The favorite explanation for Donald Trump’s dismantling of our government amounts to a version of “We’re here to shrink government, save money and cut waste, fraud and abuse.” As many commentators have shown — especially Paul Krugman in his paper, “For MAGA, Ignorance Is Strength” — this is not true. A closer examination shows that Trump is only interested in cutting out the truth. For him, the only acceptable world is his world of preconceptions, a world allergic to fact checking. One of the biggest sources of such facts is science (another is the rule of law), so it and any organization dependent upon it must go.
Take the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA depends on science. It not only helps predict the weather and warn of destructive storms, but it is intimately connected with one of Trump’s favorite taboos — climate change. Research into all things weather leads to one inevitable conclusion: Human-made climate change is real and urgently needs our attention. This goes against Trump’s assumption that climate change is a hoax and, equally important, against his loyalty to his donors in the fossil fuel industry. So, NOAA is to lose 40% of its funding.
What’s weird is that, while Trump is fiercely protective of his world, he does not seem to have any inkling that such an attitude might be self-destructive. Climate change doesn’t care whether you believe in its existence: If left untethered, it will come for us all. But Trump arrogantly marches on to his own drummer. Unfortunately, he has the uncanny ability to convince others, including his “Make America Great Again” followers, to march to the same tune. It is this ability that gives Trump the power to put all our lives, including his own, in grave peril.
Frederick Longacre
Hockessin
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
