Our friend Charlie Bacas shared a link to “This French Philosopher is the Only One Who Can Explain the Trump Phenomenon.” Semiotics is a bit of a stretch for an economist, and I’m not sure I entirely follow it. But it made me laugh. So maybe it will make you laugh.
The article’s point that “…Trump is able to take advantage of the obvious dysfunction of the traditional political system” also seems well taken.
Trump’s understanding of the role of money and politics helps explain some current Pennsylvania legislative policies — such as why we don’t have a severance tax yet. “When they call, I give. And you know what? When I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them. They are there for me. And that’s a broken system.”
Here’s hoping that the Pennsylvania legislature will prove that it’s not that broken yet — by rising above the fact that the deepest pockets oppose a severance tax and enacting a severance tax in the best interest of the state.