I’ve read quite a few good commentaries on the election of Trump but this piece by Chris Martenson is the best as it points to many of the other good articles, and ties them together with a coherent story based on human behavior, economics, and thermodynamics.
I agree with everything that Chris said and have only three points to add.
First, it is true that most cities voted for Clinton and most rural areas voted for Trump. But another more illuminating way to describe this divide is the center vs. the periphery. As the total wealth of a country decreases, the remaining wealth shifts to the centers because that’s where the power is. The result is a widening wealth gap and increasing social unrest.
Second, the total wealth of all countries in the world will decrease a lot over the next decade due to falling net energy. There is nothing that can be done to avoid this. What can be done are policies from enlightened and brave leadership to prevent a widening wealth gap. It remains to be seen if Trump will be enlightened and brave.
Third, in case you haven’t noticed, interest rates are starting to rise. It’s a REALLY big deal if they continue to rise because they will negatively impact just about everything, including Trump’s plan for infrastructure investment. This sets up an interesting natural experiment as central banks know that rising interest rates will implode the system and so will do everything in their power to prevent rates from rising. Many people think central banks have total control of interest rates. I think not. Soon we will know the truth.
https://www.peakprosperity.com/blog/103343/get-ready-change-upon-us
The political upheaval of Donald Trump is best understood through the lens of economic erosion suffered by the vast majority of people. If a democracy is measured in how well it serves the interests of the majority, the United States is not a democracy at all.
Of course, nearly everyone already knows this. But it’s been all but unspeakable in polite circles to say so.
Now, it is finally becoming okay to voice.
un-Denial 