THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR JAN. 8, 2026

                                                                  CASH MICHAELS

   

  RESOLUTIONS

by Cash Michaels

And how were your holidays?

For my family and me, not bad. As always, I personally take the last two weeks of every year off so I can use that time to rest and reflect. I value that, because one thing is for sure  - I have more days behind me than in front of me, so fine-tuning the time I have left doing things that keep me fulfilled is a very high priority, right behind making sure that my adult children are doing well and managing life in the most constructive way possible.

One of the things I resolved to do during the holidays was to ignore all things Trump so that I could truly enjoy time with family. It was great for my mental and emotional health, to say the least. That’s how much what that man is doing to the country and the world disturbs me, and I must say, not having to pay attention to his disturbing power grabbing antics was truly refreshing.

This is until Saturday, January 3rd…my birthday!

That’s when, along with the rest of the world, I woke up to news that Trump sent in U.S. military forces, acting under the cover of federal law enforcement, to kidnap (some say "arrest") both Venezuelan Pres. Nicolas Maduro and his wife (reportedly dragging them from their bedroom, for goodness sakes), and charging them with narco-terrorism, among other drug trafficking-related crimes.

I have no problem with bad guys (and their wives) being bagged, but I just hope that this one is legal, because the folks in Trump’s administration are famous for cutting corners with the rule of law - domestic, international or otherwise.

        I thought Democratic Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett made an excellent point during her appearance on “The View” a few days ago. 

Trump supporters are quick to point out that Maduro actually lost his election for president the last time he ran, but was able to take power anyway. So he wasn’t the legitimate elected leader of Venezuela.

But, as Congresswoman Crockett reminds us, didn’t our own leader try to pull a “Maduro” five years ago this week on January 6th, 2021, only to have his own vice president, Mike Pence, who was in charge of certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, not go along?

Former prosecutor Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee late last month (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR-bhPzQYUE) that based on the evidence, there was no doubt that Trump was the reason for the January 6th insurrection. Smith felt he would have proven that, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Trump was reelected, he would have been convicted and sent to jail.

It’s little facts like that which make most of us not trust a damn word this administration says or does about anything!!!

By the way, raise your hand if you’re comfortable with Trump telling us now that we’ve raided Venezuela and grabbed its president, that he an his cronies are going to run that sovereign nation and bring oil companies in to control the resources until further notice. In fact, Trump has since announced that Venezuela will "be turning over between 30 and 50 billion barrels of oil to the United States, which will be sold to benefit both Venezuela and the United States."

Now aren’t you proud? Venezuela is Trump’s 51st state, and to add insult to injury, he warns Columbia, Cuba and Nigeria to pay close attention! Hey Greenland, think all of this has nothing to do with you?

Think again!

Another thing that I did that gave me much pleasure (beyond spending time with my two daughters, who came home to celebrate my seventieth birthday with me), was binging on old episodes of “The West Wing” on Netflix. I couldn’t get away from it, especially now that I’m much older than when I first began watching it 25 years ago.

I was amazed at how well each episode has held up over time, and how deep each episode was, especially when it came to the inner workings of our federal government. Of course, many of the scenarios were fantasy because after all, West Wing was originally a political drama on network television.

But what most fans of the show appreciated was how those fantasy scenarios were ultimately resolved by real world political solutions, courtesy of writer/producer Lawrence O’Donnell, who has since become a heralded political commentator on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC for the past 20+ years).

What a lot of people don’t realize is that West Wing was a precursor to the election of Barack Obama, our first American president of color, and some of the people who were consultants on the show later worked to get Obama elected in 2008.

Many people who watch “The West Wing” today and enjoy it, all say the same thing: they wish our country had a West Wing administration leading the nation, instead of what we have now.

That’s a shame, but that sentiment speaks to the kind of country many of us believe we should be - one that is always striving to be better, to be inclusive, to be strong on principles, to be leaders of the global community in education, scientific discovery, freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.

        Doesn’t mean our problems would just disappear, but that we would be better suited to deal with them, and do so with a greater sense of unity, honesty and resolve.

The West Wing - another case of popular culture in our country reflecting our best values and vision.

Then, of course, everyone is anxious about the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, and whether the Democrats can hold it together long enough to retake the U.S. House of Representatives and put a stop to much of Trump’s free-for-all madness. Mind you, unless Dems are also able to increase their numbers in the U.S. Senate, all they can hope to accomplish is to put a stop to the rubber stamp foolishness of the current Republican-led House majority and Speaker Mike “MAGA Mouse” Johnson.

But for my money, that would be enough until we were able to truly get the Senate back.

Make no mistake, however, if the Dems do take back the House for the midterms, they must try to do everything in their power to finally fix the health insurance crisis, and affordability problem - two things that Americans definitely want solid action on.

I pray that my fellow citizens finally realize that governing is really a numbers game. Only when your party has the numbers can good things get done. Only when your political party has the numbers and has won control can it bring about the change you seek legislatively.

Yes, at the end of the day, I sincerely hope that my fellow citizens wake up and realize that electing Trump and his dangerous clown show to run OUR government was the biggest mistake we’ve ever made, and that we seriously must resolve to fix that problem incrementally so that by the time 2028 rolls around, and Trump protege Vice President John David Vance starts hanging his “for President” banners in our faces, we’re ready, willing and able to collectively say, “get the hell outta here” with a sense of unity, duty and purpose.

That is my greatest New Year’s resolution - to do everything I can, with the time I have left, to make sure that in 2026 AND 2028, the deep stench of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance is removed from our government, and that we can return to being the bright, principled and hopeful country we used to be.

Are you with me?

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