A president can set the tone of the day-to-day sense of wellbeing Americans feel about our lives. Jack and Jackie gave us Camelot. Deplorable One, the best he can give us is Scamalot. Fifteen months into this apocalyptic clusterfuck, most Americans are struggling to make ends meet. The rest of us are living Groundhogs Day, doomscrolling.
"You’ve got to let a state take care of daycare, and they should pay for it, too. They should pay—they’ll have to raise their taxes, but they should pay for it. And we could lower our taxes a little bit to them, to make up for—but we—it’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal [basis]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection. We have to guard the country.¹"
This has been the far right/republican dream ever since FDR passed the new deal. That is why those like Russell Vought, Lutnick, Bessent and the rest of the cabinet are willing to overlook the rest of what trump is doing, this is why the Heritage Foundation is in rapture, government will serve one purpose and one purpose only to fund the military.
Giving healthcare to the states is probably worth debating, but it would never happen because Congress would want to meddle.
The bigger thing referenced but not discussed is military going federal: no more state control of national guard. That has deep, deep issues that many Republicans would oppose.
"It envisions a $1.5 trillion increase for defense..." Actually, it envisions an increase of about $0.5 trillion, from the current DOD budget of just under $1 trillion to the proposed $1.5 trillion.
Please stop calling this illegal, fail of a military operation “The Iran War.”instead, call it what it is: “The Trump War,” or “World War Trump” (WWT). And if you must refer to it as “The Gulf War,” at least spell it right: “The Golf War.”
His budget increases in military funding coming at the expense of medicaid and medicare. Is this much of a spending shift enough to create a more Trump friendly military? More friendly to a Trumpist government? He already has his ICE paramilitary. Will this help to secure the actual military for his purposes?
Yes, and pray to god he hasn't gotten them before the midterms. But with his military purgings and huge budget requests, he's well in his way to owning it.
This loss of mojo has been widely spread by many others - let's hope the MAGA and Fox audiance hears it. Trump is ready to give the whole budget to his soap box items; war, detention, law breaking, stealing our riches and not to provide any government service or support for the weakest of us. You notice he said nothing about cutting Congress benefits or federal pensions; he is still pretending to support them a little. Trump's ratings are very low and tanking and his actions related to all of the above will hurt his party dearly and lead to his impeachment after midterms - if his loyalist don't figure it out sooner. McConnell and Grassley could save us - and they have nothing to lose. If Congress doesn't stop this corrupt Trump they are just as guilty of the war crimes he has and is going to commit - bombing schools and power plants is vs everything that we stand for.
Actually that is Republican policy. My sister is a Republican and has told me many times that the Fed should do nothing for the citizens. States are the governments that should help the citizens within the state. Republicans haven't run on this for years. Usually they pick out someone to point a finger at and run on hate for groups. Strangely Republican policies don't get votes.
Plus Ukraine and Iran have shown that the "how" wars are fought had dramatically changed to drones. Our multimillion dollar missile only shoots down one of their thousand dollar drones.
The military leadership undoubtedly is aware of this. The idea that the Secretary of Defense (sue me) is not willing to consider these factors is both enraging and frightening.
"Word got around that (as Trump more or less admitted) he strongly preferred memos keep to no more than a single page, preferably with graphs and visual cues, suggesting he was either uninterested or uninformed or both"
I'll bet anyone a cookie that Trump has serious learning disabilities, including but probably not limited to dyslexia. I have a child with learning issues (at his worst he hasn't threatened to invade Greenland) and his coping strategies look a lot like Trump's.
Since Trump has already been sneering at Newsom's dyslexia it's hard to believe that he would ever be forthcoming about his own. And since Trump is a poster child for several Cluster B personality disorders, he will never express (or even experience) empathy for anyone who shares his experience. It's important to remember, however, that just because a person has a learning or personality disorder doesn't give them a free pass to act like an asshole.
"it’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal [basis]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection."
I call bovine scat:
* Maybe, perhaps, states can allocate some more funding for daycare but most states are financially stretched as thin as the fed. Plus, I fully expect my tax dollars to go to the greater good -- which is not defined as starting a vanity-based endless war.
* Medicare is most certainly a federal obligation. Everyone who gets a paycheck, including the self-employed and undocumented immigrants, pays into Medicare through mandatory IRS deductions.
* Medicaid might have some small number of fraudsters taking advantage, but Medicaid is essential for the health of the poor, working poor, and lower middle income families. Personally I'd be ecstatic to see full funding of Medicaid with the monies being reallocated from bloated DOD and DHS budgets. (Every congressional RINO and Sen Fetterman who votes to increase the DOD budget to $1.5 trillion deserves to be fired and put on trial for treason, or something else -- they will have failed their fiduciary responsibilities to protect the people and keep a rein on monies going to the military industrial complex and other federal departments and agencies. An increase in funds for the military taken from essential social safety nets is irresponsible to the max.)
* IMO, the main purpose of the federal government is to take care of ***all*** those living in the US and its protectorates without regard to a person's race, religious beliefs, gender identification, immigration status, or party affiliation.
* Fork "military protection;" it's people living in blue cities that need protection from XFG's illegal use of the military. And at this point in time ICE/CBP/HSI have been militarized.
Trump [sic] does have one point worth noting here: his demands for regime change. If I'm not mistaken, that is a large reason XFG wants to increase the DOD's budget. Just not in Cuba, Iran, or Venezuela but here in the US.
A president can set the tone of the day-to-day sense of wellbeing Americans feel about our lives. Jack and Jackie gave us Camelot. Deplorable One, the best he can give us is Scamalot. Fifteen months into this apocalyptic clusterfuck, most Americans are struggling to make ends meet. The rest of us are living Groundhogs Day, doomscrolling.
"You’ve got to let a state take care of daycare, and they should pay for it, too. They should pay—they’ll have to raise their taxes, but they should pay for it. And we could lower our taxes a little bit to them, to make up for—but we—it’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal [basis]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection. We have to guard the country.¹"
This has been the far right/republican dream ever since FDR passed the new deal. That is why those like Russell Vought, Lutnick, Bessent and the rest of the cabinet are willing to overlook the rest of what trump is doing, this is why the Heritage Foundation is in rapture, government will serve one purpose and one purpose only to fund the military.
The dream has been to dismantle the welfare state and replace it with a militaristic darwinian one.
Off-topic, in the spirit of Easter... Has that chocolate eagle supporting the lectern always been there? 🧐
Giving healthcare to the states is probably worth debating, but it would never happen because Congress would want to meddle.
The bigger thing referenced but not discussed is military going federal: no more state control of national guard. That has deep, deep issues that many Republicans would oppose.
"It envisions a $1.5 trillion increase for defense..." Actually, it envisions an increase of about $0.5 trillion, from the current DOD budget of just under $1 trillion to the proposed $1.5 trillion.
He’s forgotten James Comey?
Please stop calling this illegal, fail of a military operation “The Iran War.”instead, call it what it is: “The Trump War,” or “World War Trump” (WWT). And if you must refer to it as “The Gulf War,” at least spell it right: “The Golf War.”
His budget increases in military funding coming at the expense of medicaid and medicare. Is this much of a spending shift enough to create a more Trump friendly military? More friendly to a Trumpist government? He already has his ICE paramilitary. Will this help to secure the actual military for his purposes?
Yes, every word of this. He wants his own personal police and military state.
Yes, and pray to god he hasn't gotten them before the midterms. But with his military purgings and huge budget requests, he's well in his way to owning it.
The judiciary will be busy, and there might be a showdown between Trump and SCOTUS that involves him using his private army against court orders.
Thank you Jonathan. He is giving the Dems all the ammunition they need, and then some.
This loss of mojo has been widely spread by many others - let's hope the MAGA and Fox audiance hears it. Trump is ready to give the whole budget to his soap box items; war, detention, law breaking, stealing our riches and not to provide any government service or support for the weakest of us. You notice he said nothing about cutting Congress benefits or federal pensions; he is still pretending to support them a little. Trump's ratings are very low and tanking and his actions related to all of the above will hurt his party dearly and lead to his impeachment after midterms - if his loyalist don't figure it out sooner. McConnell and Grassley could save us - and they have nothing to lose. If Congress doesn't stop this corrupt Trump they are just as guilty of the war crimes he has and is going to commit - bombing schools and power plants is vs everything that we stand for.
Actually that is Republican policy. My sister is a Republican and has told me many times that the Fed should do nothing for the citizens. States are the governments that should help the citizens within the state. Republicans haven't run on this for years. Usually they pick out someone to point a finger at and run on hate for groups. Strangely Republican policies don't get votes.
Yesss ... I remember this in a Reagan Era: called it, "the New Feudalism." See https://federalism.org/encyclopedia/no-topic/new-federalism-reagan/
But no increase of taxes for the rich? Can’t do that.
Plus Ukraine and Iran have shown that the "how" wars are fought had dramatically changed to drones. Our multimillion dollar missile only shoots down one of their thousand dollar drones.
The military leadership undoubtedly is aware of this. The idea that the Secretary of Defense (sue me) is not willing to consider these factors is both enraging and frightening.
I don't know why this doesn't come up more often:
"Word got around that (as Trump more or less admitted) he strongly preferred memos keep to no more than a single page, preferably with graphs and visual cues, suggesting he was either uninterested or uninformed or both"
I'll bet anyone a cookie that Trump has serious learning disabilities, including but probably not limited to dyslexia. I have a child with learning issues (at his worst he hasn't threatened to invade Greenland) and his coping strategies look a lot like Trump's.
Since Trump has already been sneering at Newsom's dyslexia it's hard to believe that he would ever be forthcoming about his own. And since Trump is a poster child for several Cluster B personality disorders, he will never express (or even experience) empathy for anyone who shares his experience. It's important to remember, however, that just because a person has a learning or personality disorder doesn't give them a free pass to act like an asshole.
I suspect he dictates his “Truth” Social posts to someone who keys them in.
His new hobby is killing people and threatening nations and he doesn't care about anything else.
"it’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal [basis]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection."
I call bovine scat:
* Maybe, perhaps, states can allocate some more funding for daycare but most states are financially stretched as thin as the fed. Plus, I fully expect my tax dollars to go to the greater good -- which is not defined as starting a vanity-based endless war.
* Medicare is most certainly a federal obligation. Everyone who gets a paycheck, including the self-employed and undocumented immigrants, pays into Medicare through mandatory IRS deductions.
* Medicaid might have some small number of fraudsters taking advantage, but Medicaid is essential for the health of the poor, working poor, and lower middle income families. Personally I'd be ecstatic to see full funding of Medicaid with the monies being reallocated from bloated DOD and DHS budgets. (Every congressional RINO and Sen Fetterman who votes to increase the DOD budget to $1.5 trillion deserves to be fired and put on trial for treason, or something else -- they will have failed their fiduciary responsibilities to protect the people and keep a rein on monies going to the military industrial complex and other federal departments and agencies. An increase in funds for the military taken from essential social safety nets is irresponsible to the max.)
* IMO, the main purpose of the federal government is to take care of ***all*** those living in the US and its protectorates without regard to a person's race, religious beliefs, gender identification, immigration status, or party affiliation.
* Fork "military protection;" it's people living in blue cities that need protection from XFG's illegal use of the military. And at this point in time ICE/CBP/HSI have been militarized.
Trump [sic] does have one point worth noting here: his demands for regime change. If I'm not mistaken, that is a large reason XFG wants to increase the DOD's budget. Just not in Cuba, Iran, or Venezuela but here in the US.
fnord