You give Americans too much credit. People are generally afraid right now. ICE, the Iran war, the perception that jobs are harder to find, the perceived threat of AI further eroding the job market, high gas prices, and tweets that are progressively more unhinged. I believe there is emotional bleed. People are genuinely afraid of what might come next. As uncertainty drives the stock markets, so to it drives people’s feelings of economic security. People are fearful about their economic future and that of their children. It is tainting their perception of now. Most have so little understanding of economics that government reports about unemployment and inflation don’t really drive their beliefs about the economy. Fear does.
Fear impacts more than Americans. Cities hosting games for the FIFA world cup are facing hotel cancelations and dropping ticket sales. This is not a boycott. People around the world are genuinely afraid to get on a plane, fly to the US, and stay in a US city.
AMTRAK has a train from Manhattan to Montreal. We took it years ago and Customs was "Our bags are there on the floor. No we have nothing to declare." No idea what that would be like now.
I imagine the amount of driving you would have to do to go to Canada to take a plane would more than offset any possible safety benefit from avoiding current US air traffic regulation.
It's a question of 'what makes news.' When 44,000 Americans die in motor vehicle crashes and 100,000 die of air pollution related illness each year, no one blinks an eye.
It's 'Man bites Dog' vs. 'Dog bites Man'.
Always an anxious flyer, my wife found small doses immensely helpful after 9/11.
Another Canadian here. That's true, people are genuinely afraid to travel to the USA. My wife recently had to make a trip to Asia. Although she could have flown with a connection through an American airport at roughly half the cost, we chose to fly direct from Toronto instead at considerable added expense. We were that afraid that ICE wouldn't like the look of her in an American airport and drag her off to one of their concentration camps.
Donny's stupid war is affecting the entire world and everybody hates us. Inflation numbers are rising in Europe. This morning it's reported in March Britain's inflation numbers rose to 3.3%. Lufthansa has cancelled 20,000 summer flights due to the shortage and skyrocketing price of jet fuel that's around $200 dollars a barrel.
Quite a dilemma for Central Bankers as Inflation is being caused by circumstances beyond their control. They would normally raise interest rates with rapid inflation but with a real risk of global recession as the Gulf standoff drags on, should they be cutting rates?
They're not "concentration camps." They're "rest camps," just like the one in TX where Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred. You even get an emotional support puppy; although room service ends at 10pm, and you could be "resting" for a few weeks before you see a judge.
But never fear, the GOP's Orbanization of America will be getting a massive Blue slapdown this November.
I understand where you are coming from but you were also pretty foolish to not save that money. It's like not going to the store because you're afraid of a mass shooting. Just assigning way too much risk profile to something incredibly rare.
It's widely reported that ICE is patrolling all of the major airports. If you are not a white person, the odds of you being dragged off are much higher, thus the greater risk.
30 years ago I took my daughter and a Brazilian exchange student friend of hers to see Canada. We had no trouble getting in Canada but coming home the exchange student was detained for hours because they claimed she didn’t have all the proper documents, although she took with her all the documents she had. Eventually they looked up her records on their computer and let her cross. I’m sure with the detainment quota they have now she would have been detained for who knows how long and locked up in some horrible detention facility. I honestly don’t think you are being overly cautious.
The risk is still small but it's certainly not non-zero, so if it was worth it to you to pay the premium, it doesn't mean you were foolish, I'm sorry for saying that. And I'm sorry my country has put you in a position to be thinking about this at all.
Isn't this similar to property/fire insurance. The risk is very low, but the consequences are very high without insurance? There are enough reported examples of tourists being grabbed and put in detention to warrant avoiding that outcome.
The issue here, Miles, is foreigner's *perception* of our current batshit-crazy immigration policies. Especially anything related to racism, misogyny, and homophobia--all essential parts of the GOP's brand.
My guess is that ICE focuses on people leaving the terminal and entering the United States. They likely ignore those who are only changing planes within the terminal, without passing through security. I don't know this for a fact, but if they were randomly attacking people within the terminal, wouldn't that be in the news? We hear, instead, about their hanging around as useless slugs, since there is nothing at airports that they are trained to do.
I am not apologizing for ICE scum, or approving of their serving as Trump's personal storm troopers.
With all that said, if you have the cash, there is, regrettably, nothing unreasonable about avoiding U.S. airports. There is also nothing tasteful about accusing Canadians of being "foolish."
It's hard to not go about your business. The question is what exactly are you to do? The 2026 election will be an answer how far into authoritarianism we've gone. Are we still a competitive authoritarian state like Hungary, or have we morphed into something else?
It's an understandable way to deal with the situation. I'm going to live my life, explain to people what's going on as best as I can, go to No Kings protests, and go out in November and vote against this before it's too late to vote against it. I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to be doing abnormally.
That is the vitally important question that no one has managed to answer well! How could one answer it? In a representative democracy and as citizens of one of fifty states, we are governed mostly by officials for whom we did not vote. Just because I may be right about something does not mean that I can run down to Capitol Hill and block the fools from damaging our country.
We could start by restoring education as a respected value, and improving the teaching of history and civics in our public schools. Even that is a tough call in a country where many voters want to dismantle public education.
You also have to deal with the fact that the fingerprinting machines used today don't work well with people who work with their hands. My wife is a knitter and runs into this periodically. If it's something like a job clearance where she can force the agency to use the old paper and ink method, it's just a bit of a pain, but if it's something like an application for a firearms purchase, where they don't have to make allowances, she is forced to forget it. She works with a guy who has a similar problem.
Right, who wants to come to America when it's bombing and threatening everyone in the world to enjoy a soccer/football match? Trump literally had innocent protesters shot on our streets and every week we see some Canadian or person from some other country kept in these ICE detention centers that sound like torture chambers. I think people are seeing our country become lawless, our food and gas prices skyrocketing, and we are being led by a madman who blames the press and everyone but himself, when in fact he is the root cause of all our problems. Fox News has to spin like crazy right now to keep the people in a constant state of delusion and anger toward the strawman liberal.
On top of that are the gougers. I heard yesterday that the cost of train tickets from Manhattan to the Meadowlands in New Jersey was going to be something like $150. Normal round trip adult fare is $12.90.
And no parking or tailgating at the stadium. FIFA + NFL + standard American corporate greed + ICE = an obscenely overpriced dystopian disaster instead of the huge party it should have been.
Speaking of which, who feels like celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation Trump and maga Republicans are currently destroying?
I wonder what the attendance would have been at the 1936 Berlin Olympics had the Nazis already been invading neighboring European nations, or the bombing of Guernica happened a year earlier?
FIFA is using dynamic pricing to set extremely high ticket price.
That's on top of the World Cup being a gigantic con, for starters. Thr financial setup gives FIFA revenue and sticks thr suckered host cities with security and other costs.
This is the correct reason for low attendance. All the Trump stuff does add to it, but cost is the biggest factor. I’d say lack of local interest would be another.
Agree. Devious donny has managed to generate worldwide chaos, fear and uncertainty - which he typically thrives on - based on the methods his longtime mentor Roy Cohn taught him decades ago. And which have been the strategies/MO that trump has “successfully” employed for many years. He has always intentionally generated chaos, confusion, fear, uncertainty, volatility, and unpredictably as a means to an end, that has serves his personal agenda for decades.
But now, suddenly, that strategy seems to be backfiring on him as the Epstein scandal continues to haunt him, squeezing what’s left of his nutsack, his irrational and erratic “peace” negotiations with Iran are being rejected by most Americans, as well as leaders from around the world who are pushing back, more and more MAGA supporters are jumping ship because of all his broken campaign promises, the ongoing gerrymandering wars and looming midterm elections loom large, which he knows could lead to another impeachment … they are all now suddenly and simultaneously caving in on him. So sad…
All of which then in turn continues to generates more and more chaos, confusion, fear and outrage that triggers HIM, his malignant narcissistic personality disorder which then seeks more revenge and retribution! Yikes.
In simple terms, he’s spiraling down, quickly.
He’s also surrounded himself with bunch of incompetent leaches, nitwits and fools who behave like keystone cops in a continuous episode of SNL, and a group of corrupt oligarchs who are constantly whispering in his ear for their own financial agenda.
What could possibly go wrong?
(Weird Al" Yankovic - Living With a Hernia! Indeed!)
"his malignant narcissistic personality disorder which then seeks more revenge and retribution!"
Exactly. Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck wrote an excellent book,"People of the Lie . " that explains how and why malignant personality disorder is so dangerous to the rest of us. As I read it, I was alarmed how well Peck describes Trump even though Peck never mentions Trump. Trump is rapidly disintegrating now, and ironically that may yet save the rest of us. Trump is so obviously disintegrating - - -he is our "Mad Prince".
Huh. Thanks for mentioning that. I read that book several years ago, along with the Road Less Traveled. I probably still have copies of those books somewhere!
(I actually studied comparative world religions and philosophies in undergrad, along with psychology focused on deviant behavior.
And I’ve also studied Eastern mysticism extensively (Zen and Taoism) partly due to my professional training, and partly simply because I have an unquenchable passion for knowledge and wisdom. It’s an endless search! As you likely know.)
Peck describes - “ malignant narcissism as a core component of human evil, characterized by a persistent refusal to acknowledge one's own sin, profound self-deception, and the destructive projection of guilt onto others.
These individuals are masters of disguise who often simulate love while operating with a total lack of empathy.“
Yep, that pretty much sums up what we’re dealing with. (IMO) He should be in an institution for the criminally insane, in a straight jacket instead of occupying the WH, presumably as the most powerful person in the world. He’s truly a weapon of mass destruction in and of himself. And he certainly seems hellbent on blowing the whole thing up, if he doesn’t get his way!
Tracy Mayne is right. There is “emotional bleed” and the price issue is just the safest and easiest one to criticize. The anger is due to everything we value like having access to healthcare with rural people having to travel far and young people unable to get starter jobs and the inefficiency of the IRS brought on by DOGE. I could go on. Trump and his cronies have dismantled the safety net little by little… so complaining about prices is just a tangible clear issue that is on top of the societal “bleeding.”
Exactly! I think when voters say they're angry at Trump "because of economy", they're using that reason because it's a short, catch-all familiar word that everyone understands. As you correctly noted, they're actually angry about everything Trump has done, said and caused. You nailed it.
A lot of the stuff that isn't strictly economic gets lumped into "the economy" when peole are asked to explain/rationalize their voting decisions. Because making it economic makes it look rational and considered--and doesn't raise questions about your attitudes towards racism, sexism, or a lot of the cultural issues that are often primary drivers in voting behavior.
I think we might actually OVERestimate how much people have a coherent conception of what "the economy" is. I'm not even sure everybody gets it at a broad enough level to know that it means "money stuff."
I agree. All I'm saying is the list of issues they're angry about is long so they grab onto the familiar. If many were polled and asked to tap which of 6 issues they disapprove of the most, they'd be likely to tap "the economy" because it's familiar. They can no longer afford Healthcare- it's the economy. They can no longer afford to get a full tank of gas - it's the economy. They lost their jobs- it's the economy. Using, "it's the economy" also allows them to avoid criticizing Trump. Many still believe "the economy is bad" because of Obama and Biden. It isn't logical, of course, but Trump says it often enough so it must be true. Fortunately, many MAGA's now say they're former MAGA's. However, some will still vote for an R, hoping that person will do something. They won't.
And they continue to back him right up to the moment when his failed policies hit them personally. They get blindsided because they're blind. Once they get hit with reality, they become enraged at having been hoodwinked.
The news organizations that we take for granted like Rural newspapers and small radio stations have been weakened and in many cases shutdown. The government has removed funding from the Public Broadcasting System. So when these rural folks went for Trump they were only getting the Fox news version of Donald Trump. Without real news access, people can be manipulated. Now that they can’t afford the rising costs to live, perhaps they will wake up.
I shall now be the skunk in the liberal garden. All of our ills are not due to MAGA Trump and the evil billionaires. A lot, but there is a lack of personal responsibility and moral, ethical character amongst many average people. I've talked to a number of tradesmen, tractor repair, construction workers, appliance repair people...even firefighters who are disgusted by the lack of work ethic. I know people who are supporting lay about family members. There are a lot of 'entitled' people big and small. If small people had stronger moral convictions (not talking about sexual mores) it would be easier to hold the big cheats to account.
Yup. I'm currently visiting family in the USA. All living paycheck to paycheck feeling there is no prospect of improving their lot. Terrified of the inevitable unforseen expense.
Not me. I've been expecting catastrophe for half a century. Really! The only surprise is how long it has taken to materialize. The very best presidential candidate in my lifetime was George McGovern -- and he lost in a massive landslide against him. The best candidate who actually won -- temporarily -- was Jimmy Carter. And he was the victim of dirty political corruption.
Yes, it's vital for everyone to understand that the Republicans have been working to create the corrupt corporate fascist hell we're are now living in for many decades. Trump isn't some GOP aberration, he's the soul of the party corporealized into one vile meat puppet.
I was lucky enough to be traveling through Washington D.C. after McGovern’s loss and to meet him at the National Airport. (It will never be “Reagan” to me.)
I think we can thank DeSantis for saving JFK airport. He renamed the airport near Mar-a-Lago after Trump. That probably prevents DonnyJon for putting pressure to put his name on JFK.
I think you are correct on fear, but I think it's led by capitalistic greed. No worker rights and protections. Price gouging at every opportunity. Public/private corruption we have never seen at this level. Environmental destruction. Inadequate health care. Wages not keeping up. Massive layoffs to boost exec compensation. The AI Sword of Damocles constantly hanging over our heads. It all stems from unchecked corporate power.
I also fear the loss of civil and fundamental constitutional rights. Maybe at some level people realize the loss of rights won’t remain contained to a few demographic groups. Anyone who has survived a playground knows bullies will go after others when they’ve finished hurting their preferred target.
Absolutely. The problem is that many people probably aren’t able to understand or articulate some/most of this, or may not be willing to admit it, so it often gets overlooked or devalued.
And tRump's modus operandi is to be an agent of chaos and even the people who voted are waking up to the fact that his particular brand of chaos is not good for them or the Country. As you say, people are afraid and they have good reason for their fear. tRump is a totally solipsistic nihilist and it is gradually becoming apparent to even to some MAGAts that he doesn't care who he hurts - only his poll numbers. Good luck getting this Djinn back in the bottle.
well, there are still 35% or more of the people who think he is doing a good job, and probably more than that who willl never vote for a Democrat anyway.
Yes Tracy “emotional bleed” due to the daily crumbling of the democracy we knew and the dismantling of healthcare and the corruption we all see everyday people complain about prices but that is just the tip of the pain that is most visible.
Just read an article about young people going into trades because university is so expensive. Private companies are jumping in there too. They’re now racking up big bills from these new private trade schools.
Pretty close to what I came to say. Financially I'm fine on paper, even though my food bill has doubled and electricity is soaring. It is the fear of catastrophe. SS stopping, stock market crash, societal collapse. We are all hedging our bets and stashing cash under the mattress
“the perception that jobs are harder to find, the perceived threat of AI further eroding the job market” These aren’t perceived threats. They’re very real. Yeah, the job numbers seem stable but no one is hiring because of all of the trumpian chaos.
Completely agree. Even more fundamentally, though, Trump has taken away people's hope for the future. But that is a ripe opportunity for Democratic presidential candidates. Take heed.
Add to these concerns the fear of shortages of important goods and services. I'll never forget the days when supermarket shelves were empty. That pointed out that the systems we rely on are actually pretty fragile and that there is not as much separation between our lifestyle and those in the third world than we would like to think.
Almost to a tee, what I was going to write. I think the cruelty seen by this person colors everything, and when asked for an opinion, like a poll, give negative feedback at every opportunity.
It's really quite simple. When "numbers" come out indicating it's really not that bad but it's a vibe, we either need new metrics that measure actual experience (and not just business measurements), or fix the metrics. It's not vibe when last year's 10 dollar steak is 25 in the store (not a restaurant.) People buy more than eggs, and anyone actually shopping and cooking knows without any concept of math that their grocery bill has doubled, not 2% higher. Their home owners insurance is higher. Gas and heating are higher, health costs (all - insurance premiums, uncovered items increasing in the small print, deductibles making getting care avoidable, rx costs insane.) Anyone buying this is all emo reaction doesnt actually live close to the bone.
The vibe stuff: yes, we don't like being the monsters on the planet, or knowing our leaders are literally trying to make life unlivable so we will be like obedient Hunger Games districts. It is un American and depressing.
And oddly, even remarkably, Trump’s longtime strategy for “winning” - methods his mentor Roy Cohn taught him decades ago - ie generate chaos, confusion, uncertainty, fear, exhaustion then always blame others - is now backfiring on him.
So DJT himself is now left is now struggling in an amplified state of chaos confusion, fear, uncertainty, increasing volatility and unpredictably! Which consequently makes everything worse, for everyone.
Unfortunately dementia Donny does not have the mental or emotional intellect or person capacity to alter his own behavior or course correct. So we’re left with a brigade of incompetent nitwits who have created a scenario that looks like a prolonged SNL episode!
And we’re dealing with his acute deranged malignant narcissistic personality along with his desperate need for revenge and retribution. big sigh…
Fear is a tactic of fascist regimes. It makes people desperate and easily controlled. This is where we have to stand-up to fascism or it will stand over us.
You’re completely missing the point. Public anger over where prices currently stand is a reflection of the growing recognition of the great wealth disparity in the country, which is rapidly widening. There is a very strong perception that incomes have remained relatively stagnant for the vast majority of Americans, endangering living standards, while the financial status of the very wealthy has soared. Read the room.
I don’t think it’s that any of these analyses are wrong, but I do agree they do not stand alone. And I definitely agree that not enough weight is given to the wealth divide. I’d be willing to bet even “low information” Trump voters are seeing that he is building a giant ballroom, taking us to war, paying sign up bonuses to ICE agents. They are seeing plans for a giant arch, remodeled gold and marble bathrooms, a gifted airplane. They see the obscenely wealthy at the very least appearing to befriend Trump. They see one thing, hear another, live another, and that naturally makes them angry. The worst part is that this actually shouldn’t have surprised anyone. It was totally predictable based on Trump’s history, his actual maneuvering, and his erratic, self-serving nature. He was never interested in the people or the country. He has only ever been concerned with DJT’s desires and achieving them by whatever means necessary.
Came to say the same. The body politic is tired and angry about the neoliberal status quo. We’re not getting ahead and neither will our children nearing adulthood right now. It’s hard being underemployed without massive frustration about all of our tax money going to ballrooms for billionaires, completely unnecessary arches, tearing down half the White House, free planes and homes for cabinet members, a war of choice in Iran, and the massive grift riddled throughout the trump family and regime instead of funding healthcare, education, the stopping or slowing down of climate change.
People don’t need charts to understand that the US is a fairly miserable country to live in these days.
I think many do see even if they only get “news” from socials like TikTok because this stuff is often juicy for content creators to comment on…even if the commenting isn’t negative. People may not be able to articulate it or source it, but the concept is still sitting in there needling at them that some are pooping on a gold toilet while others are in a cold port-a-potty with an empty toilet paper roll and a broken lock.
I'd like to see a geographic breakdown to see whether the very high utility bills during the super-cold in the east (both grid power and furnace gas/oil), which were an exceptional hit to many budgets, triggered something. For many, growing property insurance premiums are also a newish shock.
Trump supporters see a very different version of events than we do. FOX and worse have very curated story to tell. The giant ballroom is a cost savings because the old one was too small and a security risk.
I sometimes read the WSJ opinion page and it gives a flavor of what MAGA hears...though at a higher level. The comments sections can be very interesting as well. However, many of the commentors also read their reporting and have a more educated viewpoint.
WSJ diligently avoids reporting on most of Trump's most terrifyingly insane behaviors, but they have run a couple of excellent stories on the depth of the corruption that has enriched the Trump family since he took office. Despite this, even the editorials that purport to offer some tepid criticism do so in a fashion that tends to focus on acts as individual occurrences, as opposed to part of a larger pattern of ineptitude and malfeasance, and always in the most normalizing language. In other words, readers may get some coverage of poor policy choices, but never a coherent picture of how batshit crazy this entire administration is. And this from the only thing approaching a "legitimate" conservative mainstream news outlet. No wonder his approval among Republicans isn't lower than it is.
The WSJ reporters are pretty good. The editorial writers are GOP stooges, often. Virtually all mainstream media have been sugar coating and sane-washing Trump's endless stream of corruption and insanity. Kicking off the war with Iran is forcing the media to address the malevolent incompetence and corruption of the admin, as it now can't be ignored.
I appreciate this thread of discussion and wanted to comment: the WSJ has provided notable coverage over the years. Please know that a 22April article by Anne Applebaum commented on one article in particular re: Hungary that was not solid. I do understand that nothing and no one is perfect. Thanks for Substack where we can access more credibly sourced information than the propaganda offered currently offered by the NYT, Washington Post, etc.
The wealthy members of the community [in America] entertain a hearty distaste to the democratic institutions of their country. The populace is at once the object of their scorn and of their fears. Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
And when did wealth disparity take off. Yeah, it was Reagan but how did the Democrats respond?
The Democratic Leadership Council teed up Bill Clinton to declare loud and proud that the "era of "Big Government was over", kick Unions to the curb and put the Democratic Party solidly in bed with Wall St. right at the levers of power in his cabinet and... wealth disparity skyrocketed and hasn't looked back since.
We have been a Corporate/OnePercent oligarchic uni-party where the Dems just wear the tiny little scraps on their sleeve that fall off the Neoliberal chopping block with the Republicans! And Democratic voters have stupidly "Vote Blue No Matter Who" cheered them on and pointed their fingers at Republicans...
Instead of looking in the mirror at their own party selling them the fxck out!
Obama sealed the deal bailing out Wall St. that was back to racking up obscene profits and record setting bonuses within a year... while 10s of millions of regular Americas watched their life savings in their homes incinerated like the 165 schoolgirls aged 7-12 years old at the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls' School in Minab, Iran.
And to this day Democratic voters STILL swoon and gush like worshipful, brainwashed cult members over the guy who campaigned on Universal Healthcare and instead...
Delivered... a market based healthcare plan developed by the conservative Heritage foundation that just a few years before had been totally uncontroversial GOP orthodoxy and the signature legislative achievement of their eventual 2012 nominee when he was governor of Massachusetts the biggest accomplishment was...
The perpetuation of the for-profit Healthcare industry that has been making record profits ever since while KILLING and bankrupting the living fxcking Hell out of the rest of us!
YES!!!... Republicans deserve all the scorn and disgust that can be poured on them, but it has been over 30 years of Democratic voters doing NOTHING but pointing their fingers at the low hanging fruit of Republican sociopathy... instead of asking themselves what EVERYONE was asking after T***p's re-election...
WHEN ARE DEMOCRATS GOING TO START FIGHTING BACK!?!
Well, I've got bad news for you. Fighting back isn't something you can START doing by the time a Fascist maniac like T***p is getting... his SECOND TERM!!! Democratic voters need to have been "Strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger" (to quote pete hegseth favorite bible verse) on 30+ years of THEIR OWN PARTY'S neoliberal complicity!!!
Just look at all the Establishment Democratic Party "leaders" preening and crowing about the prospects of "winning big in the midterms" AS IF winning elections because the country has been driven so far down into the hole of full-on Fascism we will never get out of it for 20 to 30 years, if we get out of it at all... is the only way they can do it.
Drastic change is very difficult to achieve. The reality is we can only make incremental moves, which are usually less than satisfying. But at least Democrats are constantly trying to move the needle in the right direction. Republicans, on the other hand, are constantly working to reverse the small gains we have made. Pick your team.
Ask yourself, what would the country look like if Democrats had been able to enact the social policies they wanted since Bill Clinton's first term? Well...we'd have universal healthcare through a Medicare for all system. 9/11, and all that followed, probably wouldn't have happened since Al Gore would have been watching al-Qaeda instead of dealing with daddy issues. The 2008 market crash would probably not have happened, since Democrats, even in the ‘00s, still believed in some forms of financial regulation. We'd be much further along in switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, making it much more likely that we wouldn't now be on the verge of roasting Western civilization. Our alliance system would not currently be in tatters. Federal deficits would be lower - no crazy useless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or One Great Big Beautiful Bill - and maybe even fairer. I could go on.
Democrats don't lose because they don't fight. They lose because they keep on losing open, free and fair elections. They lose because so many of us don't vote for our economic and social interests. You can't change the world unless you get the power to do so. And, in this country, Democrats just don't have it.
The 2008 crash was a direct result of Clinton's deregulation of the financial sector and abolishment of strictures like Glass-Steagall. Clinton and Obama both promoted policies that perpetuated the income inequality that accelerated under Reagan. They keep losing because their campaign messaging essentially implies that this country would be better off if only the general public weren't too stupid to understand how superior they are, while the middle and working classes keep seeing their quality of life ebbing away regardless of which party is in office. Yes, the Democrats are not as god-awful as the Republicans, but "Vote for us, at least we're not Hitler" is hardly an inspiring message.
The deregulation that took place under Clinton did contribute to the 2008 crash, but not because of the removal of Glass-Steagall. Glass-Steagall was already pretty moot when it was removed. What Clinton did wrong was not regulating the derivatives market. That market was what caused the collapse of Long Term Capital Management in 1998, and only direct intervention by Summers, Greenspan and Rubin keep it from turning into a complete global economic meltdown. The LTCM disaster should have been seen as the canary in the coal mine, warning the world about the dangers inherent in the derivatives markets as they were then structured. But that particular dead bird went unnoticed. During the ‘00’s, those derivatives markets had explosive growth, and it was the collapse of those markets that led to the near death experience of the world’s economy in 2008.
Just to be clear, I think removing Glass-Steagall was a mistake. I also thought that Clinton’s economic policies in general were way too conservative. But, compared with what would have been if Bob Dole had been president, or what came after with Bush II, Clinton was on the side of the angels.
I rarely disagree with PK, but here I do and agree with Mr. Riley. Young people, in particular, lack the optimism that I and my age cohort (I was born in 1950) had when in college and in our start on our careers. I also believe that, in part, it explains the question posed by Thomas Edsall in his column asking why more young people are not protesting against Trump. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/opinion/trump-protest-ai-phones-social-media.html College students, in particular, feel that they have to keep their noses to the grindstone due to poor future economic prospects.
Anyone born after about 1980 has seen an endless increase in income disparity, fiscal meltdowns, and disastrous foreign policy errors by the government. They've been "trickled down" on continuously. They don't even know the government is supposed to work for them, having never seen anything other than the post Citizens United government by the rich, for the rich. So in some way, their apathy is justifiable, as, absent a deep knowledge of history, which they don't have, they aren't aware that there are alternatives to the existing plutocracy.
I think inequality is certainly a factor gnawing at the American people. It’s a big effing deal as Biden might say. But, I wouldn’t dismiss the deep emotional cut of dashed expectations. Emile Durkheim, an early sociologist in France, studied suicide among groups of Europeans and found that people who had always been poor had low rates of suicide, while those who had been wealthy and lost everything had very high rates. Dashed expectations are a big deal, too.
“Many Americans were angered by what they perceived to be economic incompetence on the part of Biden. That is, they believed that he should have found a way to stop inflation from rising.” — This was because propaganda stations like Fox News, Newsmax and Right wing influencers beat this into the heads of the 31% of voters that voted for Trump.
The current anger and fear is because JOBs ARE DISAPPEARING for the next generation leaving double digit unemployment for recent college grads (genX’s children) and limited to no prospects for new job growth or movement for the rest of us.
The public is faced with a stalled job market and massive fears about global recessions, unregulated AI, endless wars, and cronyism handing the controls to an over empowered greedy oligarchy hell bent on creating chaos to control the narrative.
When Biden was in office JOB growth was good, so people didn’t pay attention to the Oligarchy taking over and buying up their media outlets. The 31% that voted for this current Republican mess were brainwashed and when the jobs disintegrated they started changing the channel.
Now the wealth disparity is so obvious and the Republican mask the oligarchy was hiding behind has been ripped off.
Yes, this started with Reagan and accelerated with Citizens United
Paul’s talked a lot about income inequality & how toxic it is & how aware Americans are of it. And he’s talked about how high inequality went slightly down under Biden (not that most Americans noticed) & is going up again (which most DO notice), & about how the next Dem administration must take serious steps to mitigate that.
The astounding thing is that Joe Sixpack in the US has no idea how bad the wealth disparity in the US actually is. They don't understand that a billionaire isn't just a wealthy millionaire, it's a whole different universe. They don't understand the difference between income and wealth, and they don't understand how the very wealthy don't pay taxes. If they actually understood how badly they were being shafted, and how much in taxes are going to be extracted from them to pay off the federal debt, that exists because the wealthy dodge taxes, the guillotines would be running nonstop.
Until trump TOLD ppl they were getting economically screwed (by women and Blacks, not the 1% really doing it) and HE WOULD FIX IT, ppl had a vague sense of 'things going in the wrong direction' but weren't really conscious of it.
Case & Deaton documented that life had gotten much worse for Whites w/o college (suicide/alcohol/drug 'Deaths of Despair') whch corresponds to the transfer of all the productivity gains of the last 50 years ($79 TRILLION) to the top 1%.
trump whipped them to a white-hot rage, and they expected results.
Unemployment is relatively low, but job uncertainty is high. People aren't leaving jobs because they're scared they won't find another.
Jesse Rothstein, former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, interviewed for the Minneapolis Fed:
"I would say for 50 years we’ve had an environment where the economy was growing but median workers were getting little if any benefit from that. Real wages were falling quite short of economic growth. There have been a couple of periods during that 50 years when that wasn’t true—the couple years after COVID actually turned out to be one of them. But overall, there’s been this widening gap.
In the data, it’s hard to find objective evidence that things are so much more wrong now than they were a year or two ago. But it’s possible we’ve hit a tipping point where people are starting to realize all of these trends have been going on for 50 years, and are starting to incorporate that into their sentiment.
I think the long-run trend is a big problem. People have to have faith that we’re all in this together. When the economy is producing billions of dollars of wealth for some people and not making other people’s lives any better, it’s hard to have that faith."
Meh, you're just talking your own book. How many average people can even formulate, "growing wealth disparity"? Come on.
Yes, when people feel squeezed, they lash out and look to others to blame, but that's an *effect*, not a cause. When people feel economically secure they don't get angry if others are even more secure.
The other thing to note here is that Mr. Krugman's analysis only applies to the ~50% of Americans who are *not* heavily invested into the stock market. For those people, the US economy is still fine, which is why Republicans are not at *zero* in their polling, and why there's still no serious pushback from their base over Trump's self-dealing (serious = "I'm voting D now", not finger-wagging at the GOP like you are scolding your child--so please ignore [for now] the polling and the stories about MAGA "turning on the GOP" because they are not there yet).
Also, look to the markets for the final pillar holding up the GOP, because it is a BIG pillar, and it's doing great right now. The reason why Trump drives US foreign policy based on the price of Bitcoin is not only because he personally owns a lot of it, but because he knows that for the upper-middle-class (where he finds his critical donor/driver base) the markets are how they perceive the economy, not retail prices.
When millions see their wealth disappear because the markets went down, THEN they will start to get angry about Trump and his billionaire friends fleecing the US treasury and Trump spending millions (not billions or trillions, but this is politics) on things like his statues and his ballroom, or on his Muslim friends in the middle east (okay, actual billions for that last one).
Trump recently said that his party needs to cut back on medicare in order to fund the military based on the wars he's starting. This is bad, and demos need to leverage this, but it will get a 100x worse if the markets go down.
Yes, it is about financial assets. Financial asset prices have soared, exacerbating the wealth gap between the haves and have-nots. Over half of the stock market's rise since 1989 stems from a shift in the economic "pie" from workers to investors rather than overall GDP growth. Meanwhile, inflation decimated the hard earned savings of ordinary workers. Most people do not have money invested in equities, and increasingly cannot afford to purchase a modest home (higher asset prices a consequence of wealth inequality), or (to pay off) higher education. They had cash savings, and although not Biden's fault, a large portion of their savings were taken from them (through inflation). Hence, many people, in their desperation were once again motivated to fall under the charlatan’s spell.
In yesterday's post, Professor Krugman spoke of a substantial dip in the 90-10 wage distribution gap between 2021-2025. Nevertheless, this only made up a small amount of what was lost in the preceding decades. So, despite what economic analysis may say, it is really not about wages. It never was. It was always about savings vs. financial assets.
And to be clear, I understand and have sympathy for and greatly respect Professor Krugman's view and analysis. I just think it may require a little broadening.
Did you read Paul's post from yesterday? He shows how income inequality actually improved during the Biden years, and says this: "So wage inequality fell dramatically during the Biden years. Is income inequality now rising again under Trump? There are faint hints in the data to that effect, but no more than that so far. One thing we do know, however, is that the force Dube identifies as the strongest driver of wage compression — a “tight” labor market — has largely disappeared."
- He might not be reading the room but he's reading the studies that say the opposite of what you're saying. But please, I'm not saying you're wrong. Reality is different from perception, especially these days. I would like to know how do you know that "there is a very strong perception that incomes have remained relatively stagnant for the vast majority of Americans", if you don't mind sharing
No studies. Just anecdotal observations and looking at the recent reported poll results on dissatisfaction among voters. I see and hear it from a lot of folks, personally and in news reports. They seem genuinely dismayed by the current cost of groceries, gasoline, insurance, and dining out, and they express concern that those items will soon be out of reach for them.
Most people are ignorant. There is only one major expense that has increased in my lifetime: healthcare. The reason is predominantly that we have so much more and better healthcare. Housing in real terms, eg. Bathrooms/person, sq ft/person, is cheaper. Food at home is ca. 1/3 of what it cost when I was a child in the 1960’s. We spend almost all of our income on wants, not needs. Many people always want more so they will never be satisfied. We live far beyond the classic east European rule of thumb, 1/3 of your income goes to taxes, 1/3 to savings, and 1/3 you can spend. High income people in US coastal states pay effective taxes over 50% according to both The Economist and actual reports from friends who make $1 million or more in good years. Modern media has increased ignorance. The data are clear, being ignorant and lying about facts, can make a person powerful and rich, because most people reject facts and logic and mathematics and like to be entertained. In real terms the affordability meme is a hoax with one major exception: healthcare. Roughly healthcare is both 20% of GDP and 20% of employment. When I was born it was ca. 5%. That is a huge change. Making healthcare universal and paid for with honest progressive taxes on income is the only real economic problem we need to solve.
You appear not to understand income and wealth. Wealth is a number that is largely arbitrary and is only loosely connected to income as anyone who has lived through multiple stock market and housing market falls/crashes knows. You can’t spend wealth. Under Biden, as Noah Smith recently again showed on Substack, income disparity fell and relative incomes of the bottom 20% had their largest gain in over 5 decades. As The Economist recently reported, effective tax rates for high incomes in the US are at their highest level in history, with effective rates over 50% for high incomes in coastal states like NY, CA, MA. I have friends who in years they make $1 million or more they pay over 50% in CA and MA. Everything except healthcare is cheaper in real terms today than when I was a child, even housing in real terms, normalized by sq.ft./person, bathrooms/person, bedrooms/person. Actual needs, except healthcare, are less that 10% of what people spend, ie. what you are complaining about, that your wants aren’t being satisfied, is just narcissism.
I think I understand income and wealth just fine. They are not independent; the income of the very wealthy is a direct function of their wealth. If you really believe the cost of living is lower than in past years you are living in a bubble not shared with many working class Americans. Read Elizabeth Warren's 2003 book, The Two Income Trap. Hell, read J.D. Vance's book, Hillbilly Elegy, and try persuading the folks who were the subject of that book that they are living better today than they were in the 1950s. (BTW, my comment was not in any way based on my personal financial condition, wealth or income. Your comment, not so much. And I don't think you understand the term narcissism.)
JD, May I respectfully suggest that something seems amiss in your two presentations. Under Ike the top marginal federal tax rate was 91%; under subsequent presidents it was 70%. A "normal" expenditure for housing is frequently regarded as 25-30% of income. These days, for many families, it can approach 50%.
Why do we have hundreds of thousands of homeless now, and it was never a problem in the 50s. (You may respond that medical debt has driven many families from their homes to living on the streets and in their cars. I would concede that is a real phenomenon; but suggest that the primary cause is related to huge income disparity, with the top five to one percent garnering 90% of the growth in incomes. Working families and middle class families have not shared proportionately in our increased productivity and growth.) Lastly, I have a feeling (so it must be true) that the cost of a college education or other post high school technical training is way way higher than 50-75 years ago. Education debt is a significant problem, and bankruptcy law (paid for by the banks) has been tweaked so as to prevent student debtors from being eligible for relief.
Bankruptcy used to not include credit card debt as secured debt. I've never forgiven one of my senators for allowing credit cards to leech onto people's assets during bankruptcies.
I think the anger has more to do with inequality. It is the worst it has been in our country's history. People are struggling to get by while the rich get special treatment and go to the front of the line.
That’s not actually what he wrote yesterday. He wrote that wage increases were higher for low wage. That does not mean inequality is decreasing. In fact, it is quite bad. The distribution of wealth Q4 of 2025 according to FRED data…
Top .1% - 13.2%
99-99.9% - 16%
90-98.9% - 34.8%
So the top 1% own 29% of wealth, the top 10% own 64% of wealth. Meanwhile…
“Middle”? 50-90% - 30.8%
Bottom 50% (!) - 5.2%
Half of the country owns a paltry 5% of wealth. This is in a country with abysmal social services - including healthcare, food security, and housing security- which I think any reasonable person would agree should be considered basic standard of living necessities.
I think wealth inequality is more salient at this point, especially if the broader public starts to understand that "being wealthy = you get free money and don't have to work," which I honestly don't think they do - because nobody really explained it to them, and because they haven't had enough wealth to notice what happens when you do.
No. I know the difference, but that’s ok. Your comment overgeneralizes what PK talked about yesterday, wages not assets. The original commenter did not specify, but in regards to people feeling that things are not equal, they would be correct. The gap between the Haves and the Have Nots is huge.
But a lot of the wealth of the ultra-rich is 1) not really visible and 2) on paper (like Musk owning Tesla stock - he can't really sell all of it at the current stock price without causing the stock to go down). OTOH, my neighbour earning 3x as me is very visible to me, and also impacts my ability to compete with them for limited resources like housing.
Paul routinely makes an error where he says a measurement of a thing is good, therefore, the object measured is also good. That is an okay inference to make if the measurement is aligned properly (or close enough) to reality. But if it isn't, if something is throwing the measurement off, then anyone, including Paul, is misled - failing to distinguish the map from the territory.
What astonished me during the Biden years was that the press kept talking about Bidenflation when in fact there never was such a thing. Inflation happened in all industrialized countries and had easily explained causes. One would have expected at least the left wing press doing a better job.
I'm not so sure the US media is "left wing". They were very critical of Biden, sometimes for good reason. But there was a steady barrage of commentary on Biden's age and other shortcomings. For the most part, Trump has been handled very gently by comparison. This is especially clear when you compare it to news sources overseas. Our media is very pro-Trump, despite his nearly continuous disparagement of the press.
The left's main preoccupation is beating up on other parts of the left that are slightly closer to the centre than they are. Being a bit more educated, they feel that criticizing the right is too easy for them and they want more of a challenge so, they pick fights with people they basically agree with. Also, balanced reporting is a quintessentially liberal-left thing.
Fear can explain that. The left attempts to think through the consequences of its actions, consequences for other countries and other people that are different from themselves but also the consequences for themselves. So, all other things being equal, the left is far easier to bully than the right especially now that progressiveness is primarily about being nice and decent to people rather than having any connection to the power and threat of organised labour, and notwithstanding the occasional outbreak of militant niceness in academic circles.
I, for one, was astonished by the coverage of Bidenomics. After much reading, I determined it had to be purposeful. Owners of “liberal” media were protecting their wealthy friends. They have no interest in the 90% outside the ultra rich.
47 is a convicted felon found guilty of dozens of counts of fraud. He presides over a nation where the courts have upheld the legality of “strategic deception” in politics, corporations, law enforcement, and military. No other nation in the western world permits legal deception of the public and only a handful across the globe: Russia, China, Iran, USA. Why would anyone believe anything any of them promise when relationships of trust are impossible?
I think all of this is certainly a big part of the bad vibes, but also as Robert Reich writes “Yet we now inhabit a society grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are more concentrated and less constrained than at any time since the first Gilded Age. This invites the powerful to exploit the weaker because the powerful feel omnipotent.” These bad vibes run deep.
We can only hope Americans will get angrier. It’s a shame the low-information voters who support trump probably don’t understand the extent of the corruption that’s also impacting them. Sadly, it will only be after the midterms that many find themselves without access to healthcare. But republicans will probably find a way to blame that on democrats.
The entire premise of this war with Iran is ridiculous. And who is trump to say that Iran should never be allowed to have an atomic bomb? Countries all over the world have atomic bombs. North Koreans Kim Jong nut-ball, the man that trump said he “fell in love with” has about 60 nuclear weapons. Can you imagine what people would say if Joe Biden had said that he "fell in love"with the dictator from north korea? He would be eviscerated. But for trump this is normal speaking behavior. And let's not forget that five years ago, trump led a violent insurrection at our nation's capital.He told his supporters to go there and "fight like hell, or they wouldn't have a country any more". His supporters attacked the Capitol, attacked the police protecting the capitol, got into the capitol and carried confederate flags, And were shouting things like "Hang Mike Pence", because the vice president wouldn't agree to trump's demand that he decertified the true election results. Trump watched all the violence on tv and DID NOTHING. to intervene. Many police officers that help defend the capitol later committed suicide, because they were so traumatized by this ugly and horrible event. Trump is full of s**t, and is a crazy, demented, mean-spirited old man. And he's getting worse by the day. His next birthday he will be 80, and his declining cognitive health will be more and more obvious to everyone that listens to him. He gets his words mixed up and often he can't even pronounce things, let alone utter sentences that make sense. And it serves the American people right, in some ways, because they voted for this idiot maniac, Trump! TWICE! Trump said he would put an end to foreign wars and lower the cost of living for Americans. Instead, he he bombs, Iran. Even though they posed no imminent threat. and as a result of the war that trump started, the American consumer is paying much more money for gasoline, for housing, for transportation, for health care,and many other things. Trump is a clear and present danger to the United States and to the entire world. Quite frankly, I am ashamed to be an American citizen. It will take many years to undo the damage that Mitch McConnell and donald trump have done to the United States reputation, and its place in the world. This corrupt and idiotic Trump administration cannot end soon enough! Sincerely, David Morris who was born long ago in Fort Wayne Indiana.
The irony is not lost on me that with how much the right harped on Joe B. for being an elderly person, they don't see it in their own guy. Joe at least had a known stutter that would cause speaking mishaps. What's Cheeto's excuse?
Also, (old joke coming) if the Republicans didn't have double standards, they would have none at all. The hypocrisy again about nuclear proliferation of Iran vs N. Korea as you point out is exactly what I have thought as well. I think it comes down to a bully attitude, with the US as the bully in this situration. We (the US) can probably push Iran around a little easier than N. Korea, or at least we would have more to lose if we attacked N. Korea. They would immediately start firing rockets to both S. Korea and Japan, and then start a ground war in S. Korea. It would be ugly.
And Virginia just voted YES Virginia Voters Approve Redistricting Referendum
Virginia voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment on April 21, 2026, that would allow the state General Assembly to redraw congressional district maps before 2031 in certain circumstances WSLS 10 News+1. The measure passed with about 51.5% of the vote to 48.6%, giving Democrats a significant advantage in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections WTOP News+1.
What the Vote Means
Under the current system, Virginia’s congressional maps are redrawn every 10 years after the census by a bipartisan commission. The new amendment would bypass that process, letting lawmakers draw maps mid-decade. The proposed plan is expected to give Democrats control of 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional seats,
One of the biggest disappointments in my half-century of watching politics is that Nixon never went to prison. Dozens of his enablers did, but he didn't. Damn shame.
I'm wondering how much the bad sentiment has not with the current state, but with the expectations for the future being more pessimistic than in the past.
We didn’t vote for Agent Krasnov nor did we believe his lies about prices going down on Day 1. All we know is the price of electricity, heating fuel, and many groceries has gone up since tariffs began. Our favorite coffee has gone from $16.99 for a 2lb bag to $24.99 in one year. So we prefer to believe the evidence of our grocery receipts.
EDITED TO ADD: of course we also lost our ACA tax credits and our premium was set to go from $729/month to $2100. “Thankfully” my husband did not have one of his contract jobs renewed so we became eligible for some subsidies provided by our state for lower-income households.
Our merchants and masters complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price and lessening the sale of goods. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people. Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
We don’t need a FRED chart to know that the cause of the increase in the price of a gallon of gas is the direct result of trump’s war in Iran, and that it means a cycle of price increases is just beginning.
Trump absolutely caused the tariff and war induced inflation. He owns it.
Adding to these injuries is the insulting news that refunds of the trumps tariffs will be paid to the businesses. Not holding my breath waiting for it to be passed on to consumers.
I sincerely hope that Americans finally realize the Mr. Trump always has been ten pounds of poop stuffed into a five pound bag and the bag is ripped and the poop is in the wind.
Are we doomed to continue swinging sharply into nonsensical political/policy directions? I don't expect the electorate to become any better informed. I'll take an angry pendulum swing away from Trump and MAGA but, going forward, the ignorance of the American people is the true existential threat.
I have never seen a Weird Al video,so thank you Paul. He is quite creative. And thank you for the laugh as they seem to be few and far between these days.
The economy is the least of my worries at present but finacially I am fine. Those living from pay check to pay check aren't. The totality of our existence under this facist regime is so overwhelmingly horrible.
What to do?RESIST. MAY DAY NATIONAL ACTION ( To what ever extent you can)NO SHOPPING, NO SCHOOL,NO WORK. Let's flex our ecomonic muscle (50501, Indivisible, Working Peoples Party, Move On) Get info and join us!
You give Americans too much credit. People are generally afraid right now. ICE, the Iran war, the perception that jobs are harder to find, the perceived threat of AI further eroding the job market, high gas prices, and tweets that are progressively more unhinged. I believe there is emotional bleed. People are genuinely afraid of what might come next. As uncertainty drives the stock markets, so to it drives people’s feelings of economic security. People are fearful about their economic future and that of their children. It is tainting their perception of now. Most have so little understanding of economics that government reports about unemployment and inflation don’t really drive their beliefs about the economy. Fear does.
Fear impacts more than Americans. Cities hosting games for the FIFA world cup are facing hotel cancelations and dropping ticket sales. This is not a boycott. People around the world are genuinely afraid to get on a plane, fly to the US, and stay in a US city.
And not without reason.
AMTRAK has a train from Manhattan to Montreal. We took it years ago and Customs was "Our bags are there on the floor. No we have nothing to declare." No idea what that would be like now.
The problem is when you return from Montreal, and ICE wants to do a full body cavity search.
I imagine the amount of driving you would have to do to go to Canada to take a plane would more than offset any possible safety benefit from avoiding current US air traffic regulation.
A small dose of Xanax, Ativan, or Halcion makes flying much less uncomfortable for ppl who are afraid of unfamiliar travel modes.
Doctors are well accustomed to prescribing it for anxious flyers.
As you should know, flying is about 1000-2000x SAFER than driving and 17x safer than buses.
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/deaths-by-transportation-mode/
It's a question of 'what makes news.' When 44,000 Americans die in motor vehicle crashes and 100,000 die of air pollution related illness each year, no one blinks an eye.
It's 'Man bites Dog' vs. 'Dog bites Man'.
Always an anxious flyer, my wife found small doses immensely helpful after 9/11.
It also helps with sleeping on 11 hour flights.
There must be lots of us feeling that way. I’ve personally been thinking of at least moving to a bluer state.
Another Canadian here. That's true, people are genuinely afraid to travel to the USA. My wife recently had to make a trip to Asia. Although she could have flown with a connection through an American airport at roughly half the cost, we chose to fly direct from Toronto instead at considerable added expense. We were that afraid that ICE wouldn't like the look of her in an American airport and drag her off to one of their concentration camps.
Donny's stupid war is affecting the entire world and everybody hates us. Inflation numbers are rising in Europe. This morning it's reported in March Britain's inflation numbers rose to 3.3%. Lufthansa has cancelled 20,000 summer flights due to the shortage and skyrocketing price of jet fuel that's around $200 dollars a barrel.
Quite a dilemma for Central Bankers as Inflation is being caused by circumstances beyond their control. They would normally raise interest rates with rapid inflation but with a real risk of global recession as the Gulf standoff drags on, should they be cutting rates?
They're not "concentration camps." They're "rest camps," just like the one in TX where Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred. You even get an emotional support puppy; although room service ends at 10pm, and you could be "resting" for a few weeks before you see a judge.
But never fear, the GOP's Orbanization of America will be getting a massive Blue slapdown this November.
Like 'the farm upstate' Buster got sent to after he bit the mailman...
A much appreciated ironic and funny response. I almost wish I could get a vacation in their "rest camps". Almost. It sounds nice and relaxing.
I enjoyed the wit, but where Maxwell is bears no relation to the concentration camps ICE goons are imprisoning people.
I understand where you are coming from but you were also pretty foolish to not save that money. It's like not going to the store because you're afraid of a mass shooting. Just assigning way too much risk profile to something incredibly rare.
It's widely reported that ICE is patrolling all of the major airports. If you are not a white person, the odds of you being dragged off are much higher, thus the greater risk.
30 years ago I took my daughter and a Brazilian exchange student friend of hers to see Canada. We had no trouble getting in Canada but coming home the exchange student was detained for hours because they claimed she didn’t have all the proper documents, although she took with her all the documents she had. Eventually they looked up her records on their computer and let her cross. I’m sure with the detainment quota they have now she would have been detained for who knows how long and locked up in some horrible detention facility. I honestly don’t think you are being overly cautious.
The risk is still small but it's certainly not non-zero, so if it was worth it to you to pay the premium, it doesn't mean you were foolish, I'm sorry for saying that. And I'm sorry my country has put you in a position to be thinking about this at all.
Isn't this similar to property/fire insurance. The risk is very low, but the consequences are very high without insurance? There are enough reported examples of tourists being grabbed and put in detention to warrant avoiding that outcome.
The issue here, Miles, is foreigner's *perception* of our current batshit-crazy immigration policies. Especially anything related to racism, misogyny, and homophobia--all essential parts of the GOP's brand.
My guess is that ICE focuses on people leaving the terminal and entering the United States. They likely ignore those who are only changing planes within the terminal, without passing through security. I don't know this for a fact, but if they were randomly attacking people within the terminal, wouldn't that be in the news? We hear, instead, about their hanging around as useless slugs, since there is nothing at airports that they are trained to do.
I am not apologizing for ICE scum, or approving of their serving as Trump's personal storm troopers.
With all that said, if you have the cash, there is, regrettably, nothing unreasonable about avoiding U.S. airports. There is also nothing tasteful about accusing Canadians of being "foolish."
This is the attitude of the Germans and French under Nazi rule, who just went about their business as if everything was normal.
It's hard to not go about your business. The question is what exactly are you to do? The 2026 election will be an answer how far into authoritarianism we've gone. Are we still a competitive authoritarian state like Hungary, or have we morphed into something else?
It's an understandable way to deal with the situation. I'm going to live my life, explain to people what's going on as best as I can, go to No Kings protests, and go out in November and vote against this before it's too late to vote against it. I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to be doing abnormally.
That is the vitally important question that no one has managed to answer well! How could one answer it? In a representative democracy and as citizens of one of fifty states, we are governed mostly by officials for whom we did not vote. Just because I may be right about something does not mean that I can run down to Capitol Hill and block the fools from damaging our country.
We could start by restoring education as a respected value, and improving the teaching of history and civics in our public schools. Even that is a tough call in a country where many voters want to dismantle public education.
Would you say the same if you were not a white Caucasian, as your picture indicates?
It's not the degree of risk. It's that the consequences are so severe if ICE doesn't like you.
Are people questioned/interrogated, finger printed and have their mug shot taken at a store?
You also have to deal with the fact that the fingerprinting machines used today don't work well with people who work with their hands. My wife is a knitter and runs into this periodically. If it's something like a job clearance where she can force the agency to use the old paper and ink method, it's just a bit of a pain, but if it's something like an application for a firearms purchase, where they don't have to make allowances, she is forced to forget it. She works with a guy who has a similar problem.
Easy to say
Right, who wants to come to America when it's bombing and threatening everyone in the world to enjoy a soccer/football match? Trump literally had innocent protesters shot on our streets and every week we see some Canadian or person from some other country kept in these ICE detention centers that sound like torture chambers. I think people are seeing our country become lawless, our food and gas prices skyrocketing, and we are being led by a madman who blames the press and everyone but himself, when in fact he is the root cause of all our problems. Fox News has to spin like crazy right now to keep the people in a constant state of delusion and anger toward the strawman liberal.
On top of that are the gougers. I heard yesterday that the cost of train tickets from Manhattan to the Meadowlands in New Jersey was going to be something like $150. Normal round trip adult fare is $12.90.
And no parking or tailgating at the stadium. FIFA + NFL + standard American corporate greed + ICE = an obscenely overpriced dystopian disaster instead of the huge party it should have been.
Speaking of which, who feels like celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation Trump and maga Republicans are currently destroying?
I wonder what the attendance would have been at the 1936 Berlin Olympics had the Nazis already been invading neighboring European nations, or the bombing of Guernica happened a year earlier?
You can get an idea by looking at the attendance figures for the 1940 and 1944 Olympics... which did not happen.
The event hosts have put the prices up to ridiculous levels.
FIFA is using dynamic pricing to set extremely high ticket price.
That's on top of the World Cup being a gigantic con, for starters. Thr financial setup gives FIFA revenue and sticks thr suckered host cities with security and other costs.
This is the correct reason for low attendance. All the Trump stuff does add to it, but cost is the biggest factor. I’d say lack of local interest would be another.
Agree. Devious donny has managed to generate worldwide chaos, fear and uncertainty - which he typically thrives on - based on the methods his longtime mentor Roy Cohn taught him decades ago. And which have been the strategies/MO that trump has “successfully” employed for many years. He has always intentionally generated chaos, confusion, fear, uncertainty, volatility, and unpredictably as a means to an end, that has serves his personal agenda for decades.
But now, suddenly, that strategy seems to be backfiring on him as the Epstein scandal continues to haunt him, squeezing what’s left of his nutsack, his irrational and erratic “peace” negotiations with Iran are being rejected by most Americans, as well as leaders from around the world who are pushing back, more and more MAGA supporters are jumping ship because of all his broken campaign promises, the ongoing gerrymandering wars and looming midterm elections loom large, which he knows could lead to another impeachment … they are all now suddenly and simultaneously caving in on him. So sad…
All of which then in turn continues to generates more and more chaos, confusion, fear and outrage that triggers HIM, his malignant narcissistic personality disorder which then seeks more revenge and retribution! Yikes.
In simple terms, he’s spiraling down, quickly.
He’s also surrounded himself with bunch of incompetent leaches, nitwits and fools who behave like keystone cops in a continuous episode of SNL, and a group of corrupt oligarchs who are constantly whispering in his ear for their own financial agenda.
What could possibly go wrong?
(Weird Al" Yankovic - Living With a Hernia! Indeed!)
"his malignant narcissistic personality disorder which then seeks more revenge and retribution!"
Exactly. Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck wrote an excellent book,"People of the Lie . " that explains how and why malignant personality disorder is so dangerous to the rest of us. As I read it, I was alarmed how well Peck describes Trump even though Peck never mentions Trump. Trump is rapidly disintegrating now, and ironically that may yet save the rest of us. Trump is so obviously disintegrating - - -he is our "Mad Prince".
Huh. Thanks for mentioning that. I read that book several years ago, along with the Road Less Traveled. I probably still have copies of those books somewhere!
(I actually studied comparative world religions and philosophies in undergrad, along with psychology focused on deviant behavior.
And I’ve also studied Eastern mysticism extensively (Zen and Taoism) partly due to my professional training, and partly simply because I have an unquenchable passion for knowledge and wisdom. It’s an endless search! As you likely know.)
Peck describes - “ malignant narcissism as a core component of human evil, characterized by a persistent refusal to acknowledge one's own sin, profound self-deception, and the destructive projection of guilt onto others.
These individuals are masters of disguise who often simulate love while operating with a total lack of empathy.“
Yep, that pretty much sums up what we’re dealing with. (IMO) He should be in an institution for the criminally insane, in a straight jacket instead of occupying the WH, presumably as the most powerful person in the world. He’s truly a weapon of mass destruction in and of himself. And he certainly seems hellbent on blowing the whole thing up, if he doesn’t get his way!
…big sigh…
The absurd prices for everything from transportation to seats isn't helping, either.
And they are totally mad about the ridicolous ticketprices!
Tracy Mayne is right. There is “emotional bleed” and the price issue is just the safest and easiest one to criticize. The anger is due to everything we value like having access to healthcare with rural people having to travel far and young people unable to get starter jobs and the inefficiency of the IRS brought on by DOGE. I could go on. Trump and his cronies have dismantled the safety net little by little… so complaining about prices is just a tangible clear issue that is on top of the societal “bleeding.”
Exactly! I think when voters say they're angry at Trump "because of economy", they're using that reason because it's a short, catch-all familiar word that everyone understands. As you correctly noted, they're actually angry about everything Trump has done, said and caused. You nailed it.
A lot of the stuff that isn't strictly economic gets lumped into "the economy" when peole are asked to explain/rationalize their voting decisions. Because making it economic makes it look rational and considered--and doesn't raise questions about your attitudes towards racism, sexism, or a lot of the cultural issues that are often primary drivers in voting behavior.
I think we might actually OVERestimate how much people have a coherent conception of what "the economy" is. I'm not even sure everybody gets it at a broad enough level to know that it means "money stuff."
I agree. All I'm saying is the list of issues they're angry about is long so they grab onto the familiar. If many were polled and asked to tap which of 6 issues they disapprove of the most, they'd be likely to tap "the economy" because it's familiar. They can no longer afford Healthcare- it's the economy. They can no longer afford to get a full tank of gas - it's the economy. They lost their jobs- it's the economy. Using, "it's the economy" also allows them to avoid criticizing Trump. Many still believe "the economy is bad" because of Obama and Biden. It isn't logical, of course, but Trump says it often enough so it must be true. Fortunately, many MAGA's now say they're former MAGA's. However, some will still vote for an R, hoping that person will do something. They won't.
But those rural people voted for Trump! They refused to see the liar and con man that others were talking about!
They chose the idiot, thief and liar!
And they continue to back him right up to the moment when his failed policies hit them personally. They get blindsided because they're blind. Once they get hit with reality, they become enraged at having been hoodwinked.
I am not sure that they will not back Trump when the shit hits their fan. Think Jonestown.
The news organizations that we take for granted like Rural newspapers and small radio stations have been weakened and in many cases shutdown. The government has removed funding from the Public Broadcasting System. So when these rural folks went for Trump they were only getting the Fox news version of Donald Trump. Without real news access, people can be manipulated. Now that they can’t afford the rising costs to live, perhaps they will wake up.
Maybe they'll have learned something. (Probably not.)
Well, Tucker Carlson has. If he can come out and apologize for hoodwinking his listeners about Trump, there's plenty of hope.
I shall now be the skunk in the liberal garden. All of our ills are not due to MAGA Trump and the evil billionaires. A lot, but there is a lack of personal responsibility and moral, ethical character amongst many average people. I've talked to a number of tradesmen, tractor repair, construction workers, appliance repair people...even firefighters who are disgusted by the lack of work ethic. I know people who are supporting lay about family members. There are a lot of 'entitled' people big and small. If small people had stronger moral convictions (not talking about sexual mores) it would be easier to hold the big cheats to account.
Yup. I'm currently visiting family in the USA. All living paycheck to paycheck feeling there is no prospect of improving their lot. Terrified of the inevitable unforseen expense.
Not me. I've been expecting catastrophe for half a century. Really! The only surprise is how long it has taken to materialize. The very best presidential candidate in my lifetime was George McGovern -- and he lost in a massive landslide against him. The best candidate who actually won -- temporarily -- was Jimmy Carter. And he was the victim of dirty political corruption.
McGovern and Carter were not members of the private club George Carlin expounded on.
So they were summarily kicked to the curb.
To our profound detriment.
Yes, it's vital for everyone to understand that the Republicans have been working to create the corrupt corporate fascist hell we're are now living in for many decades. Trump isn't some GOP aberration, he's the soul of the party corporealized into one vile meat puppet.
I was lucky enough to be traveling through Washington D.C. after McGovern’s loss and to meet him at the National Airport. (It will never be “Reagan” to me.)
I think we can thank DeSantis for saving JFK airport. He renamed the airport near Mar-a-Lago after Trump. That probably prevents DonnyJon for putting pressure to put his name on JFK.
I think you are correct on fear, but I think it's led by capitalistic greed. No worker rights and protections. Price gouging at every opportunity. Public/private corruption we have never seen at this level. Environmental destruction. Inadequate health care. Wages not keeping up. Massive layoffs to boost exec compensation. The AI Sword of Damocles constantly hanging over our heads. It all stems from unchecked corporate power.
I also fear the loss of civil and fundamental constitutional rights. Maybe at some level people realize the loss of rights won’t remain contained to a few demographic groups. Anyone who has survived a playground knows bullies will go after others when they’ve finished hurting their preferred target.
Absolutely. The problem is that many people probably aren’t able to understand or articulate some/most of this, or may not be willing to admit it, so it often gets overlooked or devalued.
And tRump's modus operandi is to be an agent of chaos and even the people who voted are waking up to the fact that his particular brand of chaos is not good for them or the Country. As you say, people are afraid and they have good reason for their fear. tRump is a totally solipsistic nihilist and it is gradually becoming apparent to even to some MAGAts that he doesn't care who he hurts - only his poll numbers. Good luck getting this Djinn back in the bottle.
well, there are still 35% or more of the people who think he is doing a good job, and probably more than that who willl never vote for a Democrat anyway.
If they don't like the choices they can at least refrain from voting.
I agree. We just need to make the never-vote-for-a-Democrat types sufficiently despondent to stay home.
Or vote third-party. Where's Ross Perot when you need him?
Yes Tracy “emotional bleed” due to the daily crumbling of the democracy we knew and the dismantling of healthcare and the corruption we all see everyday people complain about prices but that is just the tip of the pain that is most visible.
People are angry about the inequality of our economic system.
Just read an article about young people going into trades because university is so expensive. Private companies are jumping in there too. They’re now racking up big bills from these new private trade schools.
Pretty close to what I came to say. Financially I'm fine on paper, even though my food bill has doubled and electricity is soaring. It is the fear of catastrophe. SS stopping, stock market crash, societal collapse. We are all hedging our bets and stashing cash under the mattress
“the perception that jobs are harder to find, the perceived threat of AI further eroding the job market” These aren’t perceived threats. They’re very real. Yeah, the job numbers seem stable but no one is hiring because of all of the trumpian chaos.
Completely agree. Even more fundamentally, though, Trump has taken away people's hope for the future. But that is a ripe opportunity for Democratic presidential candidates. Take heed.
"That's the funny thing about hope. Nobody else gets to decide if you feel it. That choice belongs to you." - Rumi, "K-Pop Demon Hunters"
Add to these concerns the fear of shortages of important goods and services. I'll never forget the days when supermarket shelves were empty. That pointed out that the systems we rely on are actually pretty fragile and that there is not as much separation between our lifestyle and those in the third world than we would like to think.
Almost to a tee, what I was going to write. I think the cruelty seen by this person colors everything, and when asked for an opinion, like a poll, give negative feedback at every opportunity.
It's really quite simple. When "numbers" come out indicating it's really not that bad but it's a vibe, we either need new metrics that measure actual experience (and not just business measurements), or fix the metrics. It's not vibe when last year's 10 dollar steak is 25 in the store (not a restaurant.) People buy more than eggs, and anyone actually shopping and cooking knows without any concept of math that their grocery bill has doubled, not 2% higher. Their home owners insurance is higher. Gas and heating are higher, health costs (all - insurance premiums, uncovered items increasing in the small print, deductibles making getting care avoidable, rx costs insane.) Anyone buying this is all emo reaction doesnt actually live close to the bone.
The vibe stuff: yes, we don't like being the monsters on the planet, or knowing our leaders are literally trying to make life unlivable so we will be like obedient Hunger Games districts. It is un American and depressing.
And oddly, even remarkably, Trump’s longtime strategy for “winning” - methods his mentor Roy Cohn taught him decades ago - ie generate chaos, confusion, uncertainty, fear, exhaustion then always blame others - is now backfiring on him.
So DJT himself is now left is now struggling in an amplified state of chaos confusion, fear, uncertainty, increasing volatility and unpredictably! Which consequently makes everything worse, for everyone.
Unfortunately dementia Donny does not have the mental or emotional intellect or person capacity to alter his own behavior or course correct. So we’re left with a brigade of incompetent nitwits who have created a scenario that looks like a prolonged SNL episode!
And we’re dealing with his acute deranged malignant narcissistic personality along with his desperate need for revenge and retribution. big sigh…
Fear is a tactic of fascist regimes. It makes people desperate and easily controlled. This is where we have to stand-up to fascism or it will stand over us.
You’re completely missing the point. Public anger over where prices currently stand is a reflection of the growing recognition of the great wealth disparity in the country, which is rapidly widening. There is a very strong perception that incomes have remained relatively stagnant for the vast majority of Americans, endangering living standards, while the financial status of the very wealthy has soared. Read the room.
I don’t think it’s that any of these analyses are wrong, but I do agree they do not stand alone. And I definitely agree that not enough weight is given to the wealth divide. I’d be willing to bet even “low information” Trump voters are seeing that he is building a giant ballroom, taking us to war, paying sign up bonuses to ICE agents. They are seeing plans for a giant arch, remodeled gold and marble bathrooms, a gifted airplane. They see the obscenely wealthy at the very least appearing to befriend Trump. They see one thing, hear another, live another, and that naturally makes them angry. The worst part is that this actually shouldn’t have surprised anyone. It was totally predictable based on Trump’s history, his actual maneuvering, and his erratic, self-serving nature. He was never interested in the people or the country. He has only ever been concerned with DJT’s desires and achieving them by whatever means necessary.
Came to say the same. The body politic is tired and angry about the neoliberal status quo. We’re not getting ahead and neither will our children nearing adulthood right now. It’s hard being underemployed without massive frustration about all of our tax money going to ballrooms for billionaires, completely unnecessary arches, tearing down half the White House, free planes and homes for cabinet members, a war of choice in Iran, and the massive grift riddled throughout the trump family and regime instead of funding healthcare, education, the stopping or slowing down of climate change.
People don’t need charts to understand that the US is a fairly miserable country to live in these days.
‘Easily the Worst President in U.S. History’
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/opinion/trump-legacy-history-presidents.html
are people who get their 'information' from Fox or OAN or Newsmax thinking any of these things?
I think many do see even if they only get “news” from socials like TikTok because this stuff is often juicy for content creators to comment on…even if the commenting isn’t negative. People may not be able to articulate it or source it, but the concept is still sitting in there needling at them that some are pooping on a gold toilet while others are in a cold port-a-potty with an empty toilet paper roll and a broken lock.
I'd like to see a geographic breakdown to see whether the very high utility bills during the super-cold in the east (both grid power and furnace gas/oil), which were an exceptional hit to many budgets, triggered something. For many, growing property insurance premiums are also a newish shock.
Trump supporters see a very different version of events than we do. FOX and worse have very curated story to tell. The giant ballroom is a cost savings because the old one was too small and a security risk.
I sometimes read the WSJ opinion page and it gives a flavor of what MAGA hears...though at a higher level. The comments sections can be very interesting as well. However, many of the commentors also read their reporting and have a more educated viewpoint.
The WSJ commenters are getting fed up. Not all of them but a lot.
WSJ diligently avoids reporting on most of Trump's most terrifyingly insane behaviors, but they have run a couple of excellent stories on the depth of the corruption that has enriched the Trump family since he took office. Despite this, even the editorials that purport to offer some tepid criticism do so in a fashion that tends to focus on acts as individual occurrences, as opposed to part of a larger pattern of ineptitude and malfeasance, and always in the most normalizing language. In other words, readers may get some coverage of poor policy choices, but never a coherent picture of how batshit crazy this entire administration is. And this from the only thing approaching a "legitimate" conservative mainstream news outlet. No wonder his approval among Republicans isn't lower than it is.
The WSJ reporters are pretty good. The editorial writers are GOP stooges, often. Virtually all mainstream media have been sugar coating and sane-washing Trump's endless stream of corruption and insanity. Kicking off the war with Iran is forcing the media to address the malevolent incompetence and corruption of the admin, as it now can't be ignored.
I appreciate this thread of discussion and wanted to comment: the WSJ has provided notable coverage over the years. Please know that a 22April article by Anne Applebaum commented on one article in particular re: Hungary that was not solid. I do understand that nothing and no one is perfect. Thanks for Substack where we can access more credibly sourced information than the propaganda offered currently offered by the NYT, Washington Post, etc.
The wealthy members of the community [in America] entertain a hearty distaste to the democratic institutions of their country. The populace is at once the object of their scorn and of their fears. Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
And when did wealth disparity take off. Yeah, it was Reagan but how did the Democrats respond?
The Democratic Leadership Council teed up Bill Clinton to declare loud and proud that the "era of "Big Government was over", kick Unions to the curb and put the Democratic Party solidly in bed with Wall St. right at the levers of power in his cabinet and... wealth disparity skyrocketed and hasn't looked back since.
We have been a Corporate/OnePercent oligarchic uni-party where the Dems just wear the tiny little scraps on their sleeve that fall off the Neoliberal chopping block with the Republicans! And Democratic voters have stupidly "Vote Blue No Matter Who" cheered them on and pointed their fingers at Republicans...
Instead of looking in the mirror at their own party selling them the fxck out!
Obama sealed the deal bailing out Wall St. that was back to racking up obscene profits and record setting bonuses within a year... while 10s of millions of regular Americas watched their life savings in their homes incinerated like the 165 schoolgirls aged 7-12 years old at the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls' School in Minab, Iran.
And to this day Democratic voters STILL swoon and gush like worshipful, brainwashed cult members over the guy who campaigned on Universal Healthcare and instead...
Delivered... a market based healthcare plan developed by the conservative Heritage foundation that just a few years before had been totally uncontroversial GOP orthodoxy and the signature legislative achievement of their eventual 2012 nominee when he was governor of Massachusetts the biggest accomplishment was...
The perpetuation of the for-profit Healthcare industry that has been making record profits ever since while KILLING and bankrupting the living fxcking Hell out of the rest of us!
YES!!!... Republicans deserve all the scorn and disgust that can be poured on them, but it has been over 30 years of Democratic voters doing NOTHING but pointing their fingers at the low hanging fruit of Republican sociopathy... instead of asking themselves what EVERYONE was asking after T***p's re-election...
WHEN ARE DEMOCRATS GOING TO START FIGHTING BACK!?!
Well, I've got bad news for you. Fighting back isn't something you can START doing by the time a Fascist maniac like T***p is getting... his SECOND TERM!!! Democratic voters need to have been "Strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger" (to quote pete hegseth favorite bible verse) on 30+ years of THEIR OWN PARTY'S neoliberal complicity!!!
Just look at all the Establishment Democratic Party "leaders" preening and crowing about the prospects of "winning big in the midterms" AS IF winning elections because the country has been driven so far down into the hole of full-on Fascism we will never get out of it for 20 to 30 years, if we get out of it at all... is the only way they can do it.
Brace for impact!
Drastic change is very difficult to achieve. The reality is we can only make incremental moves, which are usually less than satisfying. But at least Democrats are constantly trying to move the needle in the right direction. Republicans, on the other hand, are constantly working to reverse the small gains we have made. Pick your team.
Pick who is on your team in the primaries.
Ask yourself, what would the country look like if Democrats had been able to enact the social policies they wanted since Bill Clinton's first term? Well...we'd have universal healthcare through a Medicare for all system. 9/11, and all that followed, probably wouldn't have happened since Al Gore would have been watching al-Qaeda instead of dealing with daddy issues. The 2008 market crash would probably not have happened, since Democrats, even in the ‘00s, still believed in some forms of financial regulation. We'd be much further along in switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, making it much more likely that we wouldn't now be on the verge of roasting Western civilization. Our alliance system would not currently be in tatters. Federal deficits would be lower - no crazy useless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or One Great Big Beautiful Bill - and maybe even fairer. I could go on.
Democrats don't lose because they don't fight. They lose because they keep on losing open, free and fair elections. They lose because so many of us don't vote for our economic and social interests. You can't change the world unless you get the power to do so. And, in this country, Democrats just don't have it.
The 2008 crash was a direct result of Clinton's deregulation of the financial sector and abolishment of strictures like Glass-Steagall. Clinton and Obama both promoted policies that perpetuated the income inequality that accelerated under Reagan. They keep losing because their campaign messaging essentially implies that this country would be better off if only the general public weren't too stupid to understand how superior they are, while the middle and working classes keep seeing their quality of life ebbing away regardless of which party is in office. Yes, the Democrats are not as god-awful as the Republicans, but "Vote for us, at least we're not Hitler" is hardly an inspiring message.
The deregulation that took place under Clinton did contribute to the 2008 crash, but not because of the removal of Glass-Steagall. Glass-Steagall was already pretty moot when it was removed. What Clinton did wrong was not regulating the derivatives market. That market was what caused the collapse of Long Term Capital Management in 1998, and only direct intervention by Summers, Greenspan and Rubin keep it from turning into a complete global economic meltdown. The LTCM disaster should have been seen as the canary in the coal mine, warning the world about the dangers inherent in the derivatives markets as they were then structured. But that particular dead bird went unnoticed. During the ‘00’s, those derivatives markets had explosive growth, and it was the collapse of those markets that led to the near death experience of the world’s economy in 2008.
Just to be clear, I think removing Glass-Steagall was a mistake. I also thought that Clinton’s economic policies in general were way too conservative. But, compared with what would have been if Bob Dole had been president, or what came after with Bush II, Clinton was on the side of the angels.
I rarely disagree with PK, but here I do and agree with Mr. Riley. Young people, in particular, lack the optimism that I and my age cohort (I was born in 1950) had when in college and in our start on our careers. I also believe that, in part, it explains the question posed by Thomas Edsall in his column asking why more young people are not protesting against Trump. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/opinion/trump-protest-ai-phones-social-media.html College students, in particular, feel that they have to keep their noses to the grindstone due to poor future economic prospects.
Anyone born after about 1980 has seen an endless increase in income disparity, fiscal meltdowns, and disastrous foreign policy errors by the government. They've been "trickled down" on continuously. They don't even know the government is supposed to work for them, having never seen anything other than the post Citizens United government by the rich, for the rich. So in some way, their apathy is justifiable, as, absent a deep knowledge of history, which they don't have, they aren't aware that there are alternatives to the existing plutocracy.
I think inequality is certainly a factor gnawing at the American people. It’s a big effing deal as Biden might say. But, I wouldn’t dismiss the deep emotional cut of dashed expectations. Emile Durkheim, an early sociologist in France, studied suicide among groups of Europeans and found that people who had always been poor had low rates of suicide, while those who had been wealthy and lost everything had very high rates. Dashed expectations are a big deal, too.
That's probably what's behind the 'Deaths of Despair' in the US.
Free link for a few days:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/06/opinion/working-class-death-rate.html?unlocked_article_code=1.b1A.xyn7.S6JcoYh1Ml_u&smid=url-share
Country going in 'wrong direction'
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/americans-dismal-views-of-the-nations-politics/
All the productivity gains from the last 50 years went to the 1%.
https://www.nationofchange.org/2025/03/05/since-1975-79-trillion-has-been-redistributed-from-the-bottom-90-to-the-top-1/
“Many Americans were angered by what they perceived to be economic incompetence on the part of Biden. That is, they believed that he should have found a way to stop inflation from rising.” — This was because propaganda stations like Fox News, Newsmax and Right wing influencers beat this into the heads of the 31% of voters that voted for Trump.
The current anger and fear is because JOBs ARE DISAPPEARING for the next generation leaving double digit unemployment for recent college grads (genX’s children) and limited to no prospects for new job growth or movement for the rest of us.
The public is faced with a stalled job market and massive fears about global recessions, unregulated AI, endless wars, and cronyism handing the controls to an over empowered greedy oligarchy hell bent on creating chaos to control the narrative.
When Biden was in office JOB growth was good, so people didn’t pay attention to the Oligarchy taking over and buying up their media outlets. The 31% that voted for this current Republican mess were brainwashed and when the jobs disintegrated they started changing the channel.
Now the wealth disparity is so obvious and the Republican mask the oligarchy was hiding behind has been ripped off.
Yes, this started with Reagan and accelerated with Citizens United
Fox (and a group of imitators) are a massive problem.
Paul’s talked a lot about income inequality & how toxic it is & how aware Americans are of it. And he’s talked about how high inequality went slightly down under Biden (not that most Americans noticed) & is going up again (which most DO notice), & about how the next Dem administration must take serious steps to mitigate that.
Yes, I agree. I am a fan.
The astounding thing is that Joe Sixpack in the US has no idea how bad the wealth disparity in the US actually is. They don't understand that a billionaire isn't just a wealthy millionaire, it's a whole different universe. They don't understand the difference between income and wealth, and they don't understand how the very wealthy don't pay taxes. If they actually understood how badly they were being shafted, and how much in taxes are going to be extracted from them to pay off the federal debt, that exists because the wealthy dodge taxes, the guillotines would be running nonstop.
Yes, exactly.
Until trump TOLD ppl they were getting economically screwed (by women and Blacks, not the 1% really doing it) and HE WOULD FIX IT, ppl had a vague sense of 'things going in the wrong direction' but weren't really conscious of it.
Case & Deaton documented that life had gotten much worse for Whites w/o college (suicide/alcohol/drug 'Deaths of Despair') whch corresponds to the transfer of all the productivity gains of the last 50 years ($79 TRILLION) to the top 1%.
trump whipped them to a white-hot rage, and they expected results.
Unemployment is relatively low, but job uncertainty is high. People aren't leaving jobs because they're scared they won't find another.
Jesse Rothstein, former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, interviewed for the Minneapolis Fed:
"I would say for 50 years we’ve had an environment where the economy was growing but median workers were getting little if any benefit from that. Real wages were falling quite short of economic growth. There have been a couple of periods during that 50 years when that wasn’t true—the couple years after COVID actually turned out to be one of them. But overall, there’s been this widening gap.
In the data, it’s hard to find objective evidence that things are so much more wrong now than they were a year or two ago. But it’s possible we’ve hit a tipping point where people are starting to realize all of these trends have been going on for 50 years, and are starting to incorporate that into their sentiment.
I think the long-run trend is a big problem. People have to have faith that we’re all in this together. When the economy is producing billions of dollars of wealth for some people and not making other people’s lives any better, it’s hard to have that faith."
Have you read Paul Krugman before? Charts, graphs, detailed analysis day after day. Come on catch up.
Meh, you're just talking your own book. How many average people can even formulate, "growing wealth disparity"? Come on.
Yes, when people feel squeezed, they lash out and look to others to blame, but that's an *effect*, not a cause. When people feel economically secure they don't get angry if others are even more secure.
The other thing to note here is that Mr. Krugman's analysis only applies to the ~50% of Americans who are *not* heavily invested into the stock market. For those people, the US economy is still fine, which is why Republicans are not at *zero* in their polling, and why there's still no serious pushback from their base over Trump's self-dealing (serious = "I'm voting D now", not finger-wagging at the GOP like you are scolding your child--so please ignore [for now] the polling and the stories about MAGA "turning on the GOP" because they are not there yet).
Also, look to the markets for the final pillar holding up the GOP, because it is a BIG pillar, and it's doing great right now. The reason why Trump drives US foreign policy based on the price of Bitcoin is not only because he personally owns a lot of it, but because he knows that for the upper-middle-class (where he finds his critical donor/driver base) the markets are how they perceive the economy, not retail prices.
When millions see their wealth disappear because the markets went down, THEN they will start to get angry about Trump and his billionaire friends fleecing the US treasury and Trump spending millions (not billions or trillions, but this is politics) on things like his statues and his ballroom, or on his Muslim friends in the middle east (okay, actual billions for that last one).
Trump recently said that his party needs to cut back on medicare in order to fund the military based on the wars he's starting. This is bad, and demos need to leverage this, but it will get a 100x worse if the markets go down.
Yes, it is about financial assets. Financial asset prices have soared, exacerbating the wealth gap between the haves and have-nots. Over half of the stock market's rise since 1989 stems from a shift in the economic "pie" from workers to investors rather than overall GDP growth. Meanwhile, inflation decimated the hard earned savings of ordinary workers. Most people do not have money invested in equities, and increasingly cannot afford to purchase a modest home (higher asset prices a consequence of wealth inequality), or (to pay off) higher education. They had cash savings, and although not Biden's fault, a large portion of their savings were taken from them (through inflation). Hence, many people, in their desperation were once again motivated to fall under the charlatan’s spell.
In yesterday's post, Professor Krugman spoke of a substantial dip in the 90-10 wage distribution gap between 2021-2025. Nevertheless, this only made up a small amount of what was lost in the preceding decades. So, despite what economic analysis may say, it is really not about wages. It never was. It was always about savings vs. financial assets.
And to be clear, I understand and have sympathy for and greatly respect Professor Krugman's view and analysis. I just think it may require a little broadening.
Did you read Paul's post from yesterday? He shows how income inequality actually improved during the Biden years, and says this: "So wage inequality fell dramatically during the Biden years. Is income inequality now rising again under Trump? There are faint hints in the data to that effect, but no more than that so far. One thing we do know, however, is that the force Dube identifies as the strongest driver of wage compression — a “tight” labor market — has largely disappeared."
- He might not be reading the room but he's reading the studies that say the opposite of what you're saying. But please, I'm not saying you're wrong. Reality is different from perception, especially these days. I would like to know how do you know that "there is a very strong perception that incomes have remained relatively stagnant for the vast majority of Americans", if you don't mind sharing
No studies. Just anecdotal observations and looking at the recent reported poll results on dissatisfaction among voters. I see and hear it from a lot of folks, personally and in news reports. They seem genuinely dismayed by the current cost of groceries, gasoline, insurance, and dining out, and they express concern that those items will soon be out of reach for them.
Groceries and gasoline are specifically not accounted into core inflation, so economists may not be seeing those effects on regular people.
You read the room. Wage stagnation simply hasn’t happened. Wealth is moving up, but this is not new, it started under Reagan.
Most people are ignorant. There is only one major expense that has increased in my lifetime: healthcare. The reason is predominantly that we have so much more and better healthcare. Housing in real terms, eg. Bathrooms/person, sq ft/person, is cheaper. Food at home is ca. 1/3 of what it cost when I was a child in the 1960’s. We spend almost all of our income on wants, not needs. Many people always want more so they will never be satisfied. We live far beyond the classic east European rule of thumb, 1/3 of your income goes to taxes, 1/3 to savings, and 1/3 you can spend. High income people in US coastal states pay effective taxes over 50% according to both The Economist and actual reports from friends who make $1 million or more in good years. Modern media has increased ignorance. The data are clear, being ignorant and lying about facts, can make a person powerful and rich, because most people reject facts and logic and mathematics and like to be entertained. In real terms the affordability meme is a hoax with one major exception: healthcare. Roughly healthcare is both 20% of GDP and 20% of employment. When I was born it was ca. 5%. That is a huge change. Making healthcare universal and paid for with honest progressive taxes on income is the only real economic problem we need to solve.
You appear not to understand income and wealth. Wealth is a number that is largely arbitrary and is only loosely connected to income as anyone who has lived through multiple stock market and housing market falls/crashes knows. You can’t spend wealth. Under Biden, as Noah Smith recently again showed on Substack, income disparity fell and relative incomes of the bottom 20% had their largest gain in over 5 decades. As The Economist recently reported, effective tax rates for high incomes in the US are at their highest level in history, with effective rates over 50% for high incomes in coastal states like NY, CA, MA. I have friends who in years they make $1 million or more they pay over 50% in CA and MA. Everything except healthcare is cheaper in real terms today than when I was a child, even housing in real terms, normalized by sq.ft./person, bathrooms/person, bedrooms/person. Actual needs, except healthcare, are less that 10% of what people spend, ie. what you are complaining about, that your wants aren’t being satisfied, is just narcissism.
I think I understand income and wealth just fine. They are not independent; the income of the very wealthy is a direct function of their wealth. If you really believe the cost of living is lower than in past years you are living in a bubble not shared with many working class Americans. Read Elizabeth Warren's 2003 book, The Two Income Trap. Hell, read J.D. Vance's book, Hillbilly Elegy, and try persuading the folks who were the subject of that book that they are living better today than they were in the 1950s. (BTW, my comment was not in any way based on my personal financial condition, wealth or income. Your comment, not so much. And I don't think you understand the term narcissism.)
JD, May I respectfully suggest that something seems amiss in your two presentations. Under Ike the top marginal federal tax rate was 91%; under subsequent presidents it was 70%. A "normal" expenditure for housing is frequently regarded as 25-30% of income. These days, for many families, it can approach 50%.
Why do we have hundreds of thousands of homeless now, and it was never a problem in the 50s. (You may respond that medical debt has driven many families from their homes to living on the streets and in their cars. I would concede that is a real phenomenon; but suggest that the primary cause is related to huge income disparity, with the top five to one percent garnering 90% of the growth in incomes. Working families and middle class families have not shared proportionately in our increased productivity and growth.) Lastly, I have a feeling (so it must be true) that the cost of a college education or other post high school technical training is way way higher than 50-75 years ago. Education debt is a significant problem, and bankruptcy law (paid for by the banks) has been tweaked so as to prevent student debtors from being eligible for relief.
Bankruptcy used to not include credit card debt as secured debt. I've never forgiven one of my senators for allowing credit cards to leech onto people's assets during bankruptcies.
I think the anger has more to do with inequality. It is the worst it has been in our country's history. People are struggling to get by while the rich get special treatment and go to the front of the line.
Literally the previous Krugman's post on the subject of bad vibes showed the data that inequality has been decreasing after 2020.
That’s not actually what he wrote yesterday. He wrote that wage increases were higher for low wage. That does not mean inequality is decreasing. In fact, it is quite bad. The distribution of wealth Q4 of 2025 according to FRED data…
Top .1% - 13.2%
99-99.9% - 16%
90-98.9% - 34.8%
So the top 1% own 29% of wealth, the top 10% own 64% of wealth. Meanwhile…
“Middle”? 50-90% - 30.8%
Bottom 50% (!) - 5.2%
Half of the country owns a paltry 5% of wealth. This is in a country with abysmal social services - including healthcare, food security, and housing security- which I think any reasonable person would agree should be considered basic standard of living necessities.
You're confusing wealth inequality with income inequality
I think wealth inequality is more salient at this point, especially if the broader public starts to understand that "being wealthy = you get free money and don't have to work," which I honestly don't think they do - because nobody really explained it to them, and because they haven't had enough wealth to notice what happens when you do.
No. I know the difference, but that’s ok. Your comment overgeneralizes what PK talked about yesterday, wages not assets. The original commenter did not specify, but in regards to people feeling that things are not equal, they would be correct. The gap between the Haves and the Have Nots is huge.
But a lot of the wealth of the ultra-rich is 1) not really visible and 2) on paper (like Musk owning Tesla stock - he can't really sell all of it at the current stock price without causing the stock to go down). OTOH, my neighbour earning 3x as me is very visible to me, and also impacts my ability to compete with them for limited resources like housing.
Yes! Well said.
Paul routinely makes an error where he says a measurement of a thing is good, therefore, the object measured is also good. That is an okay inference to make if the measurement is aligned properly (or close enough) to reality. But if it isn't, if something is throwing the measurement off, then anyone, including Paul, is misled - failing to distinguish the map from the territory.
Are you saying that wages aren't aligned to reality? My salary is very real.
Fortune magazine states that US now has 900 billionaires. That’s an outrageous number. With their wealth soaring 18% to $6.9 trillion this year.
https://fortune.com/2025/12/08/how-many-billionaires-does-america-world-have-ubs/
What astonished me during the Biden years was that the press kept talking about Bidenflation when in fact there never was such a thing. Inflation happened in all industrialized countries and had easily explained causes. One would have expected at least the left wing press doing a better job.
I'm not so sure the US media is "left wing". They were very critical of Biden, sometimes for good reason. But there was a steady barrage of commentary on Biden's age and other shortcomings. For the most part, Trump has been handled very gently by comparison. This is especially clear when you compare it to news sources overseas. Our media is very pro-Trump, despite his nearly continuous disparagement of the press.
The left's main preoccupation is beating up on other parts of the left that are slightly closer to the centre than they are. Being a bit more educated, they feel that criticizing the right is too easy for them and they want more of a challenge so, they pick fights with people they basically agree with. Also, balanced reporting is a quintessentially liberal-left thing.
the Stockholm Syndrome explains the media's sucking up to butterfingers
Fear can explain that. The left attempts to think through the consequences of its actions, consequences for other countries and other people that are different from themselves but also the consequences for themselves. So, all other things being equal, the left is far easier to bully than the right especially now that progressiveness is primarily about being nice and decent to people rather than having any connection to the power and threat of organised labour, and notwithstanding the occasional outbreak of militant niceness in academic circles.
I, for one, was astonished by the coverage of Bidenomics. After much reading, I determined it had to be purposeful. Owners of “liberal” media were protecting their wealthy friends. They have no interest in the 90% outside the ultra rich.
No kidding. The media never did explain how Biden was supposedly responsible for high inflation in Paraguay or Germany.
47 is a convicted felon found guilty of dozens of counts of fraud. He presides over a nation where the courts have upheld the legality of “strategic deception” in politics, corporations, law enforcement, and military. No other nation in the western world permits legal deception of the public and only a handful across the globe: Russia, China, Iran, USA. Why would anyone believe anything any of them promise when relationships of trust are impossible?
Epstein files have been made to disappear
Katie Johnson alleges that, when she was a 13 year old child, she was tied to the four corners of a bed and raped, while onlookers ignored her screams for help. In 1994, the year this allegedly happened, the most requested Christmas gifts for 13 year old girls were Polly Pocket and Furby. https://katemanne.substack.com/p/the-actual-conspiracy-theory-surrounding. https://katemanne.substack.com/p/they-tried-to-bury-the-katie-johnson?r=2g4u&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/ghislaine-maxwell-transferred-to-minimum-security-prison-camp-in-texas. https://www.kcra.com/article/maxwell-invokes-fifth-clemency/70291961
Fox in the henhouse
I think all of this is certainly a big part of the bad vibes, but also as Robert Reich writes “Yet we now inhabit a society grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are more concentrated and less constrained than at any time since the first Gilded Age. This invites the powerful to exploit the weaker because the powerful feel omnipotent.” These bad vibes run deep.
We can only hope Americans will get angrier. It’s a shame the low-information voters who support trump probably don’t understand the extent of the corruption that’s also impacting them. Sadly, it will only be after the midterms that many find themselves without access to healthcare. But republicans will probably find a way to blame that on democrats.
Fox avoids reporting on Trump’s corruption.
The entire premise of this war with Iran is ridiculous. And who is trump to say that Iran should never be allowed to have an atomic bomb? Countries all over the world have atomic bombs. North Koreans Kim Jong nut-ball, the man that trump said he “fell in love with” has about 60 nuclear weapons. Can you imagine what people would say if Joe Biden had said that he "fell in love"with the dictator from north korea? He would be eviscerated. But for trump this is normal speaking behavior. And let's not forget that five years ago, trump led a violent insurrection at our nation's capital.He told his supporters to go there and "fight like hell, or they wouldn't have a country any more". His supporters attacked the Capitol, attacked the police protecting the capitol, got into the capitol and carried confederate flags, And were shouting things like "Hang Mike Pence", because the vice president wouldn't agree to trump's demand that he decertified the true election results. Trump watched all the violence on tv and DID NOTHING. to intervene. Many police officers that help defend the capitol later committed suicide, because they were so traumatized by this ugly and horrible event. Trump is full of s**t, and is a crazy, demented, mean-spirited old man. And he's getting worse by the day. His next birthday he will be 80, and his declining cognitive health will be more and more obvious to everyone that listens to him. He gets his words mixed up and often he can't even pronounce things, let alone utter sentences that make sense. And it serves the American people right, in some ways, because they voted for this idiot maniac, Trump! TWICE! Trump said he would put an end to foreign wars and lower the cost of living for Americans. Instead, he he bombs, Iran. Even though they posed no imminent threat. and as a result of the war that trump started, the American consumer is paying much more money for gasoline, for housing, for transportation, for health care,and many other things. Trump is a clear and present danger to the United States and to the entire world. Quite frankly, I am ashamed to be an American citizen. It will take many years to undo the damage that Mitch McConnell and donald trump have done to the United States reputation, and its place in the world. This corrupt and idiotic Trump administration cannot end soon enough! Sincerely, David Morris who was born long ago in Fort Wayne Indiana.
The irony is not lost on me that with how much the right harped on Joe B. for being an elderly person, they don't see it in their own guy. Joe at least had a known stutter that would cause speaking mishaps. What's Cheeto's excuse?
Also, (old joke coming) if the Republicans didn't have double standards, they would have none at all. The hypocrisy again about nuclear proliferation of Iran vs N. Korea as you point out is exactly what I have thought as well. I think it comes down to a bully attitude, with the US as the bully in this situration. We (the US) can probably push Iran around a little easier than N. Korea, or at least we would have more to lose if we attacked N. Korea. They would immediately start firing rockets to both S. Korea and Japan, and then start a ground war in S. Korea. It would be ugly.
And Virginia just voted YES Virginia Voters Approve Redistricting Referendum
Virginia voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment on April 21, 2026, that would allow the state General Assembly to redraw congressional district maps before 2031 in certain circumstances WSLS 10 News+1. The measure passed with about 51.5% of the vote to 48.6%, giving Democrats a significant advantage in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections WTOP News+1.
What the Vote Means
Under the current system, Virginia’s congressional maps are redrawn every 10 years after the census by a bipartisan commission. The new amendment would bypass that process, letting lawmakers draw maps mid-decade. The proposed plan is expected to give Democrats control of 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional seats,
Americans' anger is meaningless unless it results in a Democrat controlled Senate and House after the upcoming mid-term election.
and impeachment, followed by throwing half these corrupt lying assholes in jail
IT would resign before another impeachment - as with nixon - hasn't he suffered enough
One of the biggest disappointments in my half-century of watching politics is that Nixon never went to prison. Dozens of his enablers did, but he didn't. Damn shame.
I'm wondering how much the bad sentiment has not with the current state, but with the expectations for the future being more pessimistic than in the past.
Yes, there's a drumbeat of stories about AI taking your job which might contribute to soured expectations?
Also consequences of climate change filtering to popular consciousness
We didn’t vote for Agent Krasnov nor did we believe his lies about prices going down on Day 1. All we know is the price of electricity, heating fuel, and many groceries has gone up since tariffs began. Our favorite coffee has gone from $16.99 for a 2lb bag to $24.99 in one year. So we prefer to believe the evidence of our grocery receipts.
EDITED TO ADD: of course we also lost our ACA tax credits and our premium was set to go from $729/month to $2100. “Thankfully” my husband did not have one of his contract jobs renewed so we became eligible for some subsidies provided by our state for lower-income households.
Our merchants and masters complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price and lessening the sale of goods. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people. Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
We don’t need a FRED chart to know that the cause of the increase in the price of a gallon of gas is the direct result of trump’s war in Iran, and that it means a cycle of price increases is just beginning.
Trump absolutely caused the tariff and war induced inflation. He owns it.
Adding to these injuries is the insulting news that refunds of the trumps tariffs will be paid to the businesses. Not holding my breath waiting for it to be passed on to consumers.
I sincerely hope that Americans finally realize the Mr. Trump always has been ten pounds of poop stuffed into a five pound bag and the bag is ripped and the poop is in the wind.
Are we doomed to continue swinging sharply into nonsensical political/policy directions? I don't expect the electorate to become any better informed. I'll take an angry pendulum swing away from Trump and MAGA but, going forward, the ignorance of the American people is the true existential threat.
"I love the uneducated"
Americans may be angry but many of them are functionally illiterate and a third of them don't vote.
I have never seen a Weird Al video,so thank you Paul. He is quite creative. And thank you for the laugh as they seem to be few and far between these days.
The economy is the least of my worries at present but finacially I am fine. Those living from pay check to pay check aren't. The totality of our existence under this facist regime is so overwhelmingly horrible.
What to do?RESIST. MAY DAY NATIONAL ACTION ( To what ever extent you can)NO SHOPPING, NO SCHOOL,NO WORK. Let's flex our ecomonic muscle (50501, Indivisible, Working Peoples Party, Move On) Get info and join us!