All eyes have been on the circus of events that continue to unfold from the inner sanctums of Donald Trump’s administration as his right-hand man and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, faces a host of unspeakable suspicions and unbelievable allegations that since the early days of Trump’s campaign, Kushner has been in cahoots with Russian officials — all on behalf of a master plan to ensure the election of “Daddy Dearest” as president.
And yet, no one from Trump’s trusted circle, including the president, seems particularly worried. Meanwhile, the White House, breaking decades of tradition, continues to disallow the press to participate in televised press conferences, opting for off-the-record conversations and hand-fed press releases. The White House continues to discount the concerns of longtime, European allies who now wonder if they can truly count on America if and when they’re confronted by unspeakable acts of terrorist-induced violence on their shores — even as Trump paints a picture of success.
We consider it to all to be a well-calculated smokescreen, formed so we’d be so distracted that we wouldn’t pay attention to Trump’s budget plan, quietly issued over a week ago. — a plan even worse for residents of the District than the president’s initial “skinny” version released in March.
The plan calls for eliminating the area’s federal workforce by thousands, while also slashing millions of dollars from initiatives including affordable housing, job training and environmental safeguards and the National Institutes of Health. Blacks may believe they shouldn’t these cuts, but they’d be wrong as Trump’s budget would impact our communities in ways we could never have guessed including unprecedented cuts in both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Meanwhile, changes in the tax system would make it that much easier for the already filthy rich to become richer.
D.C. residents already pay almost more in taxes than any other state in the U.S. while Congress remains in the familiar driver’s seat directing our future while we remain a voiceless, vote-less people. It all goes to show that we cannot count on Trump doing much of anything for us. But what will his fellow Republicans do and with whom will they stand as more clouds converge on our country’s horizon.
Don’t worry about fearing a “Black planet” — fear those who just months ago promised a change from the status quo, a “draining of the swamp,” a new world order and a new beginning for those who, up to now, have been shut out from the American dream. It’s going to get much worse and quickly. Are you ready?