Now that the dust has settled. Wait. Who am I kidding? The dust will never settle; it will continue to churn for the next four years.

Let’s try this again.

Now that the national nightmare is in full swing and the nonsense of “I never heard of Project 2025” is put to rest, We need a more straightforward road map to the Trump Policy process.

And it is simpler than one would imagine.

Policies are based on a white-washed nostalgic view of America. Instead of “Hail to the Chief” whenever Mr. Trump enters a room, they should play the theme song from All in the Family. Having been a great fan of the show, Archie Bunker comes to mind when I picture Trump supporters. And Archie’s dutiful wife follows along as God intended for a woman to obey her man. You know, our new official American God.

Boy, the way Glenn Miller played
Songs that made the Hit Parade
Guys like us, we had it made
Those were the days

And you knew who you were then
Girls were girls, and men were men
Mister, we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again

Didn't need no welfare state
Everybody pulled his weight
Gee, our old LaSalle ran great
Those were the days

People seemed to be content
Fifty dollars paid the rent
Freaks were in a circus tent
Those were the days

Take a little Sunday spin
Go to watch the Dodgers win
Have yourself a dandy day
That cost you under a fin

Hair was short, and skirts were long
Kate Smith really sold a song
I don't know just what went wrong
Those were the days

Freaks were in a circus tent
Those were the days, indeed.

Joe Broadmeadow

And like the stark difference between the on-screen portrayal of Archie Bunker and the real-life contrast of the thoughtful and progressive Carroll O’Connor, the America of their fantasy does not match the reality of history.

By all measures, Mr. Trump has assumed office with a strong and growing economy, with domestic oil and natural gas production at an all-time high and inflation in the normal range for economic growth. (https://www.conference-board.org/topics/us-leading-indicators) and (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/short-take-us-energy-production-exceeds-consumption-by-widest-recorded-margin-2024-06-26/)

You may argue anecdotal examples that contradict this, but the economy is sound by all accepted economic measures. And it is sound whether you believe it or not.

Prices, a combination of cost plus profit, may be higher than we’d like, but one must drill down to determine the reason. Corporate earnings for basics like food, fuel, and medicine are at their highest level in history. And I find it antithetical to expect Mr. Trump, whose approach to everything is zero-sum deal-making, to target the actual problem.  (“We should get a piece of Tik Tok, it’s only fair.”)

Instead, he’ll revert to his lifelong pursuit of increasing business profits for his wealthy supporters and himself, the ethics be damned.