I had a morbid shower thought and had to dip into the klonopin.
The administration keeps saying they are not touching Medicare and Social Security.
But if somehow the federal grants get frozen again possibly by nefarious means with Elon’s fuckery with the Treasury Department these systems will just organically implode because there will be nothing (or limited) funds coming in to keep them running.
Please tell me that this is just a flight of morbid fancy.
A post was split to a new topic: Trock of Asahi Posts
Like your friend was a bit prescient.
By this weekend, the United States will have exactly zero allies. His latest nonsense is here on CNBC. (Yes, I know. It’s fucking impossible to keep up with his nonsense.)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said trade tariffs would be imposed on the European Union and U.K., but signaled that a deal could still be worked out with Britain.
This is how allies and major trading partners are to be treated? By this weekend, we’ll have zero allies. Hell, NATO might even figure out they’re better off without the US today and kick us out.
I was watching one YouTube commenter speculate that the real reason Trump is going after our allies and not so much China (Mexico and Canada get 25% tariffs while China only gets 10%) and Russia is that he’s a bully, and like most bullies, Trump is a coward at heart and is afraid of Putin and Xi.
Trump gets to make a big show of “America First” to his not-the-most-informed-of-the-actual-consequences MAGA base.
That may be overanalyzing Trump psychologically a little bit since he is just ignorant and stupid. Occam’s Razor and all that.
Does he REALLY think that the US is a big enough bully that THE ENTIRE WORLD - with the exception of perhaps Russia and China - will simply cave to our wishes? And that we have ZERO need for ANY friends? Just intimidated inferiors? Because that is how he is acting.
The US is extremely strong, economically, militarily, media(ly?). But, unless we start threatening violence against our historic allies (give us your milk money!), are we SO strong that we can simply go it alone? And that other alliances will not form, other bullies not step up?
No, and that’s much of the problem.
He sees this as another negotiation tactic. Worse, one that can be taken back as if nothing had happened so things can go back to how they were before. The idea of permanent reputational damage doesn’t even register in what passes for his brain.
It’s an extension of his business style. Stiff and strongarm. Get what you want first. Make it so people will throw up their hands and let him have his way and settle for what they can get because it’s ruinous to try and fight to get him to fulfill his side of the deal. The only reputation he cares about is: “don’t fuck with me.”
From his POV other nations are smaller companies or individuals in the NY real estate market of the 70s/80s. They need to be seen doing business with him. And it’s taken for a “given” that EVERYONE’s crooked so nobody can make a moral claim. So after the shakedown then we all act like everything is as good as it ever was because “hey, we all know that’s how it goes, I’d do the same to you if we were switched.”
I haven’t seen any discussion of this beauty from our new overlords.
So, the US DOT has decided that only areas with high birth rates need new roads.
I found the actual memo on line. If you want to read the actual source, pay particular attention to section 5, paragraphs iii to v.
I’m already wondering how, when the price of everything (no, not just avocados and tequila) starts to skyrocket because of these stupid tariffs, the MAGA crowd will blame it all on the Democrats.
I’m sure it will be creatively asinine.
He’s just fucking with Keir Stermer who is attending some EU conference as the first time a UK PM has attended since Brexit. Trump has done a job of undermining Keir. At dinner time Keir will only have a place setting at the kids table.
Still no firm date set for Keir’s visit to Trump. He better not even disembark the plane at Dulles unless he’s holding an invite for Trump to to go and see KCIII. I’ve got to check Paddy Power to see if they are taking any action on the number of times Keir is prodded by Trump to say “Gulf of America” and/or says it . If the over/under is 3 I will wager on the over.
Some of my MAGA relatives think that the US should be a near-total economic isolationist. I really don’t understand it, and they can’t seem to explain why, but that’s what they want. They want the US to be a hermit kingdom, like N Korea.
I try to explain the idiocy to them, and I try to explain what a stupid policy Juche is, but they won’t listen.
And now President Musk wants to shut down USAID, while the Orange Menace merrily toilet-xeets like the senile grandpa he is. Despite Musk’s claims, is he paying any attention at all?
I am gobsmacked by the stupidity of this – leaving this country wide open to the spread of disease while cutting off life-saving medication and health services to millions of people. And leaving a big fat opening for places like Russia and China to ingratiate themselves with a whole bunch of countries in our place, thus advancing their interests over ours.
A lot of the students I used to work with worked for federal health agencies like this – I don’t even want to think about how upset they must be, along with faculty who are now worried about their research grants from these agencies.
In anything resembling normal times, I would expect all manner of COngressional outcry to curtail/investigate Musk’s access/influence. Crazy.
Elon Musk announces Article I of the Constitution is Unconstitutional and dissolves Congress.
I have a FB “friend” who I only keep to keep current on the RWNJ talking points. She posted today a list of Trump’s accomplishments (“only in Week 2!”) that started
Mexico caved
Panama caved
Colombia caved
Venezuela caved
Canada panicking
To which I replied: Remind me…why are we mad at Canada? She hasn’t responded.
I can answer that. He’s mad because some idiot negotiated a very unfair trade agreement with Canada.
More nutso destructive stuff.
…
The purge had also swept up vaccine information statements, which must be given to patients before they can be immunized; guidelines for contraception; and several pages on how race and racism affect health outcomes. Also removed was a database containing 20 years of H.I.V. data that doctors rely on to determine whether a pregnant woman lives in an area of high H.I.V. prevalence and should be tested for the virus in her third trimester.
…
The disappearance of the pages is already affecting medical care. In Washington State, Dr. Tim Menza, a medical director for King County’s sexual health clinic, worried that hard-won progress against early syphilis in gay and bisexual men would be lost.
Dr. Jessica Weyer, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Concord, N.H., said she could not guide her patients’ choice of contraception without access to the complex eligibility criteria. For instance, the guidelines for birth control include recommendations for patients with various medical conditions. They also list drug interactions that must be taken into account and give providers information on newer methods like vaginal rings.
…
Among the roughly 20 research papers that were taken down was one from 2022 detailing how clinicians can better identify emergency room patients at risk of suicide. The paper’s lead author, Dr. Gordon Schiff, is the director of quality and safety for the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care; he is not a government scientist. The paper was flagged for a single line: “High risk groups include male sex, being young, veterans, Indigenous tribes, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (L.G.B.T.Q.).”
…
I guess trump figures we’re better off as a country if those people just die off, amirite?
Trade agreement? That sounds wonky. I thought it was because Melania has the hots for Justin Trudeau.
Senator Schatz is going to Tuberville all of Trump’s nominees until he backs down on closing USAID.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/brian-schatz-usaid-state-nominations-block-94f8699e