Edifice of Trust Podcast
Adiós Maduro. ¿Bienvenidos a Quien?
Victor C. Bolles
January 5, 2026
Maduro is now gone but many of the factors that precipitated his capture and arrest are still in place. The socialist government is still in charge. The Venezuelan armed forces are more or less intact. Far left “colectivos” still control the streets of Caracas. Cartels and drug runners still have a lots of product for the American market. In this commentary we look at the current situation and discuss what to look for in the coming weeks and months.
Quote from the commentary:
“The aftermath of Mr. Maduro’s removal smells more like a business deal than liberation for the Venezuelan people. Many people (many of them close to Mr. Trump) are going to get very rich from the reconstruction of Venezuela just like in Ukraine and in Gaza.”
Victor C. Bolles
December 30, 2025
As we enter the year 2026, we must confront the reality that we are living in a new world order. The old American led rules-based world order that was able to avoid great power conflict and provide economic growth and improved living standards across the globe is gone. In this commentary we look at how this new world order changes America’s priorities.
Quote from the commentary:
Many credit President Trump for single-handedly creating this MAGA world order. But on the other hand one could say that in reality President Trump has really only conceded to the world order created by China and Russia - that this new world order is the abdication of global leadership by the United States.
Victor C. Bolles
December 19, 2025
I promise this will be the last commentary on Trump’s National Security Strategy. Much of the controversy about NSS 2025 has been about the Trump administration’s attitude toward Europe accusing the countries of Europe of losing their traditional cultures amid waves of mass migration. In addition, their lagging economies and heavy expenditures on social welfare have caused them to underfund their own defenses and made them reliant on America to come to their rescue if needed. NSS 2025 basically says, Europe, you are now on your own. In this commentary we look to Trump’s solution for Europe and how it parallels what he is doing here in America.
Quote from the commentary:
“Democracy is less than a hundred years old across the continent and for many countries far less than that. Europeans are comfortable with big government. The sclerosis of bureaucratic regulations enacted by the European Union is normal for them. Of course, Europeans claim to be very happy with their big governments. The Europeans that wanted liberty and freedom only had only one option – go to America.”
Victor C. Bolles
December 11, 2025
The Trump administration’s recently published National Security Strategy of the United States has been praised by the right and condemned by the left. But mostly for the wrong reasons. NSS 2025 is a rejection of the ideals and principals on which America was founded, the ideals and principals that made America exceptional. In this commentary we look at how this document seeks to reinstate policies that the American Revolution opposed.
Quote from the commentary:
“It is true that the America-led rules-based world order that existed since the end of World War Two was showing its age and was badly in need of repair. NSS 2025 does not propose reforms but, rather, a completely different world order. But it is not a new world order but an old world order.”
Victor C. Bolles
December 5, 2025
Our political leaders try to blame others for all the problems we face. Illegal immigrants, greedy corporations, drug cartels, white men, you name it. They want us to believe that we are victims not responsible for the difficulties that afflict us. But like the Michael Jackson song, Man in the Mirror, if we want to make the world a better place, the first thing we must do is change ourselves. In this commentary we look at why change is up to us.
Quote from the commentary:
We need to pay down our debt and use our taxes to make the country strong – not make our people dependent. I would be willing to pay more taxes if I knew the money would go toward achieving those goals. We also will need to ignore the politicians who offer us tax cuts or additional welfare benefits and elect public servants willing to tell us the cold hard facts.
Victor C. Bolles
November 25, 2025
President Trump conflates his interests and desires with those of the country and accuses any who opposes him of sedition or treason. He accuses Marjorie Taylor Greene of being a traitor for pushing the release of the Epstein materials even though this was clearly the will of the people. A 35% approval rating means that he does not represent the will of the people but is actually opposing it. In this commentary, we look at how autocratic leaders conflate their will and the peoples’ will.
Quote from the commentary:
Mr. Trump admires the efficiency of dictatorial government. Putin gives an order and like lightning it is done. Xi gives an order and zap it is done. President Trump is accustomed to this kind of power. In his privately owned company he had that kind of power. If he wanted something done it was done. But there is a problem with that kind of power. Bad ideas are just as efficiently implemented as good ideas.
Victor C. Bolles
November 17, 2025
Distracted by all the various crises that confront us in the twenty-first century, we have little time to think about the future. But if we don’t start thinking about what kind of future we want, we will be doomed to live in a future created by circumstances beyond our control. In this commentary we look at some of the factors we need to address to build a better future.
Quote from the commentary:
The truth is that Americans have always had to struggle through tough times. Life on the frontier was hard. An immigrant’s life in the slums of New York City was hard. Low wages, long hours, discrimination. Why did they do it? Why did they come to America? There was no welfare system. There were no food stamps. There was no free medical care. Why? They came for the opportunity. The pursuit of happiness.
Victor C. Bolles
November 11, 2025
Our leftist friends suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome cannot get anyone to agree with their rejection of Trump’s policies because their arguments are based on emotion and not logic. Only others equally afflicted by this syndrome can sympathize. But now our friends on the right are suffering from a similar syndrome, Mamdani Derangement Syndrome. In this commentary we look at how our MAGA friends will also find it difficult to get anyone to understand their antipathy to Mamdani’s socialist policies.
quote from the commentary:
In Mamdani’s social democratic universe, much the blame will also fall on non-Marxist moderate Democrats who will take the place of treasonous RINOs in MAGA universe. The only difference will be the lack of Trump inspired nicknames.
Victor C. Bolles
October 31, 2025
An article in the most recent issue of the Atlantic Magazine casts doubt on the validity of an originalist interpretation of the US Constitution citing the hopelessly archaic and undemocratic beliefs of many of the Founders. But the progressive reforms recommended by the author would only facilitate the concentration of power in the Executive Branch that President Trump is currently attempting. In this commentary we look at how only an originalist interpretation of the constitution can prevent this concentration of power.
Quote from the commentary:
The legal basis for many of the key elements of his MAGA Movement have yet to be determined. Everything is being dumped onto the Court. Let us hope that (the author) is wrong and that our originalist justices are able to decipher how our Founders would have supported the checks and balances that have preserved our republic for 250 years.
Victor C. Bolles
October 27, 2025
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is running for mayor of New York City on what he calls an affordability agenda. He apparently does not realize that it is capitalism that makes things affordable. Socialism just makes things scarce. In this commentary we look at why Mr. Mamdani’s affordability agenda is doomed to failure (and some other matters).
Quote from Joseph Schumpeter:
“Queen Elizabeth owned silk stockings. The capitalist achievement does not typically consist in providing more silk stockings for queens but in bringing them within reach of factory girls.”
Victor C. Bolles
October 17, 2025
The situation in the Middle East is changing quickly. The euphoria of a ceasefire and exchange of hostages has deteriorated into the reality of public executions on the streets of Gaza. But the war against Israel is only one front of the larger war against the West. In this commentary we look at the threats to the peaceful Middle East we hoped would follow this ceasefire.
Quote from the commentary:
The next phase of the cease fire is critical – disarming Hamas to eliminate the weapons they currently have. This will not be easy. The public execution of opponents by Hamas is proof that have not relinquished the use of deadly force and terror to achieve their goals. Already President Trump is saying that terrorist violence in Gaza must stop or he will, “go in and kill them.”
