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Commentary: Apocalyptic view of the Trump presidency

By Steve Welch With a coworker's son trying to decide between Stanford and Rice, I offered him my perspective on a history to come:

By Steve Welch

With a coworker's son trying to decide between Stanford and Rice, I offered him my perspective on a history to come:

Britain exits the European Union. Voters are frustrated with government because of growing income inequality, which is driven by education inequity, technology, and globalization. But those are complicated, so politicians stick to talking points and blaming each other. The voters blame refugee migration for their problems but also realize that the government, trying to be politically correct, is not being honest with them.

In the United States, the Democrats officially nominate the worst presidential candidate in the history of the republic. She watches what happens in Britain and laughs it off. Four months later, Trump rides the same populist anger into the White House.

Trump removes the United States from NATO and tells the world, "You're on your own unless you are willing to pay us to use our military." He cites the German Hessians as an example of how a country should use its military.

With Brexit and the United States out of NATO, the EU fractures because the Germans will no longer support and protect the debt-laden Greeks, Spaniards, and Italians. It turns out that Germans don't want to work their butts off until 65 so Greek hairdressers can retire with a full pension at 50. Britain and Germany form their own alliance - the Coalition of Reasonable Democratic and Capitalist Societies. Three months later, they allow China into the coalition. (It is later determined that China promised that Foxconn would assemble all BAE products at a reduced price.) Economies roar in Britain and Germany, and, within a year of the Trump presidency, the pound once again returns as the global currency.

Confident that everyone else will sit on the sidelines, Russia invades several Eastern European countries. Trump does nothing. (It is later learned that Putin gave Trump hotel and city naming rights to the expanded Russian territory. Prague is renamed Trumpf.)

Russia devours its own energy supplies due to the growing war and is forced to open up a second front in the Mideast to gain access to more oil. Russia, Syria, and Iran invade Saudi Arabia. Within one week, what is left of Iraq joins the coalition. In a last-ditch effort, the Saudis begins to funnel money and U.S. weaponry to ISIS and are able to slow the onslaught. The war continues but reaches a stalemate.

Oil prices skyrocket to $300 a barrel. The U.S. economy starts to fall apart as trade collapses and energy prices consume household incomes. In an attempt to calm the masses, Trump puts price controls on U.S.-produced oil, mandating a $30-per-barrel cap. Never really a believer in free markets, Trump says, "Believe me, if they will not produce it for $30 per barrel, we will just invade Mexico or Venezuela and take their oil, that I assure you." Trump forms U.S Oil, modeled after the British East India Co., and makes the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the CEO.

Several prominent Texas businessmen with strong political ties see an opportunity for their state to return to its heritage of being a separate republic. And since they are sitting on massive, undervalued energy reserves, they convince people that Trump's price controls are the reason for their suffering and income inequality.

Texas once again becomes an independent republic. The rest of the states let Texas go unopposed - truthfully, they were all thinking the same thing. With Trump as president and the economy in free fall, there was support across the country for states to leave the union. (Trump sat on the sidelines because he was assured privately by the Texas businessmen that there would be a "huge" new Trump Tower in the new capital of Austin.)

Texas starts to export energy around the world and its economy soars.

With Texas gone from the union, and creditors realizing the U.S. government might not stand behind California, the interest rate on that state's debt skyrockets. In response, California taxes the only things it can to make up for its massive budget imbalance. California creates a "fair tax" of 20 percent on all tech companies, expensive real estate, and public endowments.

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and companies rush to relocate assets in Texas. Within a couple of years, Stanford's endowment has been consumed by California's fair tax.

Because of the transfer of wealth and talent to Texas, Rice becomes the new Stanford. And that is why your son should go to Rice instead of Stanford.

Steve Welch, formerly of Pennsylvania and now a Texan, is the founder and chairman of Dreamit. steve@dreamit.com