Summary
Donald Trump fired FTC Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, the agency’s only Democrats, prompting accusations of illegal action.
Both cited Supreme Court precedent protecting FTC commissioners from dismissal without cause. Bedoya warned Trump wants the FTC to serve corporate interests, while Slaughter said the administration fears accountability.
The 1935 Supreme Court ruling bars presidents from removing FTC commissioners arbitrarily.
Critics say the move undermines regulatory independence and eliminates opposition voices that could challenge Trump’s policies favoring major corporations.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it were Central America, first. They already lack strong governments and global positioning. Especially with the cartels actively holding back progress.
Yeah, Panama also side steps the NATO problem.
That is one of my more annoying thoughts. In his child-like rampaging through the most powerful office in the world, he might accidentally do something good like wipe out the cartels or give support to a country that really needs it on the global scale. The cost will be extremely high. Like through the twisted Nazi experiments, we ended up learning a ton about mental health and brain responses that… Well, it’s probably the only way to discover some of those things. But the methodology is unthinkable.
He may have some success in beating the cartels back, somewhat. But overall he’s not going to support any country down there, he’s going to send the military to bomb the fuck out of what little infrastructure they have, cause large amounts of collateral damage and death, and seize whatever is of value. We’ve already seen this playbook in the middle east.
Playing this forward in my head -
The U.S. attacks Panama, who probably have some way of sabotaging or permanently disabling the locks, which are already struggling to keep up with modern shipping demands, despite the recent expansion. Under the weight of either the U.S. attack or the inoperability of the locks and resulting loss of income, the Panamanian government falters, and the only groups with money and a need for land with loose or weak laws is the cartels. The resulting instability may or may not spread to other countries, but the displaced people/refugees will directly or indirectly exacerbate immigration to the U.S. Within 15 years Arctic Sea ice has decreased to a point that the Arctic will be navigable in the summer. Within 50, during the winter, as well. If not sooner, if the U.S.’ attempts to roll back climate policies are successful.
All in all, a losing proposition in the short and long term. Trump’s kind of “deal.”
I didn’t really do a good job in my comment. I meant fostering support by others, just like Ukraine. Against his whatever crazy agenda. But I totally agree.
He already did.