By Carol Lucas
Sometimes I wish there weren’t so much in the political realm to commit to print. I long for the time when the greatest problem confronting us was Monica’s blue stained dress or the hanging chads of the George W. Bush election.
What happened back then was “chump change,” as my grandfather used to say.
So, as I sat at my computer, considering my usual Saturday afternoon conundrum, what to write about, I ran across this bit of sage advice.
“Feeling scattered or shut down isn’t a weakness — it’s what authoritarian chaos is built to produce. Of course you are exhausted. Of course you freeze sometimes. That’s the point. Write it down, say it out loud: “I’m not failing. I’m responding to engineered chaos.”
Engineered chaos … hmmm.
If I were to include a list of every presidential action that has thrown us into this state of chaos ever since No. 47 took office in January, I would far exceed my word constraints. The pardons given to the January 6 insurrectionists was just the beginning, and as promised, occurred on the first day of his second term.
What follows is a partial list compiled by Congressman Steve Cohen of Tenn., who opens his remarks with this: “The Trump Administration has acted illegally and unconstitutionally in ways that weaken our democratic institutions, slow down our economy, roll back protections for public health and the environment, and put health care and Social Security benefits at risk for millions of Americans.”
The excessive deportations of many who were here legally. The list and why it was illegal to deport them is vast.
The creation of Alligator Alcatraz, an inhumane blot on our history if ever there were one. Ask yourself what your reaction was to Auschwitz when you learned of it in high school history.
The targeting of higher education as well as law firms, compelling them to abide by the newly established “standards” of this administration.
The stripping of power from Federal Independent Regulatory Agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.
More recently, there is the retribution that No. 47 has promised, starting with James Comey. The attorney that was appointed by this administration to prosecute saw little merit in the case and said as much. He then quit rather than become an adherent to what he knew was a losing proposition.
When No. 47 was asked, “who is next on the list?” he replied that there are more to come.
The ending of birthright citizenship is one to ponder, considering the marriages of No. 47 and the children born thereafter. Hypocrisy is no stranger to No. 47, but then, I digress.
For a comprehensive list of these actions during the past nine months, I strongly suggest you access Congressman Cohen’s website. It is well-written and very much to the point.
Perhaps that which will “seal the deal” for the goal of engineered chaos is the sending of federal troops to cities where No. 47 perceives (or not) there is sufficient unrest to merit such a move.
Washington, D.C., was the first, and we have seen pictures of the troops picking up trash, a rather expensive way to clean the city’s streets. In fact it is worth including these estimates regarding the deployment of the National Guard.
Recent deployments illustrate that costs often exceed $1 million per day and can quickly total tens of millions of dollars for a prolonged event. The estimated cost of the most recent deployment is this:
Los Angeles: A June 2025 deployment of around 4,200 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles was estimated by the Pentagon to cost taxpayers approximately $134 million over 60 days. This averages out to about $2.23 million per day. Costs included payroll, food and necessities, travel, and logistics.
Washington, D.C.: A deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops to D.C. in August 2025 was estimated to cost taxpayers more than $1 million per day. Based on previous reporting, the daily rate per Guard member can be roughly $530. For a month-long deployment, this could reach tens of millions of dollars.
Chicago was in the bull’s eye, but the Governor squelched that quickly, and that, dear reader is what it takes … material for another article.
Memphis? Maybe. Portland? Maybe. Engineered chaos? Definitely.
To this day I am totally dumbfounded that there are those who voted for this person and are now suffering, in one way or another, from the promises he made. It isn’t as if he didn’t tell you. I agree that the man is a card-carrying purveyor of untruths, but folks, this is one time where he laid it out in clear language.
Make no mistake. This is NOT conservative doctrine. Real conservatives want to keep government out of your lives as much as possible. This was always the bedrock of their platform. So don’t be presumptuous enough to purposely confuse John McCain or Ronald Reagan conservative policy with that which is happening today.
I like to consider myself a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. I will always try to recognize the real needs of others and respond accordingly. Yet I recognize what is often wanton spending by the government. On that note, however, consider the above figures — wanton spending at its most egregious.
What I will never buy into is “authoritarian rule” and the engineered chaos that comes with it. Nor should you.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
