I agree with your analysis, but please let’s all stop pretending that the richest men are the smartest entrepreneurs; many of them are simply the most psychopath enablers of people who think that we all have to suffer meaninglessly in order not to disturb them.
This is Project 2025: The Heritage Foundation, Putin and KGB at their finest.
When Musk and Trump double down on their asinine claims, like that there are millions of two-hundred-year-olds still collecting social security checks, it doesn't cost them a whit politically, because RW media consumers literally lap that shit up, believing it implicitly.
This is why Trump/GOP lie endlessly. About literally everything. Because FOX News, Sinclair, et al, will either confirm--and then even embellish--those lies. Or just ignore them.
Twenty-nine years of "FOX News" has reduced the former GOP to a mob syndicate of bullying, blustering bulllshit. They're now trying to run their cons with a gotcha tabloid mentality.
Their chaotic posturing is a poster child for the adult epiphany that...positions are easy; policy is hard. Hence the habitual lying.
The Wall Street Journal editorial page was as bonkers as Fox going back to the days when the right wing Robert Bartley was editor. The rest of the media normalized the extremism and dishonesty by emphasizing that the reporting was objective, as if lies and conspiracy-mongering is acceptable in opinion pages.
We need a new "Truth in Reporting vs. Opinion" law, that would require all media content to identify itself as either "news" or "opinion." With the former requiring actual journalistic standards--like 2+ sources, actual references to studies, etc.
Adding to that relaxed libel laws--making it easier to sue for defamation, and greatly expanding the spectrum of who can sue--and we might actually force the RW press to rely on the strength of their arguments, instead of lying/fabricating about literally everything.
Getting such a law passed would of course face universal GOP opposition, because unlike the vast majority of MSM and liberal media, lying is pretty much their bread and butter.
Yeah - anybody who tries to pretend the American people signed up for this for any other reason than being lied to and believing it needs to go into any dentist's office that's west of Philly and east of Fresno, and see what the normies are getting told.
The rich control our media and the narrative. Every time DOGE or Trump makes a false claim, it is pumped across thousands of right-wing news outlets and indexed by Google to come to the top of every search, pushing the narrative that Elon and Trump have discovered some vast amount of government waste that nobody else knew about, and thankfully they are fixing, so our deficit and debt will go down. None of this is true of course, but it doesn't matter, modern society is run on false and misinformation and rich right-wing conservatives know this and completely control the narrative and mass media. The problem is, by the time voters catch on (if they ever do) it will be far too late and the spin will already push the blame on to liberals and laisser-faire democracy. Until sensible people learn how to organize themselves and are able to pump counter-intelligence at scale, we are doomed to be crushed and enslaved by rich oligarchs. But make no mistake, we are at war, its just that it's an information war, and the left is losing badly.
To a great extent I agree with you. However, they are moving so fast things are already starting to break. The Putin is our friend and Canada will be our unwilling 51st state is very jarring for anyone over 50 who hasn't gone down the right wing rabbit hole.
It's starting to trickle down that "we" might be asked to sacrifice to reduce the debt. Most people realize that the rich have gotten tax cut after tax cut, but when they personally start losing benefits and know people who are losing benefits, they won't be happy.
I think a lot will depend on the capture of law enforcement and military. The protest/counter revolt needs to be led by old people. Are they cops really going to beat up granny because she's marching around carrying a sign? (Elon will cut off her Social Security)
The last thing we need are young people, like in Portland, trashing things. Violence will justify a disproportionate response.
Yes, Sharon. I am over 50 too...however, I feel maybe some stuff does need to break and burn - like the corporations that rolled over and kissed the ring...and it is not just young people who feel this way. We should starve them financially. Stop giving them our money. I am so angry I want to break stuff too. We are in real trouble. And you are right about the tax breaks for the very rich. Most of our taxes are going up - so where is the savings? No savings and less of the good stuff (like parks). The math ain't mathing. The question is - will the blind see in time?
Yes, if the government gives me a $100/year tax cut by cutting, say, repairing potholes in roads, and those potholes cost me $500/year (or more) in car repairs, I find I’m $400+/year worse off.
Saturdays at Tesla has become a legit protest movement, run by older folks, those who still remember how to protest from their youth. Forget Millennial and GenZ. They would not know how to protest ... TikTok is not going to do it for them, but they believe that.
The richest may not be the smartest but they are the most powerful. There is no limit on the money flowing into politics.They have bought the courts, the legislators and the president. The elites have full control.
Thanks George, I know. Some elites have the power now. But, believe me, they are on the wrong side of History, and this matters a lot; and indeed their lies are enormous just because they have to pretend they are on the right side, for their adepts to believe in it.
But they are going to lose this war in the end, this is for sure.
I don’t know exactly, to be honest, but I feel somehow that the vast majority of US citizens are incredibly smart and willing to protect their children.
Don’t worry, fill up all the streets, speak up the truth.
We don’t have to convince 75M people that they put their faith in someone who never cared about them; 20% will be sufficient to make it clear that LIES, irrespective of how many times repeated, are always LIES.
And lies can win 1 or 2 battles, but they will never win the war for our hearts.
I also want to add that we in Europe are doing our best to resist to all the lies coming from Trump and Putin.
Be sure: The vast majority of Europeans are with YOU and with UNIVERSAL RIGHTS.
We've been on this road at least since the Reagan administration, and I'd go back to when, after the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-60s, white Southern Democrats flooded into the Republican Party. Racism is the fault line running through our history, and we still haven't dealt effectively with it.
The 2024 election doesn't prove much of anything about "the vast majority of American citizens." Only 63% of eligible voters voted, and slightly less than half of them voted for Trump. They did not vote for Elon Musk. I'm pretty sure that most of them didn't vote for what's happening now; it wasn't in the campaign ads, after all.
The approval rating has been bad for the MuskT in general. But I found that the Gen-Z consistently approved MuskT to break the government (not just in one poll). The latest one is the AtlasIntel Poll. Gen-Z approval actually soared right after President Zelenskyy was insulted in the Oval office. It is disheartening. This is the group that abandoned Harris. I do not know why. Some possibilities are they are young and so they do not care about healthcare and social security; they have listened too much about the story of Bill Gates and Steve Job dropping out of University/college and became successful; they have heard about cryptocurrency that people bought meme coins and became billionaires; AI is the future and buying AI stocks will make them rich. Some will be successful but I am afraid many will be hurt when they encounter hardship in their life. The bigger question is whether they will admit that it is a mistake to support MuskT whose ideas are harmful to their own country and to the world.
I think you are right. They have made us doubt one another because the mean and ugly have the microphone. Most Americans don't want this, but we are a bit frozen without a clear leader. I agree we will fight. We are Americans!
It's not surprising that Trump/Musk hired Dunning-Kruger kids to fuck things up. Trump himself is at the upper left peak of the Dunning-Kruger curve... 👇
If "private business...kept releasing progress reports that were full of ludicrous errors", they would be investigated for FRAUD! The only "fraud and abuse" that the DOGE (pronounced "DOUCHE") Dunning-Kruger kids have demonstrated is indeed THEMSELVES!
Thanks. I agree with you fully. I don’t know, but I feel the best thing to do is to fill up all the streets. MAGA can tell their adepts what to do, but can’t close their eyes when they see you all marching peacefully on the streets.
We have 75M adepts following their media uncritically, we can only show them that there is another opportunity and it is in their best interest.
It will not be easy and fast, but we have to start now.
I would like you to know that we Europeans are with you, because we share the same ideals.
It is very hard for me to think this is not deliberate. Putin chose wisely. An agent of chaos tied to him by blackmail who is not just impulsive, but low information and incredibly stubborn when confronted with reality. In other words stupid. I like Fran Lebowitz' take: "Everyone says he is crazy - which maybe he is -but the scarier thing about him is that he is stupid. You do not know anyone as stupid as Donald tRump. You just don't."
Of course it is deliberate. The KGB spent decades learning about and probing the weaknesses in American institutions and society. Putin and company have been systematically driving wedges into that system. And their chosen leader is overseeing the collapse.
One thing about Social Security. When Elon and his boys fuck that up, the problem will be more than delayed checks to old people…literally billions will go missing from the economy.
It is very patiently PLANNED... but his prize (American broken) is worth it. But will it hold for him? Can we oust this administration ..if we cannot ...the rest IS bad history :(
We are moving out of a purely red state (SC) first since Lindsay Graham is on the Trump train. Then, we are moving back home to NC, where there is hope we can make a difference and will have a wise Governor. Not ready to bail on the US yet, but if we don't change things in the next round of voting, moving out of the country is not out of the question.
What most people don't realize until they reach retirement age is that our Medicare premiums are deducted from our SS payments. So if they muck up our SS payments, they also muck up our health care premium payments. Chances are there will be no one there to process our Medicare premiums if we try to pay them ourselves, either.
One small snippet in the European paper today re the trump RANT of look at me and MY POWER................with NO talk of help for $American citizens - trust ME !! ?? !! ..........
Le Monde reads:
America was an island on Tuesday evening, surrounded by the bitter certainty of having been taken advantage of by allied or hostile countries. Trump confirmed his intention to repossess the Panama Canal and to control Greenland "for national security." His speech betrayed a trivialization of the country's ambitions. Its leader is a 78-year-old man with a criminal record revisiting campaign memes rather than setting out his vision for the future of the world's leading power.
I didn't have the heart to listen to his BS. It fills me with despair. I did listen to part of Elon and Joe Rogan 3 hr podcast. That was bad enough; two stoned thirteen year old boys moving fast and breaking things (if they break we'll fix them right away...yeah right). The only heartening thing was commenters disgust, about 2 to 1.
Long time GOP strategy. Cut USG agency budgets and then complain that government is the problem because it can't provide the services it is supposed to.
I never imagined that after working full time for 48 years I‘d be wondering whether or not I’d still be getting a monthly check from Social Security. I‘m not giving up on America though. I‘ll make donations, write letters and postcards, hold up signs and press my representatives to do more while I’m still able. I cannot abide letting these selfish monsters hurt people and ruin this country.
I live in a Continuing Care Retirement Community in NJ. While it costs too much for anyone solely dependent on Social Security, many people here rely on Social Security as part of their monthly payments. Without that check, they will not be able to make their payment and this community of c.500 people will collapse. There are about 2,000 CCRCs throughout the US and this same dynamic will apply at many of them. This is just one relatively small example of the impact of fiddling with Social Security and other programs on which prudent people have built their futures.
I (regrettably) own a Tesla and do worry about those doors opening only using electronic controls. The emergency manual latch is something passengers and drivers who haven’t read the manual won’t even know exists. By the way, small correction, it’s their batteries (not engines, which they don’t have) that catch fire. And of course those batteries power the electronic controls as well as the electric drive motors.
I unfortunately own one from 2021. The physical latches are on the door arm rest. But you need to know about them. They are not obvious. The electronics are powered by a separate12 volt battery, as is the case with other vehicles. The large high voltage battery powers the motors. And yes, I plan to sell it.
Thanks for clarifying. Hopefully the 12v circuits can survive a fire in the large battery long enough. But in the fatal cases that made the news, they might not have. And the rear door emergency latches are hidden under a mat at the bottom of the door pockets! My car is newer than yours, so I think I’ll have to keep it a bit longer :)
We have a Tesla model 3 and people have used the physical latches by mistake, not knowing where the electric ones were. I suppose in a panic one could fail to fine the physical latch.
I was on hold for an hour — a whole hour — when I had to call Social Security on Monday morning. I’d received an email from SSA.gov acknowledging that my email address had changed, which I didn’t do.
The excellent SSA employee confirmed that someone had claimed my benefits. She blocked my account, stopped the claim, and told me to go to my local SSA office.
Yes — I’ve called all of my congressmen to say (1) do not reduce the SSA workforce, and (2) do not close local offices.
I commented elsewhere that after waiting for about 20 minutes on hold a Social Security person—Jane—came on the phone and quickly and efficiently answered my question related to my missing 1099 form. She gave me the information I needed and said “I have already put a duplicate 1099 in the mail for you.” She was a warm and helping person providing excellent service. The shame is that the Trumphuk / Muskalini cabal seeks to eviscerate Social Security, fire its employees and create 1000s more unemployed. Poor Jane having to carry on under that pressure — and poor all of us for having to deal with the horrible regime that seeks to destroy our economy, security, and democracy.
"And given the combination of arrogance and ignorance shared by Musk and Trump, it’s hard to see how we get out."
Hmmmm...Actually Paul, it's the arrogance of business leaders and Republican politicians, and the ignorance of the MAGA voters that has trapped us in that burning Tesla.
Of course I realize that we are all in the same burning car, but my contempt for the ignorance and stupidity of so many American voters is so deep that I am now cheering on every catastrophe.
I feel for you — hopefully you’ve got enough set aside to survive. Will you protest and demonstrate against these illegalities? We all need to get out to demand and end to this insanity.
A friend living in Denmark just wrote me, that supermarket mar european products with a star
So, Coca Cola, Colgate, Tesla, won't have a star. Members of our paliament in Switzerland demand reevaluation of the contract with USA covering 34 F-35 fighter jets, valued at 7 Billion USD. Generally, it seems buildind up kind od dislike of american products. Massive falling sales numbers of Tesla in Europe go in same direcrtion. After all EU and UK combined are a market with 530 million people. Being head of a US company active in european markets, I also would worry.
in the case of the F-15, it’s not just dislike. You need the USA’s to provide spare parts, instructors and, if shit hit the fan, permission to use them for a piece of military equipment.
After who we've voted into power ( by a small but significant amount) how can we be trusted? Europeans need to act together quickly like they did with Russian oil. Is it possible to divest from Starlink and Musk's rockets too? Those are vulnerabilities as well.
I don't think Elon cares about Tesla anymore. As defacto leader of the US he's got tremendous access to wealth. He just walked in and took over the Treasuries.
Thanks a great summary as usual.. Sharing your posts on varous other social outlets gives me a feeling that maybe I can reach a few individuals who aren't really aware of what is going on.. Thanks for keeping it in layman's terms..
Gutting the SSA is the first step to handing over the trust fund to Wall Street. Does anyone really trust these greedy SOBs? Also, these are our tax dollars--we've been paying into SS/Medicare since we started working. So, this is also a retroactive tax increase, in my case going back 50 years.
Just for grins I downloaded a transcript of Hitler's first radio address to the German people after becoming the Chancellor in 1933. Of course, the specifics were different, but thematically it sounded like Trump's speech last night.
Also, Prof. Krugman's observations about Rattner's business friends rhymes perfectly with the attitudes of German industrialists. They facilitated Hitler's rise to power, believing his behavior was just performative bluster. They regarded him as a buffoon, who would be easily shoved aside once he got rid of trade unionists and communists.
Dear Prof Krugman,
I agree with your analysis, but please let’s all stop pretending that the richest men are the smartest entrepreneurs; many of them are simply the most psychopath enablers of people who think that we all have to suffer meaninglessly in order not to disturb them.
This is Project 2025: The Heritage Foundation, Putin and KGB at their finest.
US and World citizens deserve much more better.
And they deserve it now.
When Musk and Trump double down on their asinine claims, like that there are millions of two-hundred-year-olds still collecting social security checks, it doesn't cost them a whit politically, because RW media consumers literally lap that shit up, believing it implicitly.
This is why Trump/GOP lie endlessly. About literally everything. Because FOX News, Sinclair, et al, will either confirm--and then even embellish--those lies. Or just ignore them.
Thanks. I know. That is exactly how regimes are born.
We have Orban in Hungary.
Please act, act now because it may be too late before we realise, and I don’t think Putin and Xi are waiting benevolently.
Thanks
Twenty-nine years of "FOX News" has reduced the former GOP to a mob syndicate of bullying, blustering bulllshit. They're now trying to run their cons with a gotcha tabloid mentality.
Their chaotic posturing is a poster child for the adult epiphany that...positions are easy; policy is hard. Hence the habitual lying.
The Wall Street Journal editorial page was as bonkers as Fox going back to the days when the right wing Robert Bartley was editor. The rest of the media normalized the extremism and dishonesty by emphasizing that the reporting was objective, as if lies and conspiracy-mongering is acceptable in opinion pages.
“ The Wall Street Journal riddle”
https://www.mediamatters.org/wall-street-journal/wall-street-journal-riddle
Even the WSJ is opposed to the tariffs but mostly they’re on board.
We need a new "Truth in Reporting vs. Opinion" law, that would require all media content to identify itself as either "news" or "opinion." With the former requiring actual journalistic standards--like 2+ sources, actual references to studies, etc.
Adding to that relaxed libel laws--making it easier to sue for defamation, and greatly expanding the spectrum of who can sue--and we might actually force the RW press to rely on the strength of their arguments, instead of lying/fabricating about literally everything.
Getting such a law passed would of course face universal GOP opposition, because unlike the vast majority of MSM and liberal media, lying is pretty much their bread and butter.
Kleptocracy
Yeah - anybody who tries to pretend the American people signed up for this for any other reason than being lied to and believing it needs to go into any dentist's office that's west of Philly and east of Fresno, and see what the normies are getting told.
The rich control our media and the narrative. Every time DOGE or Trump makes a false claim, it is pumped across thousands of right-wing news outlets and indexed by Google to come to the top of every search, pushing the narrative that Elon and Trump have discovered some vast amount of government waste that nobody else knew about, and thankfully they are fixing, so our deficit and debt will go down. None of this is true of course, but it doesn't matter, modern society is run on false and misinformation and rich right-wing conservatives know this and completely control the narrative and mass media. The problem is, by the time voters catch on (if they ever do) it will be far too late and the spin will already push the blame on to liberals and laisser-faire democracy. Until sensible people learn how to organize themselves and are able to pump counter-intelligence at scale, we are doomed to be crushed and enslaved by rich oligarchs. But make no mistake, we are at war, its just that it's an information war, and the left is losing badly.
To a great extent I agree with you. However, they are moving so fast things are already starting to break. The Putin is our friend and Canada will be our unwilling 51st state is very jarring for anyone over 50 who hasn't gone down the right wing rabbit hole.
It's starting to trickle down that "we" might be asked to sacrifice to reduce the debt. Most people realize that the rich have gotten tax cut after tax cut, but when they personally start losing benefits and know people who are losing benefits, they won't be happy.
I think a lot will depend on the capture of law enforcement and military. The protest/counter revolt needs to be led by old people. Are they cops really going to beat up granny because she's marching around carrying a sign? (Elon will cut off her Social Security)
The last thing we need are young people, like in Portland, trashing things. Violence will justify a disproportionate response.
Yes, Sharon. I am over 50 too...however, I feel maybe some stuff does need to break and burn - like the corporations that rolled over and kissed the ring...and it is not just young people who feel this way. We should starve them financially. Stop giving them our money. I am so angry I want to break stuff too. We are in real trouble. And you are right about the tax breaks for the very rich. Most of our taxes are going up - so where is the savings? No savings and less of the good stuff (like parks). The math ain't mathing. The question is - will the blind see in time?
Yes, if the government gives me a $100/year tax cut by cutting, say, repairing potholes in roads, and those potholes cost me $500/year (or more) in car repairs, I find I’m $400+/year worse off.
The MAGAs are totally blind. It’s like they’re in a cult. They defend EVERYTHING Trump says.
Yeah, they will. Google "cops beat up elderly..." and take your pick of thousands of articles.
The elderly are easier to abuse than vigorous, young people. That's why it happens so often.
Saturdays at Tesla has become a legit protest movement, run by older folks, those who still remember how to protest from their youth. Forget Millennial and GenZ. They would not know how to protest ... TikTok is not going to do it for them, but they believe that.
The richest may not be the smartest but they are the most powerful. There is no limit on the money flowing into politics.They have bought the courts, the legislators and the president. The elites have full control.
Thanks George, I know. Some elites have the power now. But, believe me, they are on the wrong side of History, and this matters a lot; and indeed their lies are enormous just because they have to pretend they are on the right side, for their adepts to believe in it.
But they are going to lose this war in the end, this is for sure.
That’s what I’m noticing from Canada. Unbelievable amounts of money in US politics. There seems to be no limit on how much can be “donated.”
Unfortunately
so what are we going to DO ?
Hi Shauna, thanks for your reply.
I don’t know exactly, to be honest, but I feel somehow that the vast majority of US citizens are incredibly smart and willing to protect their children.
Don’t worry, fill up all the streets, speak up the truth.
We don’t have to convince 75M people that they put their faith in someone who never cared about them; 20% will be sufficient to make it clear that LIES, irrespective of how many times repeated, are always LIES.
And lies can win 1 or 2 battles, but they will never win the war for our hearts.
I also want to add that we in Europe are doing our best to resist to all the lies coming from Trump and Putin.
Be sure: The vast majority of Europeans are with YOU and with UNIVERSAL RIGHTS.
I wish you were right about “the vast majority of American citizens.” Sadly, the recent elections seem to me to disprove that idea.
We've been on this road at least since the Reagan administration, and I'd go back to when, after the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-60s, white Southern Democrats flooded into the Republican Party. Racism is the fault line running through our history, and we still haven't dealt effectively with it.
The 2024 election doesn't prove much of anything about "the vast majority of American citizens." Only 63% of eligible voters voted, and slightly less than half of them voted for Trump. They did not vote for Elon Musk. I'm pretty sure that most of them didn't vote for what's happening now; it wasn't in the campaign ads, after all.
Dear Susanna, I agree 100% with you.
Project 2025 is nothing else than Southern Strategy 2.0 or Middle Age 5.0, or anything else.
We in Europe know Middle Age very well and, believe me, we don’t want to go back.
That is why Ukrainians and the vast majority of Europeans are with you, and not with Trump and Putin.
We don’t want to kiss the ring anymore, either in Washington or in Moscow or Beijing.
Ciao! 😃
Love the description of Project 2025 as Southern Strategy 2.0!
YES!!!
The approval rating has been bad for the MuskT in general. But I found that the Gen-Z consistently approved MuskT to break the government (not just in one poll). The latest one is the AtlasIntel Poll. Gen-Z approval actually soared right after President Zelenskyy was insulted in the Oval office. It is disheartening. This is the group that abandoned Harris. I do not know why. Some possibilities are they are young and so they do not care about healthcare and social security; they have listened too much about the story of Bill Gates and Steve Job dropping out of University/college and became successful; they have heard about cryptocurrency that people bought meme coins and became billionaires; AI is the future and buying AI stocks will make them rich. Some will be successful but I am afraid many will be hurt when they encounter hardship in their life. The bigger question is whether they will admit that it is a mistake to support MuskT whose ideas are harmful to their own country and to the world.
Thank for your reply.
No, they were not the majority, they never were, and today they are even less.
Please don’t despair, don’t give up. This is their only chance. Trump and Putin are hoping for this, they are forcing their max pressure for this.
But we will never give up our freedom and our humanity.
Thank you ! xox
thank you for this!
I think you are right. They have made us doubt one another because the mean and ugly have the microphone. Most Americans don't want this, but we are a bit frozen without a clear leader. I agree we will fight. We are Americans!
Yes! Thanks!!! 👍👍👍
Trump is nothing more than a Putin mouthpiece at this point.
I started buying guns after Charlottesville, and I'm not the only one.
Well, maybe start by boycotting Tesla and X.
It's not surprising that Trump/Musk hired Dunning-Kruger kids to fuck things up. Trump himself is at the upper left peak of the Dunning-Kruger curve... 👇
https://bsky.app/profile/justinsg.bsky.social/post/3lgyra2gsl22b
If "private business...kept releasing progress reports that were full of ludicrous errors", they would be investigated for FRAUD! The only "fraud and abuse" that the DOGE (pronounced "DOUCHE") Dunning-Kruger kids have demonstrated is indeed THEMSELVES!
Thanks. I agree with you fully. I don’t know, but I feel the best thing to do is to fill up all the streets. MAGA can tell their adepts what to do, but can’t close their eyes when they see you all marching peacefully on the streets.
We have 75M adepts following their media uncritically, we can only show them that there is another opportunity and it is in their best interest.
It will not be easy and fast, but we have to start now.
I would like you to know that we Europeans are with you, because we share the same ideals.
We are together in this war.
Ciao! 😃
The same principle that applies in politics applies in business: being dishonest and unscrupulous is a gigantic competitive advantage.
Unless they are held accountable...
Krugman points out what you say- routinely.
It is very hard for me to think this is not deliberate. Putin chose wisely. An agent of chaos tied to him by blackmail who is not just impulsive, but low information and incredibly stubborn when confronted with reality. In other words stupid. I like Fran Lebowitz' take: "Everyone says he is crazy - which maybe he is -but the scarier thing about him is that he is stupid. You do not know anyone as stupid as Donald tRump. You just don't."
Of course it is deliberate. The KGB spent decades learning about and probing the weaknesses in American institutions and society. Putin and company have been systematically driving wedges into that system. And their chosen leader is overseeing the collapse.
One thing about Social Security. When Elon and his boys fuck that up, the problem will be more than delayed checks to old people…literally billions will go missing from the economy.
we will be one of them. Canada, Netherlands or France here we come.
It is very patiently PLANNED... but his prize (American broken) is worth it. But will it hold for him? Can we oust this administration ..if we cannot ...the rest IS bad history :(
Get out on the streets; general strikes; marches; civil disobedience. Otherwise, kiss your life goodbye.
We are moving out of a purely red state (SC) first since Lindsay Graham is on the Trump train. Then, we are moving back home to NC, where there is hope we can make a difference and will have a wise Governor. Not ready to bail on the US yet, but if we don't change things in the next round of voting, moving out of the country is not out of the question.
https://open.substack.com/pub/longmemo/p/the-great-american-fire-sale-tonights?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1wbr1r
What most people don't realize until they reach retirement age is that our Medicare premiums are deducted from our SS payments. So if they muck up our SS payments, they also muck up our health care premium payments. Chances are there will be no one there to process our Medicare premiums if we try to pay them ourselves, either.
One small snippet in the European paper today re the trump RANT of look at me and MY POWER................with NO talk of help for $American citizens - trust ME !! ?? !! ..........
Le Monde reads:
America was an island on Tuesday evening, surrounded by the bitter certainty of having been taken advantage of by allied or hostile countries. Trump confirmed his intention to repossess the Panama Canal and to control Greenland "for national security." His speech betrayed a trivialization of the country's ambitions. Its leader is a 78-year-old man with a criminal record revisiting campaign memes rather than setting out his vision for the future of the world's leading power.
I didn't have the heart to listen to his BS. It fills me with despair. I did listen to part of Elon and Joe Rogan 3 hr podcast. That was bad enough; two stoned thirteen year old boys moving fast and breaking things (if they break we'll fix them right away...yeah right). The only heartening thing was commenters disgust, about 2 to 1.
Long time GOP strategy. Cut USG agency budgets and then complain that government is the problem because it can't provide the services it is supposed to.
Then privatize it because it is more 'efficient'
I never imagined that after working full time for 48 years I‘d be wondering whether or not I’d still be getting a monthly check from Social Security. I‘m not giving up on America though. I‘ll make donations, write letters and postcards, hold up signs and press my representatives to do more while I’m still able. I cannot abide letting these selfish monsters hurt people and ruin this country.
I live in a Continuing Care Retirement Community in NJ. While it costs too much for anyone solely dependent on Social Security, many people here rely on Social Security as part of their monthly payments. Without that check, they will not be able to make their payment and this community of c.500 people will collapse. There are about 2,000 CCRCs throughout the US and this same dynamic will apply at many of them. This is just one relatively small example of the impact of fiddling with Social Security and other programs on which prudent people have built their futures.
And how many people rely on Medicaid to pay for long term care? The Republicans in the House have their axes out for that.
I (regrettably) own a Tesla and do worry about those doors opening only using electronic controls. The emergency manual latch is something passengers and drivers who haven’t read the manual won’t even know exists. By the way, small correction, it’s their batteries (not engines, which they don’t have) that catch fire. And of course those batteries power the electronic controls as well as the electric drive motors.
I unfortunately own one from 2021. The physical latches are on the door arm rest. But you need to know about them. They are not obvious. The electronics are powered by a separate12 volt battery, as is the case with other vehicles. The large high voltage battery powers the motors. And yes, I plan to sell it.
Thanks for clarifying. Hopefully the 12v circuits can survive a fire in the large battery long enough. But in the fatal cases that made the news, they might not have. And the rear door emergency latches are hidden under a mat at the bottom of the door pockets! My car is newer than yours, so I think I’ll have to keep it a bit longer :)
We have a Tesla model 3 and people have used the physical latches by mistake, not knowing where the electric ones were. I suppose in a panic one could fail to fine the physical latch.
It’s a sad country run by a Putin puppet and appointees with no morals. Democrats should do a Monday morning price increase show every Monday.
You're beyond this now. I think something a tad more effective is required. Like crocheting slogans, maybe.
I was on hold for an hour — a whole hour — when I had to call Social Security on Monday morning. I’d received an email from SSA.gov acknowledging that my email address had changed, which I didn’t do.
The excellent SSA employee confirmed that someone had claimed my benefits. She blocked my account, stopped the claim, and told me to go to my local SSA office.
Yes — I’ve called all of my congressmen to say (1) do not reduce the SSA workforce, and (2) do not close local offices.
But they’re all Republicans……
I commented elsewhere that after waiting for about 20 minutes on hold a Social Security person—Jane—came on the phone and quickly and efficiently answered my question related to my missing 1099 form. She gave me the information I needed and said “I have already put a duplicate 1099 in the mail for you.” She was a warm and helping person providing excellent service. The shame is that the Trumphuk / Muskalini cabal seeks to eviscerate Social Security, fire its employees and create 1000s more unemployed. Poor Jane having to carry on under that pressure — and poor all of us for having to deal with the horrible regime that seeks to destroy our economy, security, and democracy.
"And given the combination of arrogance and ignorance shared by Musk and Trump, it’s hard to see how we get out."
Hmmmm...Actually Paul, it's the arrogance of business leaders and Republican politicians, and the ignorance of the MAGA voters that has trapped us in that burning Tesla.
Of course I realize that we are all in the same burning car, but my contempt for the ignorance and stupidity of so many American voters is so deep that I am now cheering on every catastrophe.
So grim. But Willie and Sinead: thank you.
Perfect song choice.
As a federal worker about to be illegally fired, this song brought me to tears.
I feel for you — hopefully you’ve got enough set aside to survive. Will you protest and demonstrate against these illegalities? We all need to get out to demand and end to this insanity.
A friend living in Denmark just wrote me, that supermarket mar european products with a star
So, Coca Cola, Colgate, Tesla, won't have a star. Members of our paliament in Switzerland demand reevaluation of the contract with USA covering 34 F-35 fighter jets, valued at 7 Billion USD. Generally, it seems buildind up kind od dislike of american products. Massive falling sales numbers of Tesla in Europe go in same direcrtion. After all EU and UK combined are a market with 530 million people. Being head of a US company active in european markets, I also would worry.
in the case of the F-15, it’s not just dislike. You need the USA’s to provide spare parts, instructors and, if shit hit the fan, permission to use them for a piece of military equipment.
After who we've voted into power ( by a small but significant amount) how can we be trusted? Europeans need to act together quickly like they did with Russian oil. Is it possible to divest from Starlink and Musk's rockets too? Those are vulnerabilities as well.
I don't think Elon cares about Tesla anymore. As defacto leader of the US he's got tremendous access to wealth. He just walked in and took over the Treasuries.
Thanks a great summary as usual.. Sharing your posts on varous other social outlets gives me a feeling that maybe I can reach a few individuals who aren't really aware of what is going on.. Thanks for keeping it in layman's terms..
Gutting the SSA is the first step to handing over the trust fund to Wall Street. Does anyone really trust these greedy SOBs? Also, these are our tax dollars--we've been paying into SS/Medicare since we started working. So, this is also a retroactive tax increase, in my case going back 50 years.
Just for grins I downloaded a transcript of Hitler's first radio address to the German people after becoming the Chancellor in 1933. Of course, the specifics were different, but thematically it sounded like Trump's speech last night.
Also, Prof. Krugman's observations about Rattner's business friends rhymes perfectly with the attitudes of German industrialists. They facilitated Hitler's rise to power, believing his behavior was just performative bluster. They regarded him as a buffoon, who would be easily shoved aside once he got rid of trade unionists and communists.