I said earlier today that we’d be better off if someone walked into a meeting of the board of trustees of the local community college, looked to one side of the table, and arbitrarily said: “You five, come with me, you will be in charge of the entire national response to the Coronavirus in 4 hours” – we honest to god would be better off.

That was before I heard that Trump is now asserting he will have the final say on that $500 billion slush fund.

"I'll be the oversight. I'll be the oversight," Trump says of the proposed $500 billion fund for industries et al.

This will be unlikely to be reassuring to Democrats needless to say.

— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) March 24, 2020

This is a man who charges the Secret Service full rates to stay at his resorts. This is a man who organized a deal for American military planes to land in Scotland to refuel and spend some Relaxation time at his place – billed to the military. This is the man who owns a hotel up the road where people from certain wealthy nations might mistakenly pay more than the room rate, maybe two zeroes (speculating), and Trump will know – and be their friends.

Donald Trump wants complete control of a slush fund to help “struggling companies,” quickly, but without reporting on the money for six months – and I will bet those reports will be very confusing and incomplete. What is stopping this man from granting $3 Billion to a company that asked for $2.5, with a certain understanding of where part of that extra $500 million would go, some business at Trump resorts, paying extra-high rates.

It is downright Putinesque, or at least on that road.

I desperately want the Democrats to solidify direct payments for the lower-paid Americans$75K down means $2-3K. But I understand why they have made this their primary objection. Perhaps there is room there. Perhaps a slush fund of $25 Billion (they just want a slush fund, $25Billion is still a lot), in trade for the money to workers.

Who knows?

I know it is insane to have Donald Trump as head of this nearly untraceable money. I know the impact of giving him that kind of power. I know why Republicans insist upon doing it. It is a major major step toward dictatorship – even if people don’t know it, or report it that way.

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Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom