The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Hey, believe it or not, it’s the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend, which among other things, signifies we are more than halfway through the ski season. Given the season, my days are all screwed up but hopefully the snow for this week is the start of a ski season with natural snow. If things don’t turn, it could be a long, scary summer in terms of wildfire, drought and campfire risks…
Since I’ve been back, I’ve experienced May weather in February, what looked like a late April offseason Tuesday afternoon on Elk Avenue, and heard about helicopters zipping around the nearby backcountry. None of that is great…
But…since it’s Presidents’ Day weekend and I haven’t taken part in the mandatory bootlicking session for the current president in a while, I figured I’d jump in since it all trickles up to our bubble in the mountains. But first, I do love the irony of the MAGAs in Congress telling U.S. Olympic athletes they should only praise America or be punished for speaking their beliefs. That’s so representative of core American values. Anyway…
On to the kudos. I just read that Donald’s tariffs haven’t crushed the world economy. Congrats to him and to the world.
From what I saw in the Washington Post (or what’s left of it) this week, “more people than ever have access to more food, shelter, health care and the physical and virtual benefits of the modern age. Dozens of developing countries, such as India, China, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey and Vietnam, have seen extremely strong growth and middle-class wealth creation. China’s exports to the United States have been dropping steadily, but its exports to the rest of the world have been rising even faster. Total U.S. trade increased in 2025, while commerce between countries not involving the United States has blossomed. It seems hardly a month goes by without some country or bloc of countries announcing a trade deal.”
In other words, despite the fact they can make things more expensive and be a drag on the economy, Donald’s shifting tariffs haven’t destroyed the world. But the belief is that they seem to be pushing our former friends and allies to make China even greater again. So, in Donald’s charming way, he is fighting back! He continues to threaten Canada if it makes a trade deal with China and says weirdly that China will make the Stanley Cup disappear. Michigan’s U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin reminded her constituents that “the only reason Canada is on the verge of a trade deal with China is because President Trump has kicked them in the teeth for a year.” Hey, that’s just the art of the deal!
And Donald made clear this week he doesn’t like the idea of building bridges (literally) with our old buddy to the north. After hearing from a billionaire buddy that operates a nearby competing bridge Donald took a position stating, “I will not allow this bridge (The Gordie Howe International Bridge) to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” he said on his social media platform. It seems Canada is treating ‘us’ with the respect we deserve given Donald’s bluster and middle school bullying.
Personally, I view Donald as a serial liar but am not sure if he’s a lead character in a TV drama surrounded by a comic book-style supporting cast who try to out-villain one another – or he’s just a successful mob boss. He and his family do seem really good at reaping the financial rewards of controlling world power and U.S. tax money (among other things, he’s suing his IRS for $10 billion).
One thing I do tend to believe Donald on is his comments about next November. You should too. I think he truly convinced himself that the 2020 election, or any election where he didn’t get 120% of the vote is crooked. That despite all evidence that voter fraud in this country is miniscule at something like .006%.
Given results of some recent elections in “red districts” it is becoming clear Donald’s policies probably won’t win electoral support almost anywhere. So, Plan B is to apparently intimidate your way to keep power. Now is the time to believe him when he says he thinks he could never lose an election unless it was rigged, so drastic measures need to be taken to correct that. Believe him when he says Republicans should control elections in “blue states” like Colorado. Believe Donald when he says the federal government, his federal government, should take over all elections. Believe him and his consiglieres like Steve Bannon when they say ICE agents in full military regalia, firearms and masks should be sent to oversee polling places next November. That should make anyone, especially those with brown skin, feel comfortable taking part in one of the core rights and exercises of American democracy. Believe him when he spouts off authoritarian bombast about his ideas to control how some Americans he doesn’t like can vote.
Believe Donald on this one and believe him now… and be prepared to keep a spotlight on that BS and not let him get away with it. Have Jeff Hurd’s office on speed dial and get prepared to take to the streets like CB middle schoolers if need be.
Happy Presidents’ Day weekend, everyone.
—Mark Reaman
