written 5 October, 2025
published 12 October, 2025
Once upon a time, a king demanded the tide stop coming in. But this was not a foolish act, for the king was actually trying to show his foolish advisors the limits to power. Unfortunately, our self-proclaimed king not only has foolish advisors, but is foolish himself, believing whatever he says must be reality.
He foolishly believes the climate crisis is a hoax, so he props up aging fossil fueled plants and destroys efforts to address, or even monitor, climate changes already happening. Coal, a 19th century energy source, is expected to power 21st century AI data centers. Operating a coal fired plant costs more than building new wind/solar with storage. The Big Beautiful Bill cancels funding for wind and solar, mostly in Democratic-led states, unsettling the financial underpinnings of the entire U.S. energy industry. Without even considering the adverse climate impact, consumers will annually pay an extra $3 billion power bills. Electricity rates increased by nearly 7 percent in the last year, with more rate increases on the horizon.
After the mindless DOGE staffing purge, the Energy Department doesn’t have enough lawyers left to carry out the project cancellations ordered by the White House, and will instead have to spend millions on outside counsel.
There have been no major domestic nuclear accidents since Three Mile Island, partially due to Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversight. Now, hundreds of people have been fired from the agency and only three of the five NRC commissioner positions are filled, making the recent push for more nuclear power increasingly risky.
Our king foolishly believes raising tariffs and excluding workers will make the country richer. As a result, the economy is suffering the highest tariffs in a century and consumers pay higher prices. John Deere, producer of machinery for many American farms, says sales are down, with higher tariffs increasing costs by $600 million. Tariffs on steel and aluminum led to losses of thousands of manufacturing job. Instead of reducing drug prices, tariffs have increased prices on almost 700 prescription drugs so far this year.
Farmers face a slump in crop prices and worsening credit conditions. Corn prices are down 50%, and soybean prices are down 40%, as overseas markets for crops are lost due to tariffs. With the massive assault on undocumented workers, farmers are caught in the middle of a 155,000-worker shortfall across the national agricultural sector, which means lower supply and higher prices.
Tariffs have weakened consumer spending, as jobs are evaporating, with sharp drops in home construction. One indication is a 9 percent decline in containerboard-production capacity in eight months, twice the capacity that was lost during the recession in 2009.
Nearly 30 countries have suspended postal services of packages to U.S. over import tariffs, including Australia, Japan, India, and Europe. After September 21, no H-1B worker will be allowed to enter the US unless the sponsoring employer pays a $100,000 fee. These are workers with specialized knowledge that no one local can fill.
Employment fell by 13,000 jobs in June, marking the first net loss since December 2020, with another 32,000 jobs lost in September. Last month, jobless claims surged in one week, when 263,000 new people filing for unemployment insurance, 10 percent higher than the previous week. Unemployment rate is 4.3 percent, the highest level since the pandemic. Rising unemployment and higher prices threaten economic stability. But instead of dealing with what they created, the administration fired the record keepers.
Billionaires benefit from tax cuts, while MAGA voters are bearing the brunt. A majority of Republicans now think he's on the wrong track when it comes to the economy and tariffs. He promised tariffs would fill the U.S. Treasury, create millions of manufacturing jobs, and be paid by foreign countries. He insisted he could impose these tariffs without an act of Congress, and he would complete trade deals with 200 countries. He promised to end the war in Ukraine on Day 1, that Putin really wants to make a deal, and would soon stop attacking. He promised to reduce prices on Day 1.
None of this happened.
It doesn't really matter whether the president knows he is lying, or is just delusional, believing whatever passes through his mind in any given moment. He is acting like a fool. What is more disturbing is the entire leadership of the Republican party seems willing to go along with this. It won't end well.
