? "When I hear him talk, he's very patriotic, very 'America First' and I like that" (anonymous college student. 2025).

• Mission accomplished? “I think he’s great. He’s getting rid of all the immigrants and they shouldn't be here!” (Anonymous supporter, 2025). 

• Fear? “The Democratic Party’s main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals” (Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, 2025).

• Apathy? "I'm not into politics. I'm pretty much unaffected by all the drama ... overall it seems like things are going pretty well. I'm good with Trump." (Anonymous college student, 2025).

• Media spin? “Rather than being tepid and timid in the way of executing the mandate and the will of the people, he is showing us what authority looks like” (Emily Compagno, Fox News, 2025).

• Superhero fame? “Trump is like a golden god in his mind and in the minds of many of his supporters: a superhero, able to do things that no other human can do. In the eyes of his supporters, Trump possesses extraordinary powers that are wielded for good and against evil ... He’s also famous." (Dan McAdams, Professor of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, 2025).

  
  

  

  
  

• Strongman claims? “President Trump is making America safe again.” (Department of Homeland Security, 2025)

• Christian nationalism? “He is our greatest champion of faith of any President that the United States of America has ever had. Just think that prayer, worship and doing good works is welcomed back into the White House.” (Paula White, Senior Advisor, White House Faith Office, 2025).

• Policy alignment? “They want to destroy America. We want to save America.” (Donald Trump, 2025). 

• Hatred? [Trump] resonates with many of our people … and white, middle America, which has been seething for many years.” (Don Black, Former KKK grand wizard, 2016).

• Laziness? Americans may be allergic to facts and the nominal work required to discover them—i.e. “Prices are way down” (Donald Trump, November, 2025).

Most likely, when considering Trump veneration, all of the above factor-in. Of course, it’s conceivable America’s supportive 44% could be explained by additional realities:

• We rank 15th out of 24 developed nations in adult literacy (OECD data). If it helps to compare, South Korea, the country next to North Korea, is 14th. Low information literacy—the inability to understand that Greenland is not for sale or concede the U.S. Constitution does not endorse dictatorships—is a very American problem. We prioritize media literacy (“Did you see Spiderman 8?”) over intellectual literacy.

• Only 47% of us can name all three branches of government (Annenberg Public Policy Center, 2023). This is slightly incriminating.

• 75% of us cannot locate Israel on a map (YouGov, 2022). Not up-to-par on geopolitical boundaries, this may cause some to believe the Gulf of Mexico can be renamed on the whim of an ill-informed president (along with other geopolitical falsehoods).

• 25% of us believe the sun revolves around the earth (National Science Foundation, 2018). Finding themselves at the center of the galaxy, some may have a difficult time trusting scientists or reality.

Suboptimal, moneyed, conservative, anti-establishment, uneducated, and so forth; all point to broad swaths of the populace, a credible percentage of whom are not-quite-crystal-clear on differentiating between a constitutional president and a corrupt loose cannon; seemingly unaware or heedless of Trump’s toxicity, his fraudulent batting average, or his personalized view of reality. Summarizing these distinctions, we are likely contending with a formidable, uniquely American, danger-to-democracy proclivity. What may be at the heart of our on-going Trump support and his version of democracy? Deeply embedded in our patriotic DNA, a substantial number of us are gullible. 

An example from American history, which appears to be playing itself out again (times 50), may prove helpful. Hang with us here. This could be distastefully insightful.

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The Mormons

Joseph Smith made stuff up - Former Mormon 

Born in 1805 in upstate New York amid a wave of hyper-religious revivalism and superstition, Joseph Smith received instruction in the ancient art of the con. Under the tutelage of his father, Smith learned the exacting craft of divining rods and “seer stones,” predicting the whereabouts of hidden treasure (the goal of which was not discovery, but deception: exploiting the hopes of the unwary, who paid handsomely to dig treasure-less holes in the ground). 

Not one to hoodwink on a small scale, and recognizing treasure-less holes could only take you so far, Smith had larger aspirations: At the venerable age of 14, he received a shocking message from God: “All existing churches are false.” 

Seven years later, Smith followed his teenage revelation with another shocker: An angel named Moroni visited him, told him where to dig up some golden plates, and strongly suggested these plates contained the new and improved only true religion. Although no one actually saw them, Joseph claimed to have the ability to decipher the hypothetical plates, spending several months not looking at them, but instead sticking his face into a hat, staring at a seer stone, and receiving a scrolling message (like watching words appear from left to right across a tiny geologic screen). His new doctrine, based on 588 pages of rock-inspired theology and portrayed as a companion text to the Bible, contained references to Jesus, Native Americans … and Israelites who somehow migrated to North America. His “Make America Great Again” themed religion—boasting of a new promise land, Jeffersonian self-reliance, and the manifest destiny of Americans ushering in the 2nd coming of Christ—was to be headquartered in Independence, Missouri, and he was to become its charismatic, only-I-receive-dispatches-from-God leader.

Steeped in folk magic and eager for fresh, self-gratifying spiritual experiences, locals gobbled-up Smith’s American-centric revelation. His new religion required members-only underwear; claimed adherents would one day inherit celestial planets; declared the actual Garden of Eden to be located in Missouri; boasted of a new Jerusalem to be built by American saints (also in Missouri); and among many other contradictory platitudes, legalized polygamy (Joe collected over 30 god-ordained spouses, including other men’s wives). 

Smith’s enthusiastic followers eventually settled in Utah . . . and hoped God might be willing to move his new headquarters out west. 

Fast-forward about 200 years, and the Mormons—affectionally self-identifying as the Latter Day Saints—are now 6.9 million Americans strong. If not categorized as a cult, Mormons rank 5th among U.S. religious traditions.

Author’s Note: By definition, a cult: 1) offers some “new” information that promises to transform followers; 2) is founded by a charismatic individual claiming “special” truth; 3) requires obedience to the leader; 4) utilizes isolation, manipulation and fear to control its followers; 5) demands loyalty; 6) champions an “Us vs. Them” mentality; and 7) punishes those who do not comply or are considered disloyal (shunned, harassed or terminated). 

For critics (and people who value facts), Smith remains one of the most successful religious fraudsters in American history, utilizing his religious claims to gain wealth, justify his sexual appetite and control his followers. To his credit (sort of), Smith possessed a singular insight that propelled him to cult-superstardom: he knew—as Mr. Trump does—some of his fellow Americans were, and still are, incurably gullible.

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Gullible

It’s easier to fool people than to convince them

they’ve been fooled” - Mark Twain (or someone else)

We would not be wrong to label today’s Latter Day Saints as suboptimal worshippers:

1) for failing to examine Smith’s personal life, noting his troubling background, deceit-driven patterns, and frequent revelations (suiting his lust for power and women); and 2) for failing to employ critical thinking skills, observing many of Smith’s claims to be, not only ridiculous, but impossible. But stupid, in its pure academic form, doesn’t fully explain the Mormon predicament.

Gullible—also in a non-contemptuous framework—seems to do the trick. Although both words convey cognitive tendencies, gullible implies a general penchant for believing whatever you’re told. While a stupid individual may drive blindfolded because he doesn’t like driving in traffic jams, a gullible person is sitting in the passenger seat and smiling . . . because the driver told him he knows a shortcut. 

Gullible adults (in our example, Mormons), tend to believe things too easily, without sufficient skepticism or doubt. Their simplistic innocence, though appealing in young children and household pets, can lead to disastrous realities. Gullible human beings may not only believe goofy and outrageous lies, but may likely: surrender their own personal beliefs and goals; give up hard-earned cash; lose their personal identity; be cut-off from more-than-obvious facts; or, in support of the fairy tale, commit acts of righteous violence—actions consummated by both Mormons and an easily-deceived horde of January 6th participants.

To be fair, Mormons and MAGA—and the entire human race—are delivered into this world cocooned in both suboptimal and gullible. Unaided by effort or attention, humans would remain in a permanent state of ignorance, swaddled in a reality devoid of truth and flourishing (a life of seer stones and Fox News). We require other entities—preferably, wise parents, a level-headed culture, and robust educational institutions —to overcome our very natural, suboptimal selves. An individual who has developed critical thinking skills, a reasonable grasp of reality, a healthy skepticism, emotional maturity and basic information literacy, possess the capacity to make sound judgments (commonly called wisdom) and avoids suboptimal/gullible behaviors … or attacks on the U.S. Capital with sticks and stones.

By any measure of any society, the American version of Homo sapiens can be woefully deficient in most of the above (wisdom). Intuitively—if you’re one of us—this is not exactly news. We Americans can be both suboptimal and gullible, cocooned in unrealized intellectual potential and believing whatever we’re told. South of the country with better health care, north of the country with a solid work ethic, it’s a problem.

Authors Note: Full disclosure. In my short lifespan—whether inadvertently attempting to burn my neighborhood to the ground, or believing swallowed gum would stay in my stomach for 7 years—I have mastered suboptimal and gullible. Although I write from a place of experience, optimistically—with the aid of family, friends, and reading—I continue to minimize these tendencies.

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The Gullible American

This is not the Republic of my imagination - Charles Dickens

Somehow, we Americans out-rank every nationality on the planet in the art of being easily deceived. Statistically speaking, the U.S. mass-produces gullible. A few examples may be pertinent:

• The U.S. fabricates more cults than any other nation in the world … ever. To date, cult-analysts suggest figures in the 6,500 range. In Field of Dreams lingo, it’s like saying, “If you can dream it up, Americans will believe it.”

• Along with cults, the U.S. ranks #1 in successful Ponzi schemes and scams. We possess a deep affection for grifters, eagerly swallowing their spin if it incorporates a financial edge or an “exclusive offer “(in 2024, Americans lost $12.5 billion to fraud).

• Gullible Americans spend more on porn—the industry promising sexual fulfillment—than any other nation in the world (in 2024, over $21 billion). Contrary to scientific research, common sense, and a large number of religious traditions, we tend to believe (more than anyone else) sexual addiction will deliver happiness.

• Sports betting firms, betting on an abundance of gullible Americans, sell the idea that simple-minded sports fans can predict the future (in 2024, the industry generated $13.7 billion in revenue from our ripe-for-the-picking sports fans).

  
  

  

  
  

• Our entertainment industry delivers a colossal diet of theatrical material bearing no resemblance to reality (think, Real Housewives or The Da Vinci Code). For a minuscule Netflix fee, we indoctrinate gullible.

• Advertisers unashamedly design TV ads for a breathtakingly gullible public: “Take Zimboku and you’ll be bursting with health … while we gloss over 30-seconds of whispered, terrifying side effects.” Pharmaceutical companies are the tip of the iceberg. Ninety-nine percent of American TV commercials are a masterclass in patronizing the gullible (OK, maybe 95%).

• While smartphone companies tell us, “Always know where your child is,” one in four American parents respond by handing their 8-year-old child a smartphone. Fearful, gullible parents convince themselves they’re simply paying for a security service. 

• Unregulated news outlets—who say whatever they want without the bothersome worry of accountability or fact-checking—foster a less-than-robust culture of easily-deceived zombies. Producing alternate realities at warp-factor-ridiculous, many Americans are effortlessly gaslit, too gullible to fact check, and proud of it.

Author’s Note: As if my bullet points needed further reinforcement, immediately after writing the above list—no kidding—an article arrived in my email. (Durham NC) “Religious leader scams $50 million from followers.” 

Summing up … untrained in the fine art of discernment, gullible Americans may tend to, “see no evil," trusting the best version of people, rather than confronting dark realities. Failing to consider corruption, we tend to accommodate, even celebrate, any daring swindler who offers a shortcut to security, financial freedom, or bliss; any courageous liar who strokes our ego, eases our anxieties or bolsters our fears—regardless of logic or any relationship to truth. 

Framed in theological terms, we possess a limited capacity for imagining depths of depravity. We simply can’t wrap our unsuspecting minds around the reality of neighbors, news anchors, businesses, celebrities, preachers or politicians—cloaked in charming countenance, pleasing curves or confident assurances—ripping us off, manipulating us … or worse. In a country built on diversity of origin, religion, opinion, and gullible, we can be loathe to call a “spade a spade”—Joseph Smith was a fraud; our food industry is poisoning us with preservatives and pesticides; the insurance industry is an unregulated scam; Donald Trump is a corrupt narcissistic sociopath—words which require drawing lines, making judgements, and being willing to say: “These folks are harmful, dangerous, and capable of immeasurable damage … and we should stop them.” 

Suspending skepticism, and unwilling to subscribe to discerning value judgements, many Americans—perhaps 44%— may end up giving the same weight to narcissistic/sociopathic delusions as they do to wisdom. In this environment, con men like Trump don’t just survive ... they're elected president. 

Author’s Note: Gullible behaviors are not restricted to political parties, conservative/ progressive agendas or geographic regions. Transgender delusions, suggesting boys can become girls (and vice versa) are no different from MAGA delusions, suggesting sociopaths make great leaders.

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The Other Reality

In coming to understand anything, we are rejecting the facts as they are for us … in favor of the facts as they are - C.S. Lewis

Had our legislative and judicial branches not monstrously failed us (88 criminal charges and 1 insurrection vanishing into preferential thin air), we would not be having this friendly discussion. Had our government representatives not been wholeheartedly devoted to wealth and power, and keen to pose as instruments of righteousness—requiring zero vetting for the eager-to-believe—we would not be witnessing masked Al-Qaeda lookalikes roaming our streets. Had we not allowed Trump to put his name on the ballot (again), and then voted for him (again), we might actually be hearing informative, cogent, unifying, non-threatening vocabulary from a President of the United States. Had we not enabled Trump’s me-first reality—as he enthusiastically dismantles our legal system, constitutional foundation and self-determination (you know, the other reality)—we might be enjoying a respite from our media’s obsession (Trump’s face permanently duct taped to our screens) and some movement on crucial issues (gun control, inflation, tax reform, and environmental protections come to mind).

So—according to the will of the people—here we are. Much like our prolonged, tragic, bold resistance to the self-evident truth extolled in our constitution, “All men are created equal,” a disconcerting number of Americans can’t seem to recognize the self-evident depravities of our politicians, or their own complicit behavior; unwilling to call a spade-a-spade … or even identify a spade. What is the state of our democracy? The answer may certainly lie within the intellectual boundaries of our Venn Diagram:

In case you missed it, our diagram suggests: Trump and his supporters

—regardless of motive, acknowledgment, income, political party, intellectual capacity, or gullibility—

have little in common with Democratic Republics.

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The Trade-Off 

Sooner or later in life, we all have to sit down to

a banquet of consequences - Robert Louis Stevenson

One of my kids recently posed a reasonable, sign-of-the-times question: “Hey Dad, can dictators do good?”

Observing Trumps words and actions, “I’m not a dictator,” while simultaneously leaning into behaviors mimicking a dictator, my adult child was wondering if Trump’s executive overreach could be doing some good for the land of the free.

“Think Volkswagen,” I responded. “And hell.”

Shortly after his rise to power in 1933, Adolf Hitler unveiled his plan for a Volkswagen (a people’s car). Strategizing with engineer Ferdinand Porsche, he dreamed of an affordable, reliable auto for ordinary Germans. A brilliant idea—one Germans may have come to appreciate had Hitler not been preoccupied with also inventing a master race—the Volkswagen eventually became an international sensation. 

Undeniably, a dictator can side-step market trends and the general chaos of representative democracies, making unilateral, government-funded decisions; decisions genuinely embraced, and often benefiting, non-participatory constituents. Need a reasonably-priced, reliable auto? Done. Create millions of jobs with rearmament programs? No problem. Stabilize the economy? Easy peasy. Eliminate street violence? Got it covered. Promote family unity and morality? Why not. Make Germany Great Again? Well … that’s another story.

Wanna-be tyrants begin their illustrious bid for power by promising efficiency (and a government-load of occasionally appealing, party-dictated goals). The Volkswagen delivers … right up until the day it drops you off at the concentration camp. Rising on the backs of perceived enemies; spewing misinformation, fear and grievance; ruling by efficient, rapid-fire spectacle; and reliant upon a suboptimal/gullible public, the tyrants mantra, “We’re Going to be Great Again,” initially works (behold the Volkswagen!) … until reality shows up. What began as a pleasant way to travel soon morphs into a vehicle for oppression. Observing the immutable nature of dictators—the job description requires a narcissistic sociopath—a foreboding and predictable pattern inevitably follows the efficiency: demands of loyalty, unilateral corruption, blame shifting, censorship, revisionism, militarization, cruelty, suppression, propaganda, persecutions, isolationism, empire-building, imprisonment or termination of perceived dissidents, attacks on imagined enemies, war … and hell. It’s all part of the trade-off.

What has dictator-impersonating Trump ordered-up—217 executive orders and counting—in almost a year of democracy? Don’t like the woke agenda? Gone! Fed up with LBGTQ+ rights? Scraped! Sick of expensive social welfare programs? Defunded! Disgusted with educational mandates? Cancel their funding! Too soft on crime? Bring in the military! Undocumented immigrants? Incarcerate without warrant, trial or ID. Don’t want to be criticized? Threaten the press and the public. Perceived disloyalty? Fire them all. Want more access to oil on federally protected lands? Sold! See a boat off the coast of Venezuela? Blow it up. “Make America Great Again?” Well … that’s another story. 

Authors Note: Please review more examples of Trump's efficiency in Appendix.

Some of us may be fond of Trump’s autocratic productivity (who wouldn’t want to axe the slapstick of men competing in women’s sports?). Based on history, reality, and the predictable, violent chaos of madmen, the trade off is a reckless march toward hell. A hell where the suboptimal/gullible masses—and those seeming to be benefit from his presidency—will in due course, loyally serve only one person, or one party ... or else.

If you haven’t managed to read between the lines (or understood the intent of this little treatise), here’s the subliminal two sentences you need to know: “Our democracy is in BIG trouble. Considering the stakes, we ought do something about it.”

Fashionably American, we’ve taken our choice for president too lightly; as if in 4 years, if we happen to notice the Chief Executive naturally morphing into a despot, we can start over with a clean slate. Our gullible nature’s suggest there will be another election; we can reverse the damages; our former allies will cease to remember our injudicious choice; we might pursue democratic ideals with a better lot of statesman. 

Once again, we underestimate—or don’t recognize—the all-consuming urges of a sociopath and his sycophants, who can settle for no less than complete domination; who have, in less than a year, dismantled any remaining vestiges of integrity, diminished our civility, murdered our competence and removed any doubt that our only self-defeating sentiment is America First. If Trump survives his 4 year term, do we honestly believe he’ll step down from the presidency? Do we believe his political party, cherry-picked by a madman, will forfeit their stranglehold on America’s future? For once, let’s try not to be gullible.

For a promising majority of us, Trump was, is and will be, our worst, tawdry, less than third-rate, Ford-Pinto, Ripley’s-Believe-It-or-Not absurdity. For Trump, and those still swallowing his poison, he may be the quintessential American (worthy of a Superstore). Regardless of our frame of mind, or whatever our milquetoast media feed us, reality will do what it always does: trickle, drift, whirl, flow, gush, cascade, and inevitably rage like a river toward the truth. Our endorsement of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get narcissistic sociopath—and the parallel universe to which he subscribes—will bring a steady, relentless, inevitable rush toward authoritarianism. As sure as the grave.

Welcome to the latest version of America … where Trump isn’t our problem, it’s us, the reality-denying, gullible denizens of a dying democracy. 

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Why Does This Keep Happening?

It is not that sociopaths deceive us;

it’s that we want to believe them - Martha Stout

The past century has delivered a well-documented host of sociopaths, men who have brought—and will bring—tragedy, shame, and ruin on their respective countries:

• Benito Mussolini - Italy (1922–1943)

• Joseph Stalin - Soviet Union (1924–1953)

• Adolf Hitler - Germany (1933–1945)

• Francisco Franco — Spain (1939–1975)

• Mao Zedong - China (1949–1976)

• Muammar Gaddafi - Libya (1969–2011)

• Idi Amin - Uganda (1971–1979)

• Pol Pot - Cambodia (1975–1979)

• Saddam Hussein - Iraq (1979–2003)

• Kim Jong-un - North Korea (1994–present)

• Vladimir Putin - Russia (1999–present)

• Donald Trump - United States of America (2017–2020, 2025–?)

Reality begs the question: Why are mortals hell-bent on promoting sociopaths at regular intervals, heedlessly handing them absolute power, as if the desired result were human suffering? The probable answer sits on entire bookshelves, a topic scrutinized by psychologists, historians, philosophers and theologians. According to experts, the self-sabotaging effort is less a byproduct of brilliant sociopaths and more the negligence of an injudicious, eager-to-believe populace. A summary of their academic suspicions may be useful (apologies for the run-on sentence):

Amazed at the sociopaths audacious, bold lies, expressed with a complete absence of guilt, shame or truth; enthralled by their ability to steam-roll reality, without fear of consequence or conscience; awed by their talent for crushing perceived enemies, without the vexing bother of empathy or compassion; moved by their immovable nature, with facts unweighed and unconsidered; wowed by their confidence and strongman persona, never doubting, instead bragging of their immutable rightness; energized by their belief in a common enemy, a hostile worthy of destruction; enlivened by an emotional, fear-based appeal to an urgent, common cause (a co-opted conviction, diverting attention away from incriminating behaviors); appeased by a revisionist narrative, administered with threatening, belligerent precision; buoyed by their daring, simple-minded solutions to cumbersome, complex problems (always pleasing to the lazy mind); and gratified by their righteous, vengeful anger aimed at adversaries; a feeble-minded society may surrender their future to a madman.

Facilitate him with weak, eroded institutions of government, media, education and religion. Subsidize him with deep pockets, motivated by a payoff. Prop up him up with a easily-persuaded, disgruntled audience. Surround him with ideological foot soldiers. Slowly, steadily, normalize all of the above … and voila, instead of a conspicuous scoundrel vying for control, it’s “just a politician … just the kind of man we need.”

In other words, given the right conditions—oddly resembling current events in the United States of America—perhaps a suboptimal and gullible society explain everything.

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What Common Sense Suggests

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free …

it expects what never was and never will be - Thomas Jefferson

If you’ve been following the logic of the previous 6,698 words, the conditions for a prosperous democratic republic are remarkably obvious: 1) principled and competent leaders, 2) a citizenry with optimal intelligence, and 3) both aligned with reality. In 2025 America, all the above have gone AWOL.

At the top of our dysfunctional self-governing arrangement, politicians lie, fabricate, fib, invent, falsify, exaggerate, misinform, deceive, spin, mislead, or offer alternative facts—whichever word matches your depravity threshold. Lying (the term we’ll use for speaking against reality) has become the conditioned, sanctimonious norm for our 249-year-old democracy and its representatives (out-lying opponents = moral superiority). But here’s the thing: although lying may get you elected and keep gullible Americans in tow, it’s doesn’t help us solve real world problems … perhaps the central reason our political system has become so ineffective and requires a massive overhaul: We reward liars, not competence (think Donald Trump vs. Ben Carson).

Beyond sacking our entire lot of bickering, lying, maneuvering politicians, what can we possibly do to change the moral fiber of our leaders, upgrade their competence and the intellect of our citizenry, and in the process, perhaps save our democracy? Wisdom tells us, the heart is at the center of real change. We’ve got to want change. The promise of historical America is liberty. We’ve got to want that to. If we don’t, Trump Superstores—and it’s absurd reality—are coming to your hometown.

In support of American ideals and reality, we recommend the following To-Do List:

Democracy To-Do’s (For Starters)

For Elected Officials

• Establish another political party (preferably moderate). Our historical two choices have brought our nation to ruination.

• Require competence tests for all elected officials (aptitude, history, leadership, constitution, Walmart employability).

• Oust campaign contributions, lobbying and special interest funding, providing equal platforms for all candidates (are we only going to elect rich people, paid off to support the agendas of even richer corporations?).

• Penalize lying (lawsuits, jail time, public apologies) for politicians … and news outlets.

For American Citizens

• Reintroduce civics into course curriculums.

• Require critical-thinking courses for every living/breathing member of the United States (make stupid less trendy).

• Double—maybe triple— teacher salaries.

• In support of economic health and ethical conduct, simplify tax laws: all pay 10%; no loop holes, no tax breaks, no interpretations, no favors for billionaires, corporations or presidents.

For Reality

• Teach objective morality in the classroom (ethics that historically result in human flourishing—kindness, grace, integrity, etc.).

• Teach traditional skills (carpentry, homemaking, farming, fishing—less chair-time, less screen-time is more real-time).

• Separate church and state (again).

• Ban smartphones from all public spaces—violators will be forced to watch Trump speeches for 24-hours straight (sarcastic point, but relevant).

Reasonably, much of the above will not materialize in our lifetimes, possibly never (we don’t overcome corrupt, suboptimal or gullible overnight). In the meantime, we ought to ponder that truly tiresome, worn-out but relevant question: What will truly, “Make America Great?” Certainly not Donald Trump … or anybody else for that matter.

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Personal Notes

Democracy doesn't defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance,

and courage from ordinary people - Rob Reiner

Given the mad rush of tyranny, and our propensity to ignore it, I offer a few personal observations:

• As noted by the free world, clinical psychologists (see Appendix) and daily absurdities, Donald Trump is a corrupt narcissistic sociopath. We—and the media—should stop being traumatized by his behavior: “He called a reporter Piggy!,” “He created a Media Bias Portal, where Americans can report other Americans!” “He uttered death threats!!” Of course he did. Acting predictably, like a compass pointing north, we should find his behavior motivating (he is neither Republican nor Democrat, conservative or liberal; he is a predictable threat to our democracy, liberties, livelihood, and collective sanity... and we ought to do something about it).

• How to deal with a narcissistic sociopath? As with all psychotics, there is a recommended strategy: “Avoid boosting the ego, stay clam, set boundaries, and refuse to engage in the drama.” As you may have guessed, Americans heroically fail at recommended strategies. The fact is, we have enthusiastically pursued the opposite. If we were to act wisely at this stage of the game (for Trump, the game he is winning), we ought to ignore his threats of violence, his hate-speech intended to divide, and remove him from office, PRONTO (every day with Donald is another day of diminished democracy and expedited authoritarianism).

• If we fail to act now, future U.S. elections will likely be compromised or completely ignored. As we learned from Trump's lame attempt at insurrection—no surprise—sociopaths do not give up power, ever. Lack of power threatens their reality (which is why Trump continues to maintain the election was stolen almost 5 years later). How are we going to remove our narcissistic sociopath from office when we’ve handed him the military and the nuclear codes? Don’t be gullible—it won’t be by an election. 

• Multiple times (times 100) I've heard or read this crayon logic: "If you're not on our side, you're one of them." The implication? If you're not supporting Trump, you're a member of the Anti-Christian LGBTQ Abortion No-Guns Club; OR, If you're supporting Trump, you're a redneck idiot (both are probably bumper stickers). This mindset lends itself to an extraordinarily simple world view: Trump or No Trump. Adult logic exposes this version of democracy as nothing more than tribal sorting (a convenient tactic for bolstering hatred and division among gullible children). Both of our political parties are adept at circling the elementary-school-wagons. If we hope to conquer the autocrat within, we must overcome our binary, infantile thinking, embrace the democratic process—relishing diversity, humility, compromise and common ground—and impeach anything that behaves like King George III ... or a felon.

• Take note of the term "strategic labeling," and respond accordingly. Truth Social, the Hate America Rally (the relabeling of the No Kings Rally), Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History (Executive Order 14253), illustrate the not-so-subtle naming scheme Team Trump utilizes to distort reality. Fighting a let's-get-the-thesaurus, patriotic war—right vs. "Hamas terrorists", flag-wavers vs "radical Marxists," sane vs. "unhinged perverts"—what gullible American wouldn’t want to join the free-wheeling, definers of freedom and truth? There is only one strategic complication: They appear to believe we can’t see what they’re doing, while they stand under the stadium lights, saying one thing ... and doing the opposite. An exemplar of this grand design, EO 14253 (Restoring Truth and Sanity) was recently utilized to remove any reference to Trump impeachments from the National Museum of American History. Patriotism at its finest! (Please see the Appendix for additionally disturbing laughs). It’s preposterous to believe Americans would fall for this … unless, quite reasonably, Team Trump believes we are exceptionally gullible, Joseph-Smith-style. Unchallenged, their branding reaches a base already predisposed to accepting it (without question). Meanwhile, our undiscerning media broadcasts every inverted-reality as if it's news worthy, amplifying the rhetoric. For lovers of democratic republics, assaults on American intelligence should be met by logic, veracity and unrelenting calm—in 10 minute conversations (here we go again), letters to the editor, on social media, banners, billboards, posters; in town meetings and protests. Otherwise, our elected autocrat will continue lying his way to the Golden Age.

• Note the suffering of those being marginalized by the Trump administration: Latino and black communities; legal immigrant families; refugees, Medicaid and SNAP reliant citizens; international populations who have relied on humanitarian aid; those impacted by unprovoked U.S. military strikes (internationally referred to as murder); hundreds of terminated federal employees; farmers and small business owners struggling under Trump economic policies; and those likely to suffer in the future (those refusing loyalty to Trump). Consider your response. A well-quoted unknown has made this observation: “Ever wonder what you would have done in Nazi Germany? What you’re doing now.”

• If reports are true, not a few Christians appear to be promoting Trump. A religious maxim applies: If a man claims to be a Christian (Hindu, Buddhist, whatever) but fails to lead with his faith’s teachings—compassion, honesty, integrity and sacrifice come to mind—the nation he is leading will not produce those values, no matter how many schemes he draws up for a saintly society. If Trump’s disciples had truly preferred traditional Christian values, as they relentlessly claim, they ought to have considered another candidate. The gig is up, the proof is in the pudding, the ruse is blown. The Jesus -Trump crusaders ought to sucker another demographic; to do otherwise hints at reality—that nagging feeling of … something just doesn’t add up.

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APPENDIX

Defining a Narcissistic Sociopath

An individual with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) possesses an inflated sense of self-importance, feels entitled and acts out of arrogance, constantly demanding approval from others. An individual with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) exhibits impulsive, aggressive behavior, possesses sadistic tendencies, lacks empathy and has a total disregard for rules and social norms. 

Although not a clinical diagnosis, when an individual exhibits both NPD and ASPD, they are often referred to as a Narcissistic Sociopath. These individuals don’t see the world in the same way as others. They create their own reality, one in which they alone are subservient to none; they alone deserve to be served.

Narcissistic sociopaths feel entitled to whatever they want, regardless of what it takes to get it or who they hurt in the process … justifying harmful actions, and showing no remorse. Their narcissism will lead them to develop delusions of grandeur, while simultaneously believing others are out to get them.

Narcissistic sociopaths put a lot of effort into acquiring positions that give them power or control over people. Once they obtain control, they demand to be addressed with respect and refuse to relinquish their power. Their obsession with control tends to show up as a refusal to acknowledge any other authority other than themselves.

There are no lines a narcissistic sociopath won’t cross to get what they want. Their moral compass is non-existent. After doing something harmful, illegal, or sadistic, they feel no remorse, regret, or guilt, often experiencing a sense of satisfaction knowing they were able to deceive, manipulate, or hurt others.

Outside of feelings of anger and revenge, narcissistic sociopaths experience little emotion. Unable to feel love or affection for others, they are easily offended and exhibit rage when not given the attention they feel they deserve. These tendencies lead to transactional relationships, allowing them to easily discard people who are no longer useful to them, or who fail to be loyal.

A narcissistic sociopath feeds off negative energy. There is something about others’ fear or pain, or the chaos of disaster, that excites them. They commonly disparage friends and enemies and intentionally create mayhem, finding pleasure in the pain, confusion and suffering of others.

A narcissistic sociopath is constantly seeking thrills. They are easily bored, leading them to find destructive outlets. People with these traits tend to be impulsive and aggressive, often engaging in illegal or disreputable activities that spark excitement and offer a temporary high.

A narcissistic sociopath is insecure, afraid of vulnerability and fears those who threaten their version of the truth. Unable to bond with others and empty on the inside, they must maintain a certain level of amusement, power and destruction in order for life to be worthy of living.

This is their reality.

Narcissistic sociopaths are dangerous.

Sources: 

The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental-Health Experts Assess a President, edited by Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div.

Hailey Shafir, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

A Small Sampling of Trump's Efficiency

Executive Orders (EO), Bypassing Congressional Approval

• EO 14215 (Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies) forced independent federal agencies, such as the EPA, to submit policies to White House review before publication, requiring agencies to follow legal interpretations from the President or his Attorney General.

• EO 14159 (Protecting the American People Against Invasion) allowed for deportation of undocumented immigrants without due process.

• EO 14290 (Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media) ended federal funding for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR)—both organizations focused on public education and a "more informed public."

• EO 14238 (Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy) among other things, terminated The Voice of America—created to counter misinformation and mandated by law to be accurate, objective, and independent (the action was praised by Communist governments worldwide).

• EO 14253 (Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History) directs reinterpretation of historical statues, monuments, memorials and exhibits under federal purview. All revisionist history is placed under the authority of the President and his Cabinet.

• EO 14147 (Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government) directs investigations into federal law-enforcement and intelligence agencies for prior actions, giving the president direct influence over investigative bodies.

• EO 14148 (Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions) revokes 78 prior executive orders and memoranda rolling back major climate, equity, labor, environment, and social-policy initiatives.

• EO 14149 (Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship ) bars the use of taxpayer resources to carry out efforts of social media platforms and independent researchers to mitigate or track misinformation.

• EO 14164 (Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety) directs federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty for certain capital crimes, including those involving undocumented migrants or law-enforcement victims.

• EO 14167 (Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States) Expands military’s domestic role, including border security and potential law-enforcement actions, allowing federal military presence in American cities.

• EO 14248 (Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections) provides major changes to voter registration and mail-in ballots, overrules state ballet counting practices and limits voting rights.

A Sample of Other Disconcerting Efficiencies

• Purged government employees and military officers. In the past 11 months, the Trump administration has removed or bought-out over 317,000 federal employees, in many cases claiming poor performance issues ("I value loyalty above all else. If someone shows disloyalty, they won't last long” - Trump). Along with losing their experience and expertise, America lost any hope of credibly filling the intellectual gaps.

• Expected a unique mindset for all newly hired government employees (from Postal Workers to Park Rangers), requiring a correct response to the following question on the application (word for word): "How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role; identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired?"

• Called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate and revoke broadcasting licenses for programs and networks that criticized Trump.

• Removed support for educational institutions that don’t support Trump's agendas. Currently, more than 50 Universities face federal investigations.

• Declared a “national energy emergency” and dismantled many long-standing environmental regulations.

• Withdrew federal funds for libraries, museums, public media and cultural institutions that fail to meet the Republican party’s proprieties.

• Instructed the Department of Justice to adopt legal positions that expand presidential immunity from prosecution and civil suits.

• Continued to publicly question the legitimacy of judges and courts that issue unfavorable rulings.

• Cut federal funding to scientific and research institutions.

• Removed career foreign diplomats and hired political loyalists to replace them.

• Ordered a freeze or redirected several foreign aid programs, despite congressional appropriations.

• In less than a year, pardoned over 1,500 criminally charged or incarcerated individuals, most of whom were politically loyal, or had significant business ties to Trump.

• Just for fun: Made entrance to National Parks free on Trump's birthday and removed free-entry for Martin Luther King Day and the Juneteenth holiday.

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Leaving the political arena—enough said—future posts will focus on other remarkably obvious inquiries: How can I stay informed without making it a full-time job?; Does everyone need a car?; Is tipping gratitude or greed?; Are smartphones smart?; Do I really need 5,000 passwords? Posts are designed to establish a new world order, built on common sense (so far, it's not working ... but we are persistent).

If you'd like to support our common sense efforts, contributions will help cover the cost of website fees, marketing and the general blood, sweat and tears of arranging words in a meaningful order. You may give via Venmo, @BFortson.

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