The United States' present president is like those egos who feel entitled to carve their name into every park bench they sit on, apparently to "make their mark" and shout to the world, "I wuz here!"

Indeed, President Donald Trump has demanded that our government patch his "Donald J. Trump" onto public facilities such as the Kennedy Center, the Institute of Peace, Dulles Airport, Penn Station, and the Hudson Tunnel — and he might as well add the U.S. Capitol, since he treats Congress like his personal possession.

Insecurity is what's driving his egomaniacal rebranding frenzy. As Trump candidly explains, "You've got to put your name on stuff or no one will remember you."

Oh, Donald, like the demagogic Joe McCarthy and other narcissistic politicos, you're destined to be long remembered ... and mocked! Moreover, those vainglorious, gold-plated Trump nameplates you're tacking onto every public space will soon be unceremoniously stripped off and dumped into the trash bin of history.

My friend, Fred Harris, a great populist senator from Oklahoma, told me about the fickle nature of political fame. It was a true story about a governor who backed a boondoggle construction project after lobbyists promised to name the structure after him. They did, but as soon as the governor left office, his name was removed. Fred said if anyone ever dedicated a bridge or building to him, he wanted his name built into the structure itself, so if they later tried to remove his name, "the damned thing would fall down."

So don't despair that this president seems omnipresent. This, too, will pass. Keep whacking at the autocratic, plutocratic structure of Trumpism — it's not built to withstand the winds of time, much less the winds of democratic rebellion.

PUBLIC SAFETY DOWN, CEO PAY UP. CORPORATIONS PLAY 'RIG THE SYSTEM'

To see how the game of "Rig the System" is played, consider the shameful corporate gaming of the horror of California wildfires that have been devouring lives and entire communities.

Many of the worst fires have been ignited by the faulty wires, transformers and other poorly functioning equipment of such profiteering electric utilities as Southern California Edison. The safety failures of this multibillion-dollar giant have been so severe that state lawmakers and regulators have rushed through fire-protection laws — not for the people, but for the corporate owners! A 2019 law literally protects utilities from paying for fire damages they cause, instead passing the costs to state taxpayers.

Wait, says Edison, if our annual safety record is poor, our top executives are punished with a cut in their annual bonuses. Ouch! Well, not really — the reduction is capped at 5%.

Take last year's fire that destroyed nearly every home and building in the town of Altadena, killing 19 people. "It's just a tragedy," lamented Edison's CEO, though he admits it was sparked by an Edison transmission line. Sure enough, the chief "suffered" a 5% bonus hickey. Hold your pity, though, for that means he still collected 95% of his 2025 performance bonus, plus pocketing his extravagant salary, stock options and benefits. In all, the man in charge of this corporate-made "tragedy" walked away with nearly $14 million in personal pay.

Meanwhile, Edison went to the Public Utility Commission, demanding that its customers be forced to pay 10% more on their electric bills. To keep score on utilities rigging the system, go to TURN, The Utility Reform Network: turn.org.

To find out more about Jim Hightower and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Zla?áky.cz at Unsplash