Sometimes you can take a guilty little pleasure in a ‘Toldja’ moment, particularly if you really didn’t agree with those on the other side of the argument and it’s all gone wrong for them. Some of us lefty Brits indulged in this quite a bit in the years following the shock Conservative election win of 1992, and all was to go very wrong for John Major and his fractious ungrateful party Some of us of more generous spirit would smile sadly at those who by 1994 were saying ‘But I thought I did the right thing in voting Conservative’.

Forward 30 years.

We live in a time when  the extremes of the Republican Party and it loud support groups found Trump in the Walmart Action Toy bargain bin and set him up as a Must Have, thus making White Privilege, Denial of Progress and Scientific Evidence and Quasi- Religious Fundamentalism Respectable and Profitable. Witnessing their efforts to roll back everything rational and a resulting polarisation I have been one amongst many suggesting the end of the USA might be on its way. History indicates a declining nation becomes prey to outside predators, not armed ones essentially, but commercial ventures looking to buy off local rulers and gradually get their hooks in, then bring in the armies, and the next thing the natives are subjects. Europe excelled at this from the 16th century to the 20th.

Well it seems I was part-right. Only it has come in the form of one dangerously wealthy person, some quirk of the 21st century. This Musk person with an abnormal form of intelligence and drive naturally would influence Trump who can only see dollar signs and the attraction of folk with unworkable reactionary ideas. So with Musk ensconced Musk promptly, as the script goes started to influence beyond the democratic process, impose his will, buy off willing politicians lacking either principals or intelligence or perception or all three.  Dylan’s song ‘It’s alright Mah I’m only Bleeding’ is rich with quotable lines, in this case:
‘Money doesn’t talk. It swears’

And while we’re on the subject of apt songs, let’s go back to an real oldie by The Electric Prunes (only in the 1960s would you get such a name)- sorry WP isn’t working it’s mojo with showing the whole video, just the link – Sold To The Highest Bidder is the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnKby42E4tU

Land deal purchased at a knocked down price. Still part of the USA history, like the Louisiana Purchase, or the Alaska Purchase. Only this time the USA isn’t buying, it’s being bought.
Some joke uh?