Trump’s Oligarchs Can Be Controlled as Putin’s Have Since 1999

By Donald A. Collins | 22 January 2025
Church and State

(Credit: YouTube / screengrab)

The penultimate episode of the dramatic historical documentary on Netflix called Turning Points tells the story of a failed Soviet economy, which in 1990 elected Gorbachev, who instituted a new era which became known as Glasnost or openness allowing transparency into government affairs, which was embraced by majority of the population which had suffered under previous repressions starting with Joseph Stalin.

If you use Netflix I strongly suggest you watch this powerful 9-episode Netflix documentary which includes the history covered in my piece.

This new openness created by Glasnost was widely appreciated by the Russian population, and when Gorbachev came to the United States for discussions with Ronald Reagan in June 1990 they got along so well that he and Reagan signed document they argued had ended the Cold War.

Living in San Francisco at the time of Gorbachev and his wife Raisa’s visit with Reagan I attended a reception and in a line of attendees I shook Gorby’s hand and asked if he could handle the charity (offered to Russian citizens by Glasnost) to which he curtly replied he could. Reagan whose hand I also shook as he was in the receiving line, but neither were Raisa or Nancy Reagan.

But melding USSR repression with the new openness of state managed capitalism which did not function well allowed Gorby to be sharply attacked and succeeded in 1991 by long time Communist Boris Yeltsin who under the guise of this neo-capitalism allowed the Russian government’s valuable business assets to be sold at low prices to the oligarchs.

In increasingly ill health Yeltsin, an alcoholic retired, allowing Vladimir Putin an obscure figure who rose fast in the KGB who Yeltsin appointed as Prime Minister as he retired. Putin became President winnig an election 3 months later in 1999.

Putin then has used his control of the Russian Government to control the greatly enriched oligarchs ever since.

While the circumstances of US oligarchs gaining control of our government is based on their entrepreneurial ability to earn phenomenal wealth and increase the gap between them and the rest us, their power grab was facilitated by false propaganda and lying by Trump and huge contributions by certain oligarchs such as Elon Musk, whose $277 million campaign gift to Trump’s election vaulted him into a quasi-government position.

Ruth Marcus’ January 20st column entitled “Big Tech’s power surge—What happened on Monday at the Capitol was the inauguration of the oligarchs” perfectly describes the congruity of the Trump plans for authoritarianism using our government as the same controlling force over our tech oligarchs as Putin has exercised over his oligarchs since 1999.

George Wills’ January 21 column entitled Neither euphoric nor despairing be. Trump too shall pass labeling Trump’s inaugural speech as the worst in our history won’t save us from implementing unconscionable dictatorial power!

You can read his full piece here.

What will stop this mad amalgamation of power? Immediate impeachment followed by indictment and conviction for Trump’s felonious intention to install his tyrannical government will obviously not be possible at this point.

However, Trump has told us in clear and unstable language that he intends to destroy our democracy, undermine our constitution, ignore our laws and establish a situation where he might even change the law so that he might be reelected president in 2028 or be able to select an appropriate member from his inner circle of doxies or from his oligarchical coalition such as Musk to succeed him.

The Washington Post’s January 21 headline—the Post is owned by one of the oligarchs, Jeff Bezos—in large black letters on page one said, “Trump’s Stark Vision” with the sub headline underneath, which said “Taking office, he orders policy reversals and begins reshaping government”.

If all Americans don’t quickly get his message, we are doomed to a repeat of the Putin outcome!

Former US Navy officer, banker and venture capitalist, Donald A. Collins, a free lance writer living in Washington, DC, has spent over 50 years working for women’s reproductive health as a board member and/or officer of numerous family planning organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Family Health International and Ipas. Yale under graduate, NYU MBA. He is the author of “From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013”, “Trump Becoming Macbeth: Will our democracy survive?”, “We Humans Overwhelm Our Earth: 11 or 2 Billion by 2100?”, “What Can Be Done Now to Save Habitable Life on Planet Earth?”, “Vote”, “Can Homo Sapiens Survive?”, “Will Choice and Democracy Win?”, “Can Our U.S. Survive 8 Plus Billion of Us”, “Economic Growth: A Cancer on all Earthly Life”, “On the Precipice of Political Disaster in 2024”, “Democracy at Red State Risk”, “Does Trump Go to Jail or to The Oval Office?” and “Trump: Pardon or Punish?: The Nixon Precedence Was Not A Trump Coup Denied!”.

Biden warns of ‘oligarchy’ as tech billionaires attend Trump inauguration

“An oligarchy is taking shape”: Biden warns of tech’s growing influence

President Trump promises Elon Musk will achieve his greatest wish

What Does Elon Musk Really Want?

Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here