The REAL ‘Trickle-Down’ Effect That’s Wrecking the US

Today, my younger brother called me for one of our biweekly conversations. During our wide-ranging talk, the subject of Reagan’s infamous “trickle-down” economic theory came up, and we both snorted in derision. But what came next was rather surprising. We both grimly acknowledged that there’s a real “trickle-down” effect undermining America and agreed it is not mainly about economics.

Rather, we both see — and fear — a vast, relentless, and destructive transformation of the American character that has greatly accelerated and intensified during the “reign” of Donald Trump. This destructive transformation is characterized by the persistent, corrosive “drip, drip, drip” of brutal, amoral, and downright cruel attitudes and behaviors — cascading down from the very summit of our society.

We both lamented the unbelievable ignorance/gullibility of most Americans that has allowed and perpetuated this intensifying tsunami of madness and hate. And it is crystal clear to us that this dark flood of cruelty, racism, and hatred starts at the top and then filters down to the rest of our society — and gets amplified. In this way, Trump and MAGA are our true and highly influential leaders, and have been for over a decade — since their amorality, racism, and cruelty have seeped into the fabric of American life, been normalized, and once again become “acceptable.” Their dark vision for America has, indeed, “trickled down” to our entire society and now infects most of the US.

What has trickled down, in reality, is not prosperity or a rising middle class, but vicious class warfare, rising inequality, rising hate and racism, and interpersonal cruelty on a massive scale (think mass deportations). It’s very similar to a deadly, infectious disease — but in this case, it’s a deadly, fast-spreading disease of the mind and soul, much more than the body. What is trickling down to most Americans, more and more, is a disastrous set of vicious and amoral beliefs that lead inevitably to … what?

My observation is: they lead directly to accelerating conflict, anger, violence, and eventually, societal collapse.

A vast, heartless scam

Many of today’s conservatives still adore Reagan’s “trickle-down” economics and insist it really worked to “spread the wealth” — despite massive evidence to the contrary. Over the past 40 years, the rich have gotten far richer, while everyone else still struggles to get by … or sinks. Meanwhile, the middle class has been ripped apart and appears to be fading to nothingness. The US is degenerating into a society comprised of a few super-wealthy “haves” — the infamous top 1% — and a huge mass of “have-nots.”

In truth, “trickle-down” economics never worked, though at times it seemed to — briefly. It may have helped pull the US out of recession, primarily in the early 1980s, but in terms of practical, everyday economic life, it has proved disastrous.

Yet conservatives don’t see it this way. Why? I suspect there’s a very dark reality underlying the GOP’s adoration of “trickle-down” economics, namely that the GOP actually doesn’t care about improving the lives and finances of the general public. They want to appear as if they care, but if we look at the results of their endless tax cutting, we see that these cuts invariably favor the rich and near-rich (and white) — while stripping support from social programs that benefit the poor or marginalized.

The central concept of “trickle-down” theory is that cutting taxes for the rich will increase both their wealth and generosity, which will then increase both their business investments and the amount of money that “trickles down” to the majority of Americans. But it hasn’t worked out that way — at all. So, I’m forced to conclude that the GOP never wanted the results it claims to seek, and instead wanted the actual results we’re all living through today: massive and growing wealth inequality (along with resurgent white supremacy).

Put differently, “trickle-down” economics was and IS a vast, persistent, and heartless scam that’s been perpetrated against the American people.

The inner ‘core’ of modern conservatism is racist and cruel

But it gets worse. From both psychological and sociological points of view, “trickle-down” economics is merely a symptom of intense moral and emotional malaise, selfishness, greed, and inner darkness. It reveals a near-total contempt for working people, the poor, and marginalized groups (including women in general). It reveals ongoing and willing bondage to classism, racism, and misogyny, coupled with adoration of plutocracy — the rule of the wealthy.

In a very real sense, “trickle-down” theory provides the GOP with a “rational” justification for economic cruelty and vicious end-stage capitalism. Since every Republican president after Reagan — including Donald Trump — has embraced and enacted “trickle-down” economics via ongoing tax cuts and increased benefits and loopholes for the wealthy, it’s fair to say that today’s GOP exists to serve and support the wealthy, not the entire citizenry, and not the country as a whole.

This intentional, one-sided cruelty is not an accident. More and more, it looks like the undying essence of modern conservatism. It is white-centric, male-centric, wealth-centric, and heartless. It springs directly from a dark core of racism, misogyny, and deep contempt for “average Americans.” In truth, it reveals and revels in total contempt for equality and democracy — though these folks will never admit that publicly.

But based on the observable evidence, that’s the truth of the matter.

What’s really trickling down: moral corrosion and looming collapse

What we Americans experience, then, when today’s extremist GOP is in control, is a terrifying tsunami of racism, hatred, contempt, misogyny, and “Christian” nationalism — all disguised as helpful, caring ways to “save our nation.” Reagan and his followers paved the way, and in the past decade, the hateful GOP torch was passed to Trump and MAGA. The US has now been subjected to the dark visions and actions of Trump and MAGA for over a decade — 11 years and counting — and the dire results are emerging and becoming crystal clear.

Wealth didn’t trickle down. Equality didn’t trickle down. Prosperity didn’t trickle down. Social advantages didn’t trickle down.

Instead, what’s really trickling down is dark divisiveness, hate, violence, increasing racism and misogyny, and astounding levels of wealth inequality. When we have a super-narcissistic, cruel bully, overt racist, and pathological liar/loudmouth as our president — perched at the very pinnacle of our society — his amorality, racism, misogyny, arrogance, and leering hatred are all being modeled as “the way to be” for Americans.

Trump is in a position of power like no other. Thus, his malign influence spreads, grows, and “trickles down” into our society like a deadly toxin. And my observations and conclusions are not, in any way, due to “Trump Derangement Syndrome” or any other supposed “mental illness” or imbalance within me.

No, I am merely stating what I observe and know to be true: namely, that Trump and MAGA are a scourge on our nation and have deeply infected our body politic with heavy-duty toxins and emotional and spiritual poisons. Horrifyingly, what is trickling down into the core of America is an unrivaled, unprecedented concentration of vices, hatreds, cruelties, fears, greed… and mounting lust for violence-fueled domination.

That is the true “trickle-down” effect that’s undermining and destroying the US. And unless and until we find ways to counteract it and turn this mess around, somehow, the US will continue to falter and fail — on the path to total societal collapse.

—

This post was previously published on Soulfight.

***