Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

By Carl A. Ten Hoopen

Carl A. Ten Hoopen is the political and business reporter for the Evoraberg Independent.

Business News

To be a successful business person is not an easy task, but it is perhaps decidedly easier when you bear the name Trump, or be a close Trump associate. Over the past week, Mr. Trump’s skill at making U-turns while driving a tractor-trailer filled with imported goods at a high speed has been impressive. Financial experts clocked him at 145 on the Beijing Expressway. Then, on a dime, he shifted gears, turned his rig sharply, and drove off in the opposite direction at 30.

The Chinese Ministry of Finance spokesperson, Zhang Hui, issued a statement: “The government of the People’s Republic will negotiate a more satisfactory resolution during the 90-day truce in tariffs. President Xi will cautiously approach these discussions. Trump’s policies have validated the necessity for China to explore diplomatic and economic opportunities to prepare for the eventuality of a second trade war.”

Hasting Bank President Glenda Charterhouse estimates more clarity on the impact of tariffs will be known by the end of summer, but she told the bank’s board of directors that consumers can expect a tariff rate of an estimated 15 percent. When asked about inflation, Ms. Charterhouse responded that inflation is expected to re-accelerate despite the slight cooling off in April.

“President Trump has a remarkable talent for steering the economy,” Gordon Schwager, chairman of Chair-Hire Company, said following the meeting. “President Xi and others just have to follow Qatar’s example by offering him a large aircraft or something big that honors him. Keep in mind that President Trump has the business acumen of a genius. He wants big wins as he plays Let’s Make a Deal. What is good for him financially is good for the United States economy.”

BRAIN DRAIN

Professor Donald Nitzberg of the Freschi School of International Studies announced his departure from St. Anselm University. Dean Eugene Wagner announced Professor Nitzberg’s resignation at the annual Student/Faculty Softball Game. In an opinion piece for the campus newspaper, The Pudding Stick, Professor Nitzberg wrote:

“I am leaving St. Anselm because of Donald Trump and the threats and attacks on academic freedom and the Constitution made by his Administration. This is a reasonable decision, not made in haste, but with a heavy heart.”

Professor Nitzberg has taught courses in political science and the history of authoritarianism at St. Anslem for twenty-five years. He is the author of numerous books and essays. These include Fascism In The Russian Inferno; Turning Point: Sedating the American Mind With AI, Gambling and Drugs; True Crime, Influencers and Their Effects on Democracy; American Exceptionalism And the Rise of the Right; Spineless Squids: The Failure of the Republican Conservatives, Moderates and the Biden Inner Circle.

He writes in his opinion piece:  

“We tell ourselves that the seeds of authoritarianism cannot grow in the rich American soil of Democracy with its constitutionally established institution of checks and balances. Those guiding laws are taken for granted. For too many citizens, freedom is defined more by economic dynamics and self-interest than equality before the law and humanism. Authoritarianism originates in a feeling of discontent with the general state of affairs. It grows with the decline of spiritual values and the growth of materialism, the isolation due to the effects of technology, the breakdown of social ties, and laissez-faire capitalism. The United States is a fragmented society. Americans, like Europeans, are not automatically disposed towards others who look different and hold different values and lifestyles. Intolerance is the weed that sprouts and chokes Western liberalism. Checks and balances cannot protect us when a political movement and its leadership create confusion and fear among those who don’t belong to it.

I am unable to ignore the attacks on the judiciary and the rule of law, academic freedom, and freedom of the press. I have accepted the position at the Munk School at the University of Toronto to pursue my scholarly work without looking over my shoulder. I will continue to consult with politicians and those in resistance groups who oppose the anti-constitutional policies and the abuse of power by the Trump Administration.”

A farewell dinner for Professor Nitzberg will be held at the Black-Eyed Susan on Main Street this Saturday. It will include creamy chicken sweet potato corn chowder, seafood boil, beer-battered fish fry sandwiches, and cheesecake. Doors will open at 1 p.m.   

STREET QUESTION

What is your opinion of President Trump’s diplomatic visit to Qatar?

Barry Duff, age 18, occupation, student: “He plays the guitar?”

Aubrey McNomee, age 35, occupation, auto mechanic: “America would be better off if he stayed there.”

Janet Lynch, age 40, occupation, nurse: That’s an interesting question, but can you tell me what’s diplomatic about him?”

Steve Winslow, age 72, occupation, retired: “He’ll probably get stuck in a sand trap playing golf and tell everybody he got a hole in one.”

Image: “L” Club student at typewriter

Source: Lawrence University Archives

https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.29346892

Charles van Heck is attempting to take a vacation this week. He will return next Friday.

Image: On the Jersey Shore

Source: Charles van Heck