The election from hell has ended; now America’s nightmare begins

The American people are going to be living in a period in this nation’s history that will determine what kind of a nation and society this will be.

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Donald Trump and the Republican Party have taken control over this government, that’s reality; and now the nightmare begins.
 
This combination of control-obsessed politicians is poised to pursue an agenda that will shake the foundations of this country. Millions upon millions of Americans wait with a feeling of great apprehension about what is going to happen now and how their lives will be affected.
Here’s a preview of what we in America can expect:
 
To say the Republican Party, a majority of its leadership and a sizable portion of its membership, have sociopathic tendencies is, if anything, an understatement. Once this party was known as the party of Lincoln but that association ended decades ago. Since then the GOP has evolved into the party of Ayn Rand, the highly controversial and self-professed sociopathic leaning activist.
 
Saying that the Republican Party possesses sociopathic tendencies is certainly a strong statement so let’s explore this situation and prove that this belief is quite accurate based on clearly documented facts and evidence.
 
First, let’s define the term sociopath so we know what is meant by sociopathic tendencies. The typical definition is: “A person with a personality problem marked by antisocial behavior — a person who has little regard for the feelings of others and manipulates them in order to get what he or she desires.”
All those with this condition are basically of the same mindset; however, there are different degrees of manifestation of this condition it in one individual versus another. Those politicians who fit these characteristics are in a class of their own, not nearly as bad as some, but still largely out of touch with most Americans. Here’s a few of those specific characteristics of that class of politicians:
 
Exhibiting a lack of empathy or remorse
Watching people struggling, trying to just stay afloat doesn’t seem to faze them Difficulty in relating to people different than themselves
Irresponsible, reactionary, impulsive behavior
Unapologetic for questionable actions
 
Now let’s talk about the connection between Republican Party and Ayn Rand.
In examining this connection between Rand and the Republican Party I’ve come to the conclusion that their ideologies are very much the same. To do so I reviewed youtube.com and other videos in which noted interviewers such as Mike Wallace, Phil Donahue and others have brought to our attention Rand’s beliefs and philosophies and I come up with what appear to be the central message:
 
That man’s moral obligation is only to himself and most certainly not to others who may be in some kind of need. She made it clear that no person or any government bears any responsibility to come to the aid others; she stated that she was completely against altruism which is “the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.”
 
So what her beliefs indicate is that it’s “every man for himself” and “the survival of the fittest” and “everyone is entitled to their own happiness and welfare” and owes nothing to others; that the notion that we should love and care for others has no real place in a society. When one listens to what Republicans have been saying for a long time it is pretty much the same thing although it’s more tempered than Rand’s.
 
Take a look at the fascinating video, shown in the link below, in which Mike Wallace interviews Rand and explores her views on the role of government and what it should and should not do, together with the associated responsibilities of individuals; and then compare what she says to the clearly stated views of the Republican Party of today; there are some distinct similarities.
 
 
To be fair about this we should mention that the GOP has some extremely radical beliefs, they aren’t quite as radical as those of Rand because no one could possibly match her anti-social beliefs. But there is no question whatsoever that the two philosophies mirror each other in many ways. It clearly seems to be about control over others.
 
Paul Ryan the Speaker of the House, certainly no supporter of government social programs, has made no secret of the fact that he has been an admirer of Ayn Rand; and that is quite evident. He’s been quoted as saying, “I grew up reading Ayn Rand and it taught me quite a bit about who I am and what my value systems are and what my beliefs are.”
 
And he further states that “Rand makes the best case for the morality of democratic capitalism.” That’s how Ryan praised the anti-democratic Ayn Rand, who once said, “Democracy is a totalitarian manifestation; it is not a form of freedom.”
 
Want further proof of these sociopathic tendencies of which I speak? Well for starters let’s ask the question; which political party in America has made no bones about the fact that they would, if they were able, significantly weaken, dismantle or privatize essential government social programs?
 
I can see just see GOP leadership thinking about the key priorities on their upcoming agenda and, instead of concentrating on job creation and taking step to strengthen the foundations of this country, deciding which government programs or agencies that should be at the top of their list of targets.
 
Should it be Obamacare in which about 20 million Americans enrolled, or should it be Medicare upon which 55 million depend? Maybe Social Security, with 60 million Americans getting benefits should be the first target; or maybe the food stamp program that 47 million Americans, the elderly, children, the disabled, homeless veterans, together with members of the U.S. military and Wal-Mart workers who don’t make enough money to support their families rely upon.
 
I do believe that a significant number of the members of this party actually reject and do not support its anti-social policies and actions and are not destructionists but they don’t have the power to change its rigid, tight-fisted ideology.
 
And to be perfectly fair about this issue, I have to say that there are also Democrats who have these sociopathic tendencies. It’s just that their number is minuscule compared to Republicans. 
 
If these programs are dismantled or severely watered down and weakened, if that happens, all hell could break loose in America. This situation could evolve into a societal crisis if one or more of these programs come under vicious attack; this could set off a societal eruption or explosion such as we have never seen.
 
When these Rand-like politicians look at this country they see two Americas not just one. They see the America that is inhabited by the wealthiest Americans with the highest incomes plus the massive corporations whose objectives involve the accumulation of greater profits; those who have no real loyalty to this country or its people.
 
Then they see the other side of America; the working class, those who once had very good jobs and salaries but now are struggling to survive; the poor and needy that have to rely on various forms of government aid. They see these Americans who are so different from themselves; and the plight of those people hardly even registers with them. They look the other way.
 
What they could and should do to take millions off the food stamp program and government welfare is to create millions of badly needed jobs in manufacturing so these people could again become self-sufficient. But, as we have seen, they aren’t going to do any such thing because they know that it would adversely affect the profits of their corporate masters who rely heavily on cheap overseas labor. .
 
So the American people are going to be living in a period in this nation’s history that will determine what kind of a nation and society this will be. We could see Trump try to force his agenda of “change”, whatever that may be, through Congress and the Republicans could, if they wish, stop him dead in his tracks.
 
Then again, we might see these two join together and follow an agenda that is in direct opposition to that which the American people desire. If they continue to refuse to do what is right and necessary for the American people, to strengthen the foundations of this country and, instead, follow negative, destructive policies and actions then the party largely comprised of Ayn Rand disciples will be heading down the path to political oblivion.

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Michael Payne is an independent progressive activist. His writings deal with social, economic, political and foreign policy issues; and especially with the great dangers involved with the proliferation of perpetual war, the associated defense industry, and the massive control that Corporate America holds over this government and our election process; all which are leading this nation down the road to eventual financial ruin if the conditions are not reversed. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois and a U.S. Army veteran.

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