Deductible (lower taxes -> greater benefits), good image (easier to hire good people, improved sales -> greater benefits). Seriously, is that so hard to understand?
I have two deductibles which aren’t taken into account in my monthly income withdrawals; when they suddenly show up in my yearly income tax, they get me back an amount of money larger than what I’ve put into creating the two deductibles (they move me down at least one % level, some years two). Basic arithmetic says those two deductibles are a great investment.
Trump is not finished yet, and he’s not finished precisely because of the ‘idiots’ you’ve referred to.
The truth is this: American “conservatism” in 2016 has some of the most terrifying hallmarks of German fascism in 1933: the political double standards, the willingness to accept blatant falsehoods, the apathy toward overt racism, the demonization of progressives, the fear mongering, and the unwillingness to listen to factually-based opposing points of view.
The discussions I’ve had on Facebook with people I’ve typically respected and genuinely liked (other than their political leanings) have been sobering and in some ways frightening. These experiences remind me of everything I’ve ever read about the rise of fascism in Europe. The only difference is that Trump is not an ideological superman like Hitler. He’s just a narcissistic shit-talking sociopath who will say anything to anyone because he just wants to get elected to say he ‘won’ but doesn’t really care what happens after that. But there are some ideologues who are lurking in his shadow, waiting for the opportunity to exploit his victory, and that is the truly scary part.
It is interesting to compare the Trump phenomenon with the fascisms of the 1930’s; both the similarities and the differences are of interest.
One of the major differences is the economic environment. During the 1920’s Germany was hit hard by the need to pay huge war reparations; high tariffs made it hard to raise money by exporting; parts of Western Germany were occupied by foreign armies, adding to resentments; with its limited revenue spent on reparations, the government turned to the printing presses and horrendous hyperinflation resulted. By 1924 the economy had stabilized, but it was a fragile recovery buoyed by American help. When the worldwide Great Depression struck, Germany was one of the worst-affected countries; unemployment soared. Reparations were still due. Under these conditions it’s no surprise that some of the German people turned to a demagogue promising new answers.
Contrast this with U.S.A. in the year 2016. By many measures America has never been more prosperous; prices are stable; unemployment is low; and the stock market has soared. Trump’s support comes not from the unemployed underclass but from middle-class whites. Their “pains” are trivial or non-existent compared to the real grievances that fueled the rise of Hitler. instead of serious economic hardship, Trumpism is fueled by a vague hatred against people of other races or creeds.
How sad and pathetic is the American mentality behind the rise of Donald Trump.
Excellent insights with respect to the differences between American conservatism and German fascism. I agree: there are parallels, but not necessarily congruence.
I forgot when I saw it but there’s a professor at Yale who occasionally posts online lectures. One of his areas of specialization deals with America in the Reconstruction era. One of his main theses is that we go through periods of revolution and counter-revolution: There was the Civil War and Union-mandated Reconstruction, and there was the counter-revolution of the Jim Crow era. There were periods of Civil Rights expansion again during the Teddy Roosevelt administration, and then there was Woodrow Wilson. There were the Civil Rights marches, bus rides, and sit-ins, and there were firebombed churches and water hoses aimed at protesters. In short, for every step we take forward, there is almost inevitably a reaction and an attempt to push back.
In his lecture he was specifically referring to the Colfax Massacre and other incidents of mass murder led by post-Confederacy sympathizers. But it still applies to today. Think about the 1992 election cycle, which was labeled the year of the woman because numerous women had risen to political prominence (Sens Feinstein, Boxer, and Moseley-Braun, for example). A mere two years later, though, we had the year of the angry white male, which resulted in the first republican congress in 40 years. And here we are now, having elected Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, we’re now dealing with the counter-revolution: the tea party and nativists who see ‘their’ America slipping from their grasp.
Tax breaks are absolutely NOT relevant to the original claim that “A business would say that if you can’t pay for their service, GTFO.” What part of THAT do you not understand???