It is one thing to say that Trump & Co. are driving us crazy, affecting our health, promoting violence and racism, etc., but I posed to Google a specific question:  have liquor sales increased since Trump was elected?  And I got my answer and much, much more.  So, I thought it would be interesting to take a brief look at what other changes the idiot-in-chief and his cast of looney toons has wrought.

• Ironically, gun sales were down 17% during Trump’s first two months in office. One main reason is that the lunkheads no longer fear that President Obama will be ‘coming for their guns’.  Of course, he never was, but try telling that to a lunkhead.  The exception to the decline in gun sales is among women and minorities, two groups who have cause to feel more vulnerable in the ‘age of Trump’.

• Contrary to Trump’s rants about the ‘failing media’, and specifically the ‘failing New York Times‘, the media over all, including the Times, are having a very good year. At the Times, subscriptions have increased 8.1% since January.  Other media outlets, including television and print, have increased viewership/readership averaging between 8% – 21%.  Failing???  I don’t think so …

• The sale of bomb shelters has increased 500% – 700% here in the U.S., and in Japan, one company received more orders in the month of April than it typically receives in an entire year. Remember the Cold War ….

• This one had me scratching my head at first … the sale of poster boards and markers has increased exponentially, to the point that there is now actually a shortage, as supply struggles to keep up with demand, and many have resorted to using cardboard boxes and old bed sheets. The reason?  Protest signs!

• 

  First edition cover

  The sale of dystopian novels, beginning with George Orwell’s 1984, which became the #1 best-selling book on Amazon the week of the inauguration, has increased dramatically. Others that have seen increases in sales include Animal Farm also by Orwell, It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Does this give us some idea about what we are thinking these days?  Actually, I recently re-read two of these myself – Brave New World and 1984.  It is said that Trump is not a big reader. He hasn’t read any presidential biographies, asks for long reports to be boiled down to a few short pages, and frequently “gets bored and likes to watch TV.” Says something, don’t you think?

• As to my original question about alcohol sales being up, the answer is a bit murky. One study shows that sales of beer, wine & liquor have increased some 18% since January, but … there is no consensus about the reason.  Some believe it is euphoria among the lunkheads, others say it is angst among those of us who are not lunkheads, and still others claim it is due to an anticipation of both tax cuts (on the wealthy, who are usually a bunch of alkies anyway) and proposed de-regulation on the industry, such as expanding the hours and venues that alcohol may be served.  Personally, I believe it is the angst of the times, and some agree with me, judging by these tweets:
  • @kristenhowerton: Remember the Freshman 15? I’m on my way to gaining a Trump 15. Stress eating, drinking to cope with each new executive order … it’s real.
  • @wordlust: Me: Wow, Trump’s four years were worse than I could’ve imagined. Reality: It’s been one week. Me: Hello, grain alcohol.
  • @erinspencer93: Million dollar idea for a monthly subscription service: Trump Survival Box. Delivery of alcohol, chocolate & zanax. Subscription lasts 4 yrs

Oh yes, there was one more interesting thing.  Swiss watchmakers are gearing up for increased U.S. sales.  They anticipate that the tax cuts (again, for the wealthy) will cause a spike in their sales.  Makes sense … see, the wealthy haven’t yet figured out that a $30 watch keeps time just as well as a $75,000 watch.  Yes, folks, I could pay all my bills and take care of my family for two years for what a single Rolex watch costs.  Hedonistic lifestyles of the disgustingly wealthy.  Call me a socialist, for I basically am, but there is rich, and there is humane … rarely do the two happen in the same person, though there are exceptions like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

The one on the left sells for $124,000 — the one on the right, a mere $75,000.  I’d rather buy books.