President Trump is making sweeping decisions that literally effect the future of the world, not based on facts, not based on science, but based on his "gut."
On Monday, he dismissed a study produced by 13 federal agencies in his administration and more than 300 leading climate scientists, warning of the potentially catastrophic impact of climate change.
And because he simply doesn't believe the scientifically-based assessments of his own agencies and hundreds of top climate scientists, the U.S. continues to take action that not only reverse the climate change advances of the Obama administration, but actually worsens the situation.
In my opinion, it's all based on Trump's own stubbornness, his ego, and greed. He's right and everyone else is wrong -- always.
Actually, I thought perhaps the report, issued on Black Friday when most Americans were too busy to pay attention, might give Trump pause because it warns of serious economic consequences of climate change. Economic. That means money. And that's what Trump likes, so you'd think he'd at least be concerned about that.
The report, the second of four such annual studies commissioned by Congress, concludes that the world's temperature is rising and and that evidence shows that human actions play a role. It concludes that the changing climate "is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us."
It warns of "substantial damages to the US economy, environment, and human health and well-being over the coming decades."
The report predicts climate change will result in hundreds of billions lost, with farms being hardest hit, and that factors like air quality, disease transmission by insects, food and water will "increasingly threaten the health and well-being of the American people."
While not cited in the report, the recent devastating wild fires in California have been at least partially attributed to factors resulting from climate change -- extremely hot and dry conditions. Trump's reaction, though, was, "naw, all you gotta do is a better job of raking the leaves."
Guess that's what his gut told him.
No worries, though, says Trump of the climate report.
"I don't believe it," so there is no need to take steps to curtail auto emissions or industrial pollution. Just a waste of money for all concerned. Just keep on burning that "beautiful, clean coal."
Today, in an interview with the Washington Post, Trump said, “As to whether or not it’s man-made and whether or not the effects that you’re talking about are there, I don’t see it.”
But Wait, There's More
But climate change isn't the only area where Trump's decisions are ruled by his gut.
In the Washington Post interview, Trump blasted Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. “Jay” Powell, whom he nominated earlier this year, for raising interest rates and blamed that action and other Fed policies for the recent tanking of the stock market and GM’s announcement that it was laying off 15 percent of its workforce,
“I’m doing deals, and I’m not being accommodated by the Fed,” Trump said. “They’re making a mistake because I have a gut, and my gut tells me more sometimes than anybody else’s brain can ever tell me.”
So, if Trump had his way U.S. economic policy would be driven by his gut, not by sound economic principles.
Really? Is this how such important decisions should be made? Decisions that affect every American, indeed, virtually every citizen of the world?
Frankly, I don't think so.