It has not been a good week to live in the United States, but there have been some bright spots.
Let’s start with why my blood has been boiling this week.
The first is just a repetition that has been occurring since 2015, which is that Trump never seems to be held accountable for anything. There is always plausible deniability, a fall guy, or just plain outright lies. The systems in place either aren’t smart or strong enough and allow him to get away with everything wrong and illegal he is doing. We know it is illegal because of the confidence if we had done any one of his wrongs, our backsides would be sitting in a cell.
This week Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) invoking the Alien Enemies Act. An act that only allows its use when our great country when we are in a declared war. At this time the U.S. has not, nor is involved, in an official act of war (war on drugs, war on transgendered, war on guns are not actually wars in case you had any notion they are). In using this EO, the Republican administration rounded up people with tattoos, put them on planes, and took them to an foreign prison (essentially the equivalent of an offshore concentration camp). I have no issue with deportation when done legally. Picking someone up off the street on very little evidence (tattoos are not evidence), then without making any charges, not allowing for legal representation, no gathering of evidence, and not holding hearings in a court of law, people are just disappeared to another country should terrify us all. Trump has even threatened to do the same of anyone caught vandalizing a Tesla since the head of the company that makes them is his top political donor.
Another EO ordered the takedown of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The Trump administration had already, through what appears to be the work of the non-governmental DOGE folks, laid off almost half of the USDE employees last week. Just as a refresher, the USDE has no say whatsoever over what your child learns at school, how anything is taught, who must be hired or fired, or anything else that goes with operating a school district or school. All, let me repeat this, ALL of these decisions are made either by your state government or the local district itself. What the USDE does do is oversee the distribution of billions of dollars to schools to support college student loans, funds to support student living in poverty, students who have a physical or learning disability, and student civil rights. These services are now in grave jeopardy, which also means your local school could see a drop in its funding meaning larger class sizes with fewer teachers. More importantly it means the money a state or district has received in the past to to support your child with a disability may be lost and all the extra care and expenses will fall on you. Remember, Trump has said he loves the poorly educated.
Then, although there are many other examples of bad things about to happen to a lot of people, there is Social Security. This social support system has been on the chopping block almost from its start by Republicans. They hate that the government collects and pays our senior citizens (and many other groups in need of support) after a lifetime of work. Remember these funds are ours, the government does not add any funds into the Social Security system. In fact, the George W. Bush administration actually borrowed almost $2 trillion ($2,000,000,000,000) from Social Security that has never been paid back. All, let me say it again, ALL of the funds in Social Security is money any of us working folks have paid into all of our working lives. It is OUR money, not the governments.
Well, this week, when a judge ruled against the hacker group called DOGE when it tried to get into the system to obtain ALL of OUR Social Security numbers and other sensitive information, the agency head threatened to just shut Social Security down. No more checks would be distributed. This after the hacker group DOGE stated it was closing at least 47 field offices, while also saying things one can currently do on the phone can only be done at a field office (see previous statement about closures), while also at the same time laying off 7,000 Social Security employees. So over 10% fewer people to help at fewer field offices with services no longer allowable by phone. Good luck if you are a retired or disabled person getting issues resolved so you can receive your life saving income to which you are entitled.
The kicker was how the Trump and Republican administration is trying to frame people who may actually call to complain if a check just happens not to be delivered on time or at all. Republicans seem to think it just isn’t possible that most folks live paycheck to paycheck and one missed check means you are homeless and/or can’t afford food. Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, a billionaire, actually made this statement about social security recipients, using his grandmother as an example, out loud and publicly, “Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain. She just wouldn’t. She’d think something got messed up, and she’ll get it next month. A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining.” What he is saying, seeming to set-up, is Social Security checks may start not showing up. Then, when that happens, if you are among the seven million retirees and roughly eight million disabled who rely almost solely on Social Security to survive, you just might be royally @%$# (fill in your own word).
Bluntly put, how many of us can truly support our own immediate families, plus parents on both sides of the family, plus maybe grandparents on both sides of the family, and possibly a disabled relative who has no one else, on an average U.S. salary of $40,000 (for perspective, roughly 25% of the U.S. earn between $20,000 and $40,000 a year)?
If you aren’t able to take on the responsibility of multiple family members, even as much as you may want to, most of us can’t. Unless you want this to happen, you need to pick up the phone and call your state and U.S. lawmakers. You need to start paying attention to real news, which is not Fox News. You need to start showing up to protest the decisions of the Musk/Trump, DOGE, and Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate. You need to take action because if you don’t, and I include myself as part of this group, either grandma will be on living on the street (since they are also trying to take Medicaid away having already cut it by around $880 million), your wheelchair bound nephew will be living on the street, or all of us will be living on the street. Feel free to ignore, but be ready to face the consequences.
With all of this, the Republican administration is testing the waters, pushing the boundaries, trying to make the abnormal normal so that when something happens to your family, your neighbor, or even you, no one notices because that is just the way of things.
Some bright spots for the week include judges seemingly for the moment, holding some of the decisions of the Trump Administration at bay (although it appears, not all judge orders are being obeyed). Sanders and AOC have been touring the country holding rally’s that are attracting tens of thousands of attendees, people are holding empty-chair town hall meetings to express their disappointment and anger at what Musk/Trump/DOGE are doing, and people are showing up at Tesla dealerships to protest Musk’s action (which has caused Tesla, the company, a great deal of money and even a call for him to resign, plus the stock is being sold off heavily by Tesla management, never a good thing).
With all Musk, Trump, and DOGE are doing, I’ll ask again.
Are you mad as hell yet? If not, why not?
I’ve often said we all need to be involved in saving democracy in the ways which fit our lives and our comfort levels. These can be from blogging, to reposting on social media, to calling your elected officials, to letters to the editor, to donating to organizations, to marching in the streets. Nothing is too little or too much. Here are some ways to get involved from the comfort of your own homes over the next few weeks:
- Donate to two Florida congressional candidates to help retake the U.S. House of Representatives: Gay Valimont and Josh Weil.
- Donate to Susan Crawford who is running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The courts are all that appear to be standing between democracy and autocracy right now.
- Call your congressional members and let them know as one of the people they represent, it is past time for Musk to be fired and DOGE dismantled. Call this number and the switchboard will connect you to your representative or senator: 202-224-3121. Even if you don’t know who your members are, they will find them for you based on your address, which they will ask you to provide.
- Call the White House switchboard to express your disappointment in what is happening and that Musk must go: 202-456-1414 (switchboard) or 202-456-1111 (comments). I recommend the switchboard myself.
- Sign up for General Strike and commit to participating.
- Download the app Five Calls to help let your elected officials know you are paying attention and don’t approve. Website: https://5calls.org/
- Join a local group of Indivisible and join the Hands Off National Day of Action, April 5, 2025.
- Participate in the action items of 50501: 50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Movement.
- Continue to boycott companies who have bent the knee or no longer believe in equality. Don’t buy from national chains or companies, such as Target, Amazon, Tesla, or Walmart.
- Write letters to your local papers expressing your disappointment and tell your stories of how the Republican administration is harming your families.
- Plan to stop making any purchases from food and drink conglomerate Nestle starting March 21 through March 28.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 