Friday, March 17, 2017

BUDGET GAMES

The Donald released his budget for fiscal 17-18 And of course it was declared dead on arrival by every politition across the Fruited Plain.  Then again, for the past eight years the nation has moved forward without any semblance of an approved budget kind of like T & S for the past half century or so.  The Donald seems to about as much concern as she does so why all the fuss?  Once again, I don't know, but the guy just seems to roll on with nary a care except for the things that are important to him.

Take today for example.  Angie came to town in what was billed in often breathless terms as a sit down critical to the entire western establishment.  Would the American President temper his words and positions, having finally realized how critical the relationship with Germany is?  Now of course that is assuming that it didn't realize that already but as to the tempering bit...nope, not a bit.  The words that followed were polite, often accompanied by a smile but pointed on both sides and more direct than anyone who has been around these things can remember.  Not even Obama and BiBi who hated each other were this direct in public.  I make no judgement on the event, but clearly this is a different kind of guy and to her credit...and who would have thought otherwise...Frau Merkel was clearly up to task.  So watching this I said to myself, "Self, maybe in these times it's not bad to have the leader of the most important country in the world and the leader of the most important country in Europe, who after all are REALLY on th same side at the end of day, prepared to go toe to toe to sort out the differences rather than waste time and effort in a diplomatic two-step."   The "establishment" and certainly the editorial board of Foreign Affairs may not like it but maybe it's not such a bad thing.

Anyway, back to the budget with today's affirmation that this is a different guy.  the Donald says he's going to cut expenditures at the EPA and at the State Department.  He has Sexy Rexie at State who in case you missed it ran Exxon and knows a thing or two about cutting costs.  Gang, I suspect that what he says is going to get cut is going to get cut: nobody in this mob is running for reelection and could therefore give a damn as to the politics or the opinions of others.  I mean, after all, what do you do after running Exxon?  Well, I suspect if you are looking for a new challenge you take on the biggest management challenge of all...the Department of State.  A comparison that may or may not prove useful:  Exxon, the most powerful and successful energy company in the world, is run with 20% of the people employed by Petrolios Mexicano.   Now not even the Department of State is that inefficient (nor, to be truthful, is it any where near that corrupt) but the comparison might give one a different view as to why Tillerson was picked...not for his diplomatic skills although they are clearly present, but for his management ability.  Before you drain the swamp you have to kill the alligators.

Anyway, it's St. Patrick's day and I'm going to go marinate a few ice cubes in honour of that fine Roman of years past whom the Irish have claimed as threir own.  He drove out the snakes from Ireland, you know...or maybe it was alligators.  Do you think that Till....nah, impossible.

Purses, anyone?

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