Hi, friends. Haven't done one of these big posts in a few days; I've been keeping an eye on the news, but also playing video games, reading books, and spending time with the family. Thanks for still being here; I’ve had to purge a couple folks due to threats from them, but that doesn’t surprise me overmuch. When people begin to suspect they’ve been conned, they feel sheepish and lash out, and it’s a paradigm shift that doesn’t feel good. I suspect that has a bit to do with it.

As we can see, things are getting ickier. The House has passed Trump’s vision for our taxes, which fits with the current Project 2025 con plan: Making the illusion of vast savings to justify tax cuts for the mega-wealthy. By the time the effects are truly felt, it will be too late. Then, they will be able to bring in the contractors they hire to enrich themselvers further off of, who (speaking from experience), will have no workplace protections whatsoever, unlike the federal positions they’ll replace. I spent many years working in that environment, and it was tough. I was made to remember many times just how disposable and inconsequential I was, even when I was the one who was doing the actual mission critical tasks. I had a lot of great govvie friends and coworkers, but there were always the ones who had to remind me that I was less than. And now that feeling will be so much more widespread. I hate it. The budget still has to pass through the Senate, and we will see what happens there. I'm hoping for a government shutdown on March 14 (I'm sorry government friends, I know that sucks. But in this case I hope that it impacts what the coup is doing).

I assume you saw Elon’s disjointed (at best) performance at CPAC, with the chainsaw? Can you say YIKES? And how about the Gaza video that Trump posted, with its AI bearded women, golden Trump statue, (again, shade of antichrist, anyone? Bueller?), and as one of my friends said perfectly, general “Sodom and Gomorrah” vibes? I’m not longer shocked at the vulgarity and just…stupidity….of it all, but I’ll never stop being disappointed by it. Our country deserves so much more than this. I hope that when we get through this, one of the lessons that we learn is that enormous concentrations of wealth are inherently dangerous to democracy, and not to let it happen again. Citizens United, the ruling in 2010 that essentially removed any restrictions on campaign financing, has wrecked this country. But you know what? Something occurred to me.

Don’t forget, when history writes about this, they won’t say, “And on January 20, 2025, Trump began his coup.” This process has been ten years long. And I think it’s showing the wear. Again, Congress is pushing back. The whole “five bullet points” letter that Musk sent out in a drug-filled haze on saturday night after Trump tugged his leash, resulted in backlash from several agencies and their newly appointed heads. There are now more “anonymous” mutterings that the Republicans are getting sick of Elon running roughshod over everyone. And the constitutents are turning up the heat on Congress, whose careers still depend on them. Thanks to people like you, calling and writing and adding pressure. One of the signs of when an authoritarian government is starting to get weak, is when it gets very paranoid about loyalty, and starts replacing actual experts with sycophants who don’t know what they're doing. That’s what’s happened. During Trump’s first administration, he allowed grownups in the room. There was tension, but he let them in. And then fired a lot of them, but they still had impacts. This time? It’s all useful idiots.

I made a joke the other day, about his cabinet picks, and how he keeps pulling them from Fox news. I said it reminded me of an article from 20 years ago I read in the Onion, about Pope John Paul being senile and blessing everything around him, and how his staff was stressed because now they had to find storage for all the new relics, like the “Holy Boeing 747 of Antioch”. That feels like what Trump is doing with his cabinet picks.

Jokes aside, that’s usually a later-in-regimes thing. That’s how Russia ended up being so backward when they attacked Ukraine in 2022; who was in charge of strategy? A loyal construction magnate with no defense expertise.

These things can only last so long. I know there’s a cult of personality here, but the cuts are going to hit those supporters, and we will see if their loyalty tastes as sweet at that point. I already can see from several people I know, it doesn’t. And, let’s not forget, the health of Elon and Trump both have some rather iffy issues here. There’s Elon’s self-admitted drug use, which sure seemed to be on display at CPAC, where he couldn’t finish sentences or thoughts coherently, and wore sunglasses the whole time (also, I know this is just a personal attack, but my lord that dude is just the King of Cringe. His desperation to be cool just oozes out of him…and oozing is inherently not cool.) Trump had a large bruise on his hand this week (which could represent a few things, an IV or blood thinners or just a reminder that elderly people bruise easily), and I know he truly believes that he won’t die (he talks about his plans 30 years from now!), but even with the best doctors in the world, never exercising and eating badly, doesn’t bode well for a man of 78.

No matter what, the damage to this country is going to take years to undo. But I hope when we get through and we start to rebuild, we make new laws concerning media and its biases and interference, obviously campagin refinance, make hard limits on social media usage (I know that sounds weird, but seriously we shouldn’t be on social media more than like 5 hours a week. Look what it’s done to us) and the redistribution of vast wealth. There’s a reason these billionaires are here, and its not because they built this all on their own. Otherwise they could have done it from a coral atoll in the Pacific. No, they used us, and our infrastructure, and our (formerly) educated populace to build what they have. And allowing them to siphon that capital from us is something we should never allow to happen again. Or else this is what happens.

In the meantime, keep putting pressure on the government. I just hounded my representatives again, and I’m gratified to say that my senator actually said IN CONGRESS yesterday that agencies are getting tired of Musk, and that he will need to step back from them and allow them to make their own determinations on cuts; that’s a big change from when he told his constituents that we need to stop “bellyaching” a few weeks ago. Not perfect, but there is pressure. Don’t forget about your state representatives, put pressure on them too. I know it’s a pain, but you know what’s more of a pain? A worldwide depression and WWIII.

Also, is anyone else thinking of running for a political seat? I’m starting to think more average people like us need to get into that rat’s nest and work on untangling it.

Anyway, harass your government dole collectors, support your local communities, and take care of yourselves.