“Expediency vs Wisdom”

“Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at reducing restrictions on oil drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic in order to “unleash American energy.”

 “The US president said it would create “thousands and thousands” of jobs, despite a downturn in the oil market.

 It could undo a ban put in place by Barak Obama in order to protect swathes of the ocean from development….

 David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, a non-profit conservation group, said:  “The Trump administration’s hasty move today toward expanding offshore oil drilling…defies market realities and is as reckless as it is unnecessary.”” (BBC News, April 28, 2017)

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Our beloved President, affectionately called, “Herr Rump” has again demonstrated his propensity to seek headlines over wise counsel, expediency over wisdom, an executive order over deliberative congressional debate.  One might ask in all sincerity, since when has one man been the fountain of all decision making in a democratic society?  Are we being led by a dictator, “Herr Rump” or by a President of a democratic nation, Donald Trump?

It has been the accepted wisdom of the American public and government for decades that the fragile Arctic areas and areas near populated coastlines of the United States would be preserved from development and exploitation.  After the Gulf of Mexico oil drilling environmental disaster (Does anyone remember Deepwater Horizon, April 20, 2010?) a reasonable person would have at least studied the question before ordering exploration by fiat, an executive decree!  Apparently, Herr Rump sits up at night dreaming of new ways to exploit the American public, our wildernesses and our oceans, developing outlandish schemes to defraud the American people of their children’s future.

Many, many conservative Americans, as myself see the value of preserving wilderness from exploration by mining and drilling concerns, not only to preserve pristine areas for future generations but also to protect species and to KEEP IN RESERVE some of our mineral, coal and oil reserves for use at a later time.  We know what happens today when a barrel of oil is refined and how various components will be used, from pharmaceuticals to fuel to plastics, to binders for asphalt.  What we do not know is what science and technology might use these same elements for in the future.  If we want to burn oil for fuel, obtain it from sites already explored!  The world is currently awash in a glut of oil, coal and natural gas.  Why not hold these more fragile environmental areas in reserve for a later time, when they could be explored and used in a much safer way, when we know how to extract mineral and oil wealth with less destruction of our environment, when we have technology that guarantees less mistakes, less environmental disasters, and much less pollution?  We might even choose another alternative which the Germans and the Chinese are pursuing called “clean, alternative energy!”

Yet, Herr Rump, in his rush to expediency, hopes to prove that he can produce jobs for America in this period of his presidency.  He signs executive decrees with neither forethought, conscience nor research into cost versus benefits for the country or the environment.  Instead, he rushes headlong into another grand scheme of trying to create jobs, released to the public in time for the evening news.  A reasonable person has every right to ask Herr Rump, is your new policy about what is good for the American people or is this simply about what is good for Donald Trump?

In a previous review of our president’s modus operandi, I mentioned his method is to move so quickly as to stay ahead of his critics, to seek to enact something by executive decree without allowing any congressional debate, to move so fast that even the news anchors have little time to analyze, but only time to report.  In this way Herr Rump keeps his critics off balanced and runs so fast he believes he can stay ahead of any correction either by the courts, the Congress or the larger court of public opinion.

Should we react today to Herr Rump’s conversations about North Korea and the possibility of “a big, big conflict” or should we react to Herr Rump’s speech before the NRA down in Georgia where he talks again about the necessity of a Mexican border wall or should we take time to critique Herr Rump’s new policy on drilling in the Alaska/Arctic wilderness and the Atlantic coast?  Am I the only person in the United States of America who feels we are dealing with an immature personality who needs constant stimulation, who happens at the same time to be our sitting president?

Not wishing to simply be critical of the man, although there is much that can be said about President Trump’s immaturity, need for being the center of attention, and etc., I will instead try to confine my criticisms to matters of public policy.  We can say that President Trump rushes quickly to judgment in many things.  This may serve a person well buying real estate.  It does not do the same for public policy for nearly 300 million Americans.  Perhaps the Republican Congress will pass a resolution only allowing one executive decree a week!  Then perhaps we would at least have time to debate the wisdom of the latest decree before it becomes the force of a new law.

Our country is being changed in ways I am not sure we fully appreciate.  I am not against new ideas that stir the status quo.  I do feel that each new idea deserves time to be digested before regurgitation or swallowing occurs.  For me, all I know these days is indigestion with every new executive decree and a whole lot of it!  On any given day I cannot tell if President Trump is offering us steak, pie or hot tamale peppers for our lunch.   It is no wonder half of the population is becoming concerned enough to be ill from anxiety and the other half is stuffed with things which when eaten produce massive life-altering constipation.  Give us a break, Mr. Trump.  Allow us at least a day or two to digest whatever you are serving up today.  Acid re flux from the food you are dishing out is killing all of us!

I have never known nor imagined such a reckless President! I hope to God we never have another one like you!

In the name of God our Savior, in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I pray for all of us: “Help us dear Lord, please help us!  In your great mercy, please find a new leadership group for us!  In Jesus’ name, save us from another ill-advised war and from this reckless President.  Amen!”

“Amen!  We praise you and worship You Alone, Lord Jesus Christ!”

The voice of one crying out in this wilderness, “Make straight in this desert a highway for our God!”