The founders of the US government were well acquainted with the ‘mistakes’ made by Roman emperors. By coincidence, Gibbon’s great opus recounting them first appeared in 1776.
Hi Bill , I agree with much of your analysis but what I don’t hear from you is what you would do differently than Trump . For example would you raise taxes or cut spending to bring the debt under control. Which spending items would you cut besides defense. You say you disagree with what Trump is doing to the university’s but would you keep giving them tax payers money ? On immigration do you disagree with closing the border and arresting criminals ? It is time you offer solutions instead of just criticizing. I suggest you do so before many more of your readers quit taking you seriously!!!!
Hi Bill, as usual, well written and compelling but with all this talk of war you forgot to mention that Trump has ended more wars than Obama and Biden wasted our money on.
"Using force for anything but defense is a waste of money."
Anybody who believes this has never worked on older cars, trucks, and/or heavy machinery. There is even a humorous saying about it: "Don't use force; just get a bigger hammer." Recently, a broken parking brake assembly forced (haha) me to fetch and deploy my 3-lb. hammer to remove the rotor so I could gain access, this on my 2000 Silverado 3/4-ton 4 x 4.
Seriously, application of force, the old "might makes right", is counter-indicated in most instances, particularly war, which is why I fear our current social and political polarization. One side can and will prevail in a physical struggle, but all that accomplishes is a temporary acquiescence on the part of the loser; it does not actually bring about a conversion. At that point, separation is the only remedy. Will we see that in time? Best always. PM
That’s been the guiding principle of US foreign policy since 1899’s slaughter of Cuban and Filipino patriots trying to free themselves from Spanish colonialism. It’s merely reaching new heights with our current tyrant. Farmers are just the first of us to pay the price of totalitarianism!
The Republicans may have lost their farming voter base for the midterms and for future POTUS elections. Enough of this bullshit. Problem is there's no real alternative. Time for voting libertarian if I vote at all.
The increase in Thomas Massie’s campaign funds may not have come from his supporters, instead from George Soros or similar people/groups….would be interesting to know.
It's not about ignorance or ideology. It's about incentives.
The question isn't why leaders make destructive choices—it's why everyone else goes along with it. And the answer is pretty straightforward: they've done the math. Being inside the circle is safer than being outside it. They'd rather risk annoying their voters than become the target.
Look at how the incentives actually work. Cross Trump today, and your career is over tomorrow—a social media post, a primary challenger, your committee seats gone. Vote for a trade war that destroys farms? That plays out over years, gets blamed on China or weather or a dozen other things, and by the time it fully hits, everyone's moved on to the next crisis. The cost of disloyalty is immediate and personal. The cost of bad policy is delayed and distributed.
Massie is the edge case that proves the rule. He votes no consistently, gets called "the worst Republican Congressman" and "a real loser," and his fundraising goes through the roof. Turns out there's a market for principle—but he's also accepted that he'll never be in leadership. Most people aren't willing to make that trade.
This is how you get the executive overreach Bonner describes—the tariffs, the war powers, the federal control creep. Not because 435 people suddenly forgot the Constitution, but because 434 of them decided it's less risky to enable it than to stop it. The system selects for compliance and punishes resistance.
After running a business for a quarter century, I can tell you: this is basic organizational behavior. You don't need a conspiracy or unique corruption—just normal people responding rationally to the actual incentive structure. The guy with unilateral power over your career gets deference. That's just how it works.
The founders tried to engineer around this—separation of powers, checks and balances, making ambition counter ambition. But they underestimated how quickly people optimize for survival over principle when the threat is real and immediate.
Maybe that's the real lesson. Republics don't fall because people forget history. They fall because the immediate cost of resistance exceeds the delayed cost of compliance.
And maybe it's worth noting: a president without a dog is usually someone who understands that loyalty only flows one direction.
With student loans funded by the taxpayer… the government has every right to tell universities how to operate. Imagine, borrowing money from a bank without a ‘profit & loss’ statement. Business would be bankrupt which is exactly where the education system currently stands.
President Trump not only ended more wars, he also would have gotten us out of Afghanistan with dignity, and we would still be operating Bagram. Where was Billy when obummer took out a US citizen in Sudan as a suspected terrorist. All we heard then were crickets, however, at that time Ole billy the bullshitter was Just Bill Bonner, focused on ways to make money in his prose. Wish we had that guy back, this was is in an uncureable TDS state.
Come on, Bill. Can't you give us a few incidentals about Obama, like you love to give us about Trump. I remember just one picture concerning Obama that was "worth those ten thousand words". That was the video film of those multi, multi, multi millions of dollars in cash being packed for shipment from Obama to Iran. Just a little more "equal" distribution by you of the "shortcomings" of our current and recent leaders would be appreciated.
The reasons for our current situation are among others. A hopelessly under educated and self serving population. A lack of clarity regarding the founding principles of the nation. And, under it all the usual ego reactions, fear and feeling out of control of events.
Yea, I’ll confess to that: I voted for Trump three times! I’m still getting bills from his campaign because I was stupid enough to donate to his lies and fake enticements.
Maybe “dignified” like Saigon? And 700 money-gobbling, hated-by-foreigners-military bases isn’t enough? And you want to reopen that irritant in Afghanistan? How would you like a French or Chinese or Canadian military base in the US? It’s called paranoia: just a 360 acre farm raising corn in Iowa is considered a declaration of war if it’s merely owned by a Chinese investor.
Ed, your ignorance of military ops is astounding. You need to stop watching msm and learn what actually happened and what the previous Trump administration plan was for the withdrawal. Then the fact the previous military department heads tried to explain the plan to Biden’s incoming administration but they wouldn’t hear them and net result was leaving 80 billion dollars in military equipment behind and 13 soldiers dead from the attack in Kabul. It was a disgrace and preventable. But not when you are a democrat and know everything. 😢
The TRILLIONS of dollars of equipment in those 700* bases world-wide are literally a yoke on our ability to “fight” the next war. As Dorothy might say, “We’re not in WWII anymore”. If Trump “succeeds” in creating a US-style war with China, it’ll end the first day when our highly acclaimed Department of War discovers all its satellites disappeared. The new “war”: friendship, trade, production and equality has actually already been settled. We are just too full of ourselves to realize it.
Well you talk a good game. Obviously never served or been a military strategist. I don’t condone war. BUT it has been going on since the dawn of time and unfortunately will continue. Peace through strength has worked as long as the strong doesn’t go and start the wars. Unfortunately we have at times but all for politics and not for self preservation. But none of what you have said excuses nor addresses Biden for his disgraceful actions during the withdrawal. It’s funny really because you and Jimm talk about war but it was president Trump that was ending our involvement in Afghanistan. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to follow through with his plan of withdrawal because he lost an election to a man hiding in his basement.
Cowardly Trump handed the difficult part over to someone else. He knew the country was already seething against the invaders and knew the war was already lost, why didn’t he, the superior one, handle the withdrawal? Our 50+ invasions and wars our great military has initiated since WWII haven’t “just” killed 27,000,000 foreigners, but have literally bankrupted the whole country and ourselves. People and countries with superiority complexes eventually destroy themselves, as Israel is learning—again!
Nicely said. I would add one reason for war: Leaders who are in peril may start a war to diffuse their impending political demise.
Hi Bill , I agree with much of your analysis but what I don’t hear from you is what you would do differently than Trump . For example would you raise taxes or cut spending to bring the debt under control. Which spending items would you cut besides defense. You say you disagree with what Trump is doing to the university’s but would you keep giving them tax payers money ? On immigration do you disagree with closing the border and arresting criminals ? It is time you offer solutions instead of just criticizing. I suggest you do so before many more of your readers quit taking you seriously!!!!
Hi Bill, as usual, well written and compelling but with all this talk of war you forgot to mention that Trump has ended more wars than Obama and Biden wasted our money on.
What wars did he end?
You can't use Google?
"Using force for anything but defense is a waste of money."
Anybody who believes this has never worked on older cars, trucks, and/or heavy machinery. There is even a humorous saying about it: "Don't use force; just get a bigger hammer." Recently, a broken parking brake assembly forced (haha) me to fetch and deploy my 3-lb. hammer to remove the rotor so I could gain access, this on my 2000 Silverado 3/4-ton 4 x 4.
Seriously, application of force, the old "might makes right", is counter-indicated in most instances, particularly war, which is why I fear our current social and political polarization. One side can and will prevail in a physical struggle, but all that accomplishes is a temporary acquiescence on the part of the loser; it does not actually bring about a conversion. At that point, separation is the only remedy. Will we see that in time? Best always. PM
That’s been the guiding principle of US foreign policy since 1899’s slaughter of Cuban and Filipino patriots trying to free themselves from Spanish colonialism. It’s merely reaching new heights with our current tyrant. Farmers are just the first of us to pay the price of totalitarianism!
The Republicans may have lost their farming voter base for the midterms and for future POTUS elections. Enough of this bullshit. Problem is there's no real alternative. Time for voting libertarian if I vote at all.
Most Liberaltarians although logical and intelligent, don't understand low IQ voters.
Libertarians are inertly altruistic; and take pride in self-reliance.
Libertarians rely on others to care for themselves based upon those same principles.
Low IQ voters do not.
And you, with your incessant kindergarten name calling, classify yourself as other than a low IQ voter?
...incessant kindergarten name calling?
Was it something I said?
As a reasonably educated voter I did not realize low IQ voters are so sensitive.
The increase in Thomas Massie’s campaign funds may not have come from his supporters, instead from George Soros or similar people/groups….would be interesting to know.
It's not about ignorance or ideology. It's about incentives.
The question isn't why leaders make destructive choices—it's why everyone else goes along with it. And the answer is pretty straightforward: they've done the math. Being inside the circle is safer than being outside it. They'd rather risk annoying their voters than become the target.
Look at how the incentives actually work. Cross Trump today, and your career is over tomorrow—a social media post, a primary challenger, your committee seats gone. Vote for a trade war that destroys farms? That plays out over years, gets blamed on China or weather or a dozen other things, and by the time it fully hits, everyone's moved on to the next crisis. The cost of disloyalty is immediate and personal. The cost of bad policy is delayed and distributed.
Massie is the edge case that proves the rule. He votes no consistently, gets called "the worst Republican Congressman" and "a real loser," and his fundraising goes through the roof. Turns out there's a market for principle—but he's also accepted that he'll never be in leadership. Most people aren't willing to make that trade.
This is how you get the executive overreach Bonner describes—the tariffs, the war powers, the federal control creep. Not because 435 people suddenly forgot the Constitution, but because 434 of them decided it's less risky to enable it than to stop it. The system selects for compliance and punishes resistance.
After running a business for a quarter century, I can tell you: this is basic organizational behavior. You don't need a conspiracy or unique corruption—just normal people responding rationally to the actual incentive structure. The guy with unilateral power over your career gets deference. That's just how it works.
The founders tried to engineer around this—separation of powers, checks and balances, making ambition counter ambition. But they underestimated how quickly people optimize for survival over principle when the threat is real and immediate.
Maybe that's the real lesson. Republics don't fall because people forget history. They fall because the immediate cost of resistance exceeds the delayed cost of compliance.
And maybe it's worth noting: a president without a dog is usually someone who understands that loyalty only flows one direction.
With student loans funded by the taxpayer… the government has every right to tell universities how to operate. Imagine, borrowing money from a bank without a ‘profit & loss’ statement. Business would be bankrupt which is exactly where the education system currently stands.
President Trump not only ended more wars, he also would have gotten us out of Afghanistan with dignity, and we would still be operating Bagram. Where was Billy when obummer took out a US citizen in Sudan as a suspected terrorist. All we heard then were crickets, however, at that time Ole billy the bullshitter was Just Bill Bonner, focused on ways to make money in his prose. Wish we had that guy back, this was is in an uncureable TDS state.
Come on, Bill. Can't you give us a few incidentals about Obama, like you love to give us about Trump. I remember just one picture concerning Obama that was "worth those ten thousand words". That was the video film of those multi, multi, multi millions of dollars in cash being packed for shipment from Obama to Iran. Just a little more "equal" distribution by you of the "shortcomings" of our current and recent leaders would be appreciated.
The reasons for our current situation are among others. A hopelessly under educated and self serving population. A lack of clarity regarding the founding principles of the nation. And, under it all the usual ego reactions, fear and feeling out of control of events.
Yea, I’ll confess to that: I voted for Trump three times! I’m still getting bills from his campaign because I was stupid enough to donate to his lies and fake enticements.
Maybe “dignified” like Saigon? And 700 money-gobbling, hated-by-foreigners-military bases isn’t enough? And you want to reopen that irritant in Afghanistan? How would you like a French or Chinese or Canadian military base in the US? It’s called paranoia: just a 360 acre farm raising corn in Iowa is considered a declaration of war if it’s merely owned by a Chinese investor.
Ed, your ignorance of military ops is astounding. You need to stop watching msm and learn what actually happened and what the previous Trump administration plan was for the withdrawal. Then the fact the previous military department heads tried to explain the plan to Biden’s incoming administration but they wouldn’t hear them and net result was leaving 80 billion dollars in military equipment behind and 13 soldiers dead from the attack in Kabul. It was a disgrace and preventable. But not when you are a democrat and know everything. 😢
The TRILLIONS of dollars of equipment in those 700* bases world-wide are literally a yoke on our ability to “fight” the next war. As Dorothy might say, “We’re not in WWII anymore”. If Trump “succeeds” in creating a US-style war with China, it’ll end the first day when our highly acclaimed Department of War discovers all its satellites disappeared. The new “war”: friendship, trade, production and equality has actually already been settled. We are just too full of ourselves to realize it.
Well you talk a good game. Obviously never served or been a military strategist. I don’t condone war. BUT it has been going on since the dawn of time and unfortunately will continue. Peace through strength has worked as long as the strong doesn’t go and start the wars. Unfortunately we have at times but all for politics and not for self preservation. But none of what you have said excuses nor addresses Biden for his disgraceful actions during the withdrawal. It’s funny really because you and Jimm talk about war but it was president Trump that was ending our involvement in Afghanistan. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to follow through with his plan of withdrawal because he lost an election to a man hiding in his basement.
Cowardly Trump handed the difficult part over to someone else. He knew the country was already seething against the invaders and knew the war was already lost, why didn’t he, the superior one, handle the withdrawal? Our 50+ invasions and wars our great military has initiated since WWII haven’t “just” killed 27,000,000 foreigners, but have literally bankrupted the whole country and ourselves. People and countries with superiority complexes eventually destroy themselves, as Israel is learning—again!
Thomas Massie’s increase