There is little doubt that many of our top government officials are incredibly smart. How is it, then, that some of their policy decisions are incredibly stupid?
One would assume that the Trump Administration consists of a great many talented people, who have proven themselves highly capable over a great many years. And yet, some of their decisions regarding public policy seem lacking when it comes to basic common sense.
Take, for example, the decision to impose high tariffs on our allies, and competitors alike. In the first place, is it that hard to imagine that these tariffs will increase prices for American consumers, which would result in an affordability crisis, which would turn voters off? In addition, is it beyond the realm of imagination to predict that our allies, because of their anger and frustration with the on-again, off-again U.S. tariffs, would turn to our competitors, and cut profitable trade deals with them, instead of with us?
As an example, the E.U. and India just concluded the “mother of all deals”: a trade deal that seeks to eliminate tariffs on 90% of goods traded, in order to boost commerce. The deal will affect as many as two billion people. Is it a coincidence that the E.U./India deal, which has been 20 years in the making, was just concluded now?
Take the Greenland debacle. President Trump decided to acquire Greenland, either by purchase, or if necessary, by force. Supposedly, the rationale was for the U.S. to secure the Arctic militarily, and to have access to rare earth minerals. The threat to Greenland, by a member of NATO, was taken very seriously. Various NATO nations sent troops there to conduct military exercises. Several leaders said that a military assault on Greenland would break the NATO alliance. And a plan was underway to exert economic pressure on the U.S. using high tariffs, and restrictions on the operations of U.S. companies in Europe.
Was it that inconceivable to predict that a military assault on a member of NATO, by a fellow NATO member, would be opposed vigorously by the other members of NATO, when the very purpose of NATO is to deter such aggression? Doesn’t Article 5 of the NATO charter say that an armed attack against one or more members of Europe or North America is considered an attack against all? And when it came down to it, the U.S. was able to provide additional security for Greenland, and negotiate mineral deals, without all the threats. So where is the logic?
Take immigration as another example. It could be argued that the immigration issue, more than any other issue, helped Trump to win in 2024. Many American citizens were against open borders. And a great many others assumed that President Trump would go after hardened criminals who were here illegally. However, under the leadership of Stephen Miller, who designed the plan on immigration, and Kristi Noem, who was charged with implementing the plan, the decision was made to deport any and all illegal immigrants, whether they had engaged in criminal activity, or are just trying to earn a decent living, or are seeking refuge from oppressive regimes.
As a result of the roving bands of military personnel, who are often masked, and who sometimes use brutal force to suppress dissent, the Trump Administration is under water when it comes to immigration. Americans don’t want to see pregnant women getting forcibly pulled out of their vehicles. They don’t want to see homes being broken into without judicial warrants. They don’t want to see children ending up in jail or separated from their parents. And they certainly don’t want to see American citizens being executed simply for exercising their Constitutional right to protest policies that they deem immoral.
Would it have been that difficult for our leaders to conclude, in advance, that the forcible deportation of millions of people, the vast majority of whom pay their taxes, and perform work that is essential, and that no one else wants to do, would lead to the kind of chaos, fear, and anger that is playing out even as we speak? Wouldn’t all this be obvious, especially to leaders charged with the important task of determining and implementing public policy?
And finally comes the issue of sustainability. Somewhere along the lines, the decision was taken to call man-made climate change a “hoax,” and to treat it as such by eliminating all sorts of laws and regulations that were intended to protect the environment. Which is the real hoax: climate change, or us? Aren’t we the real hoax by pretending that we can blithely ignore the writing on the wall: extreme heat, out-of-control wildfires, historic floods, rising waters, melting glaciers, and the ever-present extinction of species? Try finding a decent coral reef to snorkel over.
Man-made climate change is not a “hoax.” The global economy runs on fossil fuels. As a result, we are polluting our atmosphere, waters and land with greenhouse gasses and other pollutants that are destroying the environment, our one and only home. We will finally make it to Mars, only to discover that it is an inhospitable shithole.
I picture Mother Nature as a beautiful woman, but a woman with a temper. If we don’t show her the respect she deserves; if we don’t give her her due; then she will f**k us in the ass with a smile on her face. That is how she rolls. Of all the species that have ever lived here on this good Earth, 99.9% came and went. They became extinct only to be replaced by other species. Even other kinds of men came and went. You don’t see any Homo Erectus guys walking around. Right? Is that the list we want to be on? Are we satisfied to become just another evolutionary statistic, when we are surrounded by so much beauty? When there is a blessing to behold at every turn, if only we open our eyes, and our hearts.
It is a mystery why seemingly intelligent people end up making some very stupid mistakes. Surely, they can use their imaginations to see that at least some of their policies are likely to backfire. And yet they plod along, perhaps not to make any waves, perhaps to go along to get along, perhaps to impress some of the higher ups. Who knows why smart people make stupid decisions. But the minute we lose sight of our God-given common sense, the minute we betray what we know to be right, the minute we begin to ignore where our moral compass is pointing; when that happens, we are likely to lose our way, and we will inevitably drag down with us the untold multitudes that depend on us, and that count on our wisdom.