Here in Kentucky, cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and public schools combined with tarrifs on our bourbon industry will put our economy underwater. Mitch McConnel's retirement, means a loss of power for state Republicans and they are hell bent on demonizing Governor Beshear (and they are getting uglier by the day).
Dan, the information on trump being a Russia assets is out there. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. It would make major headlines if only the smoking gun could be revealed.
There is one word to describe this regime - DISASTER. Siding with our enemies and dissing our allies? Impossible! If trump is not a Russian asset how else can you explain all the pro-Putin/Russan 'love'? This can not be happening, we a living a freakin nightmare.
Is there another term for trump's supporter other than cultist? Supporting someone with his history, being a traitor, insurrectionist, accused rapist, liar, pathological narcissist, only a cultist could support him. Listen to any of his backers and you will hear rationalizations that would justify ANYTHING.
If Medicaid gets these horrific cuts, I will lose my health insurance, my meds, my aide services (I am disabled, but worked and paid into Social Security and Medicare for 25 years), and my place In my Assisted Living facility. I'm on a federal/state program called the Medicaid Assisted Living Waiver Program. It allows me to pay my room, board, aide services and partially reimburse Medicaid for my meds, etc., by paying over my Social Security check to my facility. I get to keep a whole $50 each month.
Each state has a version of this plan, as well as a similar one for nursing home and/or memory care facilities with thousands of people.
Please, call your Senators and Representatives and ask them to NOT pass the budget with these cuts. Also, there are severe cuts to nutrition programs like SNAP in that budget. No child in our country should go hungry!!!
"How much more money do the already-wealthy need?"
Well you know, Dan, the big problem in this country is now and always has been that rich people don't have enough money, or enough freedom to do whatever the hell they want.
Thank you Dan! I'm so grateful for your even keel. I've stopped reading the news b/c it is so depressing, but I read all your comments to keep me aligned.
"Entitlement" is not a bad word, folks. It really means something you have a right to, and specifically in terms of the government of the United States, "a government program that provides benefits to an individual meeting certain eligibility requirements." The connotation of the word has become twisted in recent years to become synonymous with privilege. There are 72 countries in the world with some form of universal health care. They've managed to make it work. The United States has not and apparently will not. From Albania to the United Kingdom people can count on health care, knowing that medical expenses are not the leading cause of bankruptcies. (Yet another reason Canada will NEVER be the 51st state.)
Dan another great article. Trump lies so much no one can figure him out. I really hope he doesn't go after social security, Medicare or Medicaid. Especially since he just tanked my 401k how will I survive. What scares me is how he put the protester for Palestine in jail,and revocked his green card. He is taking funding away from any school that had anti Israel protests. Plus threatening jail time for students who protested. I just read he made another executive order on any one who wants to prosecute him or the administration. They have to pay up front. They will loose their security. So scary of him going against lawyers and judges . If we get arrested for protesting or other false charges who will help us. He is making everyone afraid of what they say and do . It's illegal all while the Republicans sit silent. Thanks for keeping us informed. Keep up the good fight. I will.
When Trump promises "Bringing Wealth Back to America", he doesn't mean ALL of America. Any among us who have looked at our investment accounts this week are well aware of how inclusive that terms is not. He has taken (pardon the term) a chain saw to our economy and blathered his way through the rationalizations to attempt to explain what the hell he is doing - or undoing. The simple truth is he has no clue. Whatever influencer has his ear last gets to call the shots. Make it sound good and he's on it. As a result, while doing so has destroyed our reputation on the world stage, sacrificed the lives of those who perished in Ukraine at the hands of Putin, and on and on. In the current moment, it's hard to know whether the best thing the Dems can do is let the government shut down, so those remaining asleep as the country burns have one final chance to wake-up. As one who loves a good mystery, I must confess to hate every aspect of this period in our history. God help us all.
America elected a man who lies the way that normal people breathe, and they expected... what? There were two standards: one that dismissed every lie, every stumble that Trump made as "Oh, that's just Trump being Trump,' and the other expecting perfect accuracy from any Democrat standing against him, whether it was Biden, Schiff, Pelosi or Harris. But you have him now, and now it's the world's problem. Of course Musk doesn't want the US government to bankrupt itself. He wants to ensure he doesn't get stiffed on his $38 billion in contracts. And who will subsidize his cars and rockets and satellites? But stiffing USAID contractors? That's okay, then. So is extending tax cuts to the wealthy -- after all, didn't Trump boast in his first campaign that he knew how to game the system? Naturally, Musk and Trump have their sights set on Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. But if America's wealthiest, who already have more money than they know what to do with, paid tax at the same rate as a working shmuck, you wouldn't be in this mess. At Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting last year, Warren Buffett shared just how much Berkshire Hathaway contributes to the federal government: "We sent in over $5 billion to the US federal government last year. If 800 other companies had done the same thing, no other person in the United States would have had to pay a dime of federal taxes—no income taxes, no Social Security taxes, no estate taxes." [Yahoo! Finance Feb. 25. 2025]
I find myself wondering how "uneducated white nationalist bro's" or even educated blacks and Latinos can justify voting for an openly lying authoritarian leader. Then, when he wins, they are likely losing their jobs, health insurance, VA benefits, their kids' rural schools, and whatever small investments they may have as the stock market falls. Their cost of living will be going way up thanks to tariffs on our former friends, Canada and Mexico. Meanwhile, the rich - led by Monster Musk - get richer...WAY richer. Feels like the country and our nuclear weapons are ready to fall into dictator Putin's control. End of the free world. We didn't learn from the Hitler and his Nazis after all. HOW DO WE STOP THIS NOW?! I don't see any real action on the part of the democrats yet. And I'm ANGRY.
I have come to the very uncomfortable conclusion that the Democrats are part of the problem. The censured one of their own Senator Green when he raised hell during Trump's state of the union lie fest. Shameful party . Polite, submissive to the vile Republicans. Even Obama is hiding. Biden is mentally lost or completely naive, or both. Bush jr is a coward. Clinton, well we know what Clinton is.
The only future foundation that traitor is building is his own, with the drooling wealthy clamoring and drooling for more of his 'scraps'. The man is a thief and we are his targets.
Boycott everything you can, although at this point, most Americans won't be able to afford anything anyway. And protect our right to vote.
Here in Kentucky, cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and public schools combined with tarrifs on our bourbon industry will put our economy underwater. Mitch McConnel's retirement, means a loss of power for state Republicans and they are hell bent on demonizing Governor Beshear (and they are getting uglier by the day).
I am not looking forward to the next four years.
Dan, the information on trump being a Russia assets is out there. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. It would make major headlines if only the smoking gun could be revealed.
There is one word to describe this regime - DISASTER. Siding with our enemies and dissing our allies? Impossible! If trump is not a Russian asset how else can you explain all the pro-Putin/Russan 'love'? This can not be happening, we a living a freakin nightmare.
Is there another term for trump's supporter other than cultist? Supporting someone with his history, being a traitor, insurrectionist, accused rapist, liar, pathological narcissist, only a cultist could support him. Listen to any of his backers and you will hear rationalizations that would justify ANYTHING.
CNN: "RFK Jr. wants to eliminate FDA’s controversial food additive program".
RFK Jr. needs to have that WORM Removed From His BRAIN!!
Do Something AMERICANS!!! to arms!! the commies are coming!!!
If Medicaid gets these horrific cuts, I will lose my health insurance, my meds, my aide services (I am disabled, but worked and paid into Social Security and Medicare for 25 years), and my place In my Assisted Living facility. I'm on a federal/state program called the Medicaid Assisted Living Waiver Program. It allows me to pay my room, board, aide services and partially reimburse Medicaid for my meds, etc., by paying over my Social Security check to my facility. I get to keep a whole $50 each month.
Each state has a version of this plan, as well as a similar one for nursing home and/or memory care facilities with thousands of people.
Please, call your Senators and Representatives and ask them to NOT pass the budget with these cuts. Also, there are severe cuts to nutrition programs like SNAP in that budget. No child in our country should go hungry!!!
"How much more money do the already-wealthy need?"
Well you know, Dan, the big problem in this country is now and always has been that rich people don't have enough money, or enough freedom to do whatever the hell they want.
Thank you Dan! I'm so grateful for your even keel. I've stopped reading the news b/c it is so depressing, but I read all your comments to keep me aligned.
"Entitlement" is not a bad word, folks. It really means something you have a right to, and specifically in terms of the government of the United States, "a government program that provides benefits to an individual meeting certain eligibility requirements." The connotation of the word has become twisted in recent years to become synonymous with privilege. There are 72 countries in the world with some form of universal health care. They've managed to make it work. The United States has not and apparently will not. From Albania to the United Kingdom people can count on health care, knowing that medical expenses are not the leading cause of bankruptcies. (Yet another reason Canada will NEVER be the 51st state.)
What you say is true on both counts: it's a perfectly apt word and it's been bastardized by the right. That's why I greatly prefer the word benefit.
Social Security IS NOT an entitlement program, Mr. Rather!
🪖 𝗔𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗜𝗜 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀
"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵."
https://patricemersault.substack.com/p/a-open-letter-from-a-world-war-ii?r=4d7sow
Dan another great article. Trump lies so much no one can figure him out. I really hope he doesn't go after social security, Medicare or Medicaid. Especially since he just tanked my 401k how will I survive. What scares me is how he put the protester for Palestine in jail,and revocked his green card. He is taking funding away from any school that had anti Israel protests. Plus threatening jail time for students who protested. I just read he made another executive order on any one who wants to prosecute him or the administration. They have to pay up front. They will loose their security. So scary of him going against lawyers and judges . If we get arrested for protesting or other false charges who will help us. He is making everyone afraid of what they say and do . It's illegal all while the Republicans sit silent. Thanks for keeping us informed. Keep up the good fight. I will.
When Trump promises "Bringing Wealth Back to America", he doesn't mean ALL of America. Any among us who have looked at our investment accounts this week are well aware of how inclusive that terms is not. He has taken (pardon the term) a chain saw to our economy and blathered his way through the rationalizations to attempt to explain what the hell he is doing - or undoing. The simple truth is he has no clue. Whatever influencer has his ear last gets to call the shots. Make it sound good and he's on it. As a result, while doing so has destroyed our reputation on the world stage, sacrificed the lives of those who perished in Ukraine at the hands of Putin, and on and on. In the current moment, it's hard to know whether the best thing the Dems can do is let the government shut down, so those remaining asleep as the country burns have one final chance to wake-up. As one who loves a good mystery, I must confess to hate every aspect of this period in our history. God help us all.
America elected a man who lies the way that normal people breathe, and they expected... what? There were two standards: one that dismissed every lie, every stumble that Trump made as "Oh, that's just Trump being Trump,' and the other expecting perfect accuracy from any Democrat standing against him, whether it was Biden, Schiff, Pelosi or Harris. But you have him now, and now it's the world's problem. Of course Musk doesn't want the US government to bankrupt itself. He wants to ensure he doesn't get stiffed on his $38 billion in contracts. And who will subsidize his cars and rockets and satellites? But stiffing USAID contractors? That's okay, then. So is extending tax cuts to the wealthy -- after all, didn't Trump boast in his first campaign that he knew how to game the system? Naturally, Musk and Trump have their sights set on Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. But if America's wealthiest, who already have more money than they know what to do with, paid tax at the same rate as a working shmuck, you wouldn't be in this mess. At Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting last year, Warren Buffett shared just how much Berkshire Hathaway contributes to the federal government: "We sent in over $5 billion to the US federal government last year. If 800 other companies had done the same thing, no other person in the United States would have had to pay a dime of federal taxes—no income taxes, no Social Security taxes, no estate taxes." [Yahoo! Finance Feb. 25. 2025]
I find myself wondering how "uneducated white nationalist bro's" or even educated blacks and Latinos can justify voting for an openly lying authoritarian leader. Then, when he wins, they are likely losing their jobs, health insurance, VA benefits, their kids' rural schools, and whatever small investments they may have as the stock market falls. Their cost of living will be going way up thanks to tariffs on our former friends, Canada and Mexico. Meanwhile, the rich - led by Monster Musk - get richer...WAY richer. Feels like the country and our nuclear weapons are ready to fall into dictator Putin's control. End of the free world. We didn't learn from the Hitler and his Nazis after all. HOW DO WE STOP THIS NOW?! I don't see any real action on the part of the democrats yet. And I'm ANGRY.
I have come to the very uncomfortable conclusion that the Democrats are part of the problem. The censured one of their own Senator Green when he raised hell during Trump's state of the union lie fest. Shameful party . Polite, submissive to the vile Republicans. Even Obama is hiding. Biden is mentally lost or completely naive, or both. Bush jr is a coward. Clinton, well we know what Clinton is.
The only future foundation that traitor is building is his own, with the drooling wealthy clamoring and drooling for more of his 'scraps'. The man is a thief and we are his targets.
Boycott everything you can, although at this point, most Americans won't be able to afford anything anyway. And protect our right to vote.