Seniors must revolt against the Trump/Musk attack on Social Security

There are 69 million Americans on Social Security. I am one of them. And I am satisfied with the benefits I receive. I also realize Social Security isn't paying for itself and something must be done. There have been proposals for years to expand Social Security benefits and revenues by expanding the tax base...

In the House of Representatives, Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) has led proposals for years to expand Social Security benefits and revenues by expanding the tax base. In the Senate, “The Social Security Expansion Act,” introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) would raise the taxable earnings cap to $250,000, and like Larson’s bill, include investment income.

The above " would raise more money than needed to solve the long run deficit." And there has also been talk of taxing the income of the wealthiest, which would not only solve the Social Security crisis, but also put the U.S. budget on solid ground. And why not? Larson says...

"164 million workers (about 94% of us) pay Social Security taxes all year long. The point is a lot of income escapes the Social Security system; and the escaping income is that from the wealthiest Americans."

This could all be moot if Donald Trump and Elon Musk get their way, with The New Republic reporting the "systemic destruction" of Social Security started last Tuesday night in t-RUMP's speech. 7,000 SS employees are already scheduled to be laid off, another 30,000 in the near future. With half of its staff gone, experts expect delays in every aspect of the Social Security program. There are many in the program that depend entirely on their benefits and it is likely there will be deaths if they lose them.

Contact Congress NOW!

Trump and Musk don't care. Hell, most Republicans don't care. And many others in the country are apathetics, which is one of the reasons we are in the situation we are. But this is what U.S. voters elected, and hopefully it will be the Trump-voting group that suffers the most from the actions of the radical right. Here's what Republican anti-Trump publication, The Bulwark, says...

"House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said that "after years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our seniors shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their Social Security. This is an attack on our nation's seniors—plain and simple.""

Emphasis my own. 

The GOP and its wealthy donors have wanted to get rid of Social Security or, privatize it, for years. It comes up regularly in Congress but even Republicans realize you don't meddle with something as sacred as this senior benefit. But, under t-RUMP it is different...

"They’ve [Republicans] called it everything from communism to socialism to a Ponzi scheme, which Musk just called it this week (“the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” no less)."

But The New Republic counters...

"In fact, it has been the most successful anti-poverty program in the history of America, one now emulated by virtually every democracy in the world."

The masquerading president, Elon Musk, appears to have his sights on privatizing Social Security, according to a leaked email from acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek, posted on AlterNet. It goes without saying, this maniac should not have the power given him by Trump, and he most certainly should not have the capacity to make changes to Social Security. So, it all gets back to the morons who elected Donald Trump, knowing full well he carried the baggage of Elon Musk.

The Bobbsey twins who want to take your Social Security

Other salient points from The Bulwark and AlterNet: former SS admin. Martin O'Malley says there is a toxic work environment there, "they are driving people out there with a viciousness that I believe will collapse the agency, which could result in an 'interruption of benefits.';" "We have a 50-year low in staffing while the baby boomer generation is swelling their ranks," O'Malley said. In fact, O'malley thinks Trump and Musk want to break the agency.

Continuing these points...

"House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said that "after years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our seniors "shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their Social Security."

"Congressman Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) declared that 'in no way, shape, or form, should we privatize any aspect of Social Security.'"

Here is an interview from The New Republic with Tracey Gronniger, a leading advocate for social insurance, who argues that Musk’s ransacking of Social Security is getting worse—and will prompt a major political backlash: "Transcript: Musk’s Attack on Social Security Exposed in Shocking Leak." It illustrates the disaster Elon Musk could cause if he is allowed to mess around with Social Security.

John Larson reports...

"that recently House Republicans advocated cutting Social Security benefits by (about 8%) by raising the full retirement age to 69 and President-elect Donald Trump’s only Social Security proposal would drain Social Security of revenue by $23 billion, according to a report by the thorough Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget."

But Larson also says there is, "Political Hope For Social Security Fixes"...

There is hope. In December 2024, Republicans and Democrats raised Social Security benefits for more than 2 million people by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).

The hope is that the bipartisan support for the expansion of Social Security benefits may mean Congress is listening to the majority of Americans — Republicans and Democrats — who want more revenue for Social Security and do not want benefit cuts.

The other hope is that the Republicans in Congress will finally get some balls and keep Trump and Musk from any tampering with Social Security benefits. 

Executive Orders=Executive Power=Dictatorship

If you have been able to keep up with Donald Trump's eradication of the U.S. Constitution, then you know how much damage he has done in the short period since he was inaugurated. Right out of the box, he halted all federal aid. Then there was an executive order targeting transgender medical care for young people under 19. The BBC also reports...

"He has signed a number of orders since taking office, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and reshaping the federal government. He has also issued a number of controversial pardons."

The executive order does "carry the weight of law," but can be more easily overturned. However, with T-rump controlling Congress, this likelihood would be virtually impossible. Notwithstanding, some of these executive orders have been challenged legally, but, again, Donald Trump has been known to challenge the courts, in some cases ignore their decisions. Of course, there is the new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), headed up by the world's richest, and becoming the most hated man, Elon Musk.

The general consensus is that Musk has done just about as much damage to the country as

Donald Trump has no interest in the people

Trump, as it seems the billionaire has stuck his nose into a number of government departments. The outset is massive firings and cuts in budgets, some of which had to be reversed. The BBC said this all...

"...could lead to "a high-stakes confrontation between two branches of government that the nation’s founders designed as co-equals: the executive and the judicial."

And this was The Conversation's headline following Donald Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday, March 4...

"Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and his address to Congress showed it"

The piece quickly skims over the litany of T-rump's claims of accomplishments, many of which are denied or listed as only partially true. BBC makes it clear that the U.S. President is not granted unlimited power in the Constitution but says...

"The extravagant claims appear to match Trump’s view of the presidency – one virtually kinglike in its unilateral power."

But as the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, his corner on America's military clout could harken back to what he said in 2019, that he can do “whatever I want as President.” The Conversation comments...

"I think legal experts are concerned that Trump is expanding executive power beyond anything we have known in American history. And as executive power continues to expand, we may eventually hit a tipping point that threatens the structure of the government, as laid out in the Constitution."

The authors of the Constitution, along with a host of readers, "...believed that endowing the president with such powers was dangerous." And it would appear that their foresight has culminated in Donald Trump.

Selective wealth and power will bring America to its knees

It is called an oligarchy, "a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few," according to Dictionary.com. And the current oligarchs are, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. If ever, any one of the three ran their business with the customer's best interest in mind, this all vanished when Donald Trump was sent to the White House for the second time.

It's like all the rules were discarded, the direction of the country changed to reflect rights only for the chosen. For those of you who put the White House maniac back in office, one can only assume you had a total memory loss of what this lunatic did the first time in this position. And, you must also have your head in the sand if you don't see the destruction to the United States Donald Trump has promised. Here's the scenario from The Guardian...

One of the unacknowledged advantages of the horrendous era we’ve entered is that it is revealing the putrid connections between great wealth and great power for all to see.

Oligarchs are fully exposed and they are defiant. It’s like hitting the “reveal codes” key on older computers that let you see everything.

Now, addressing each oligarch individually, starting with Jeff Bezos...

"On Wednesday, Jeff Bezos, the third-richest person in America, who bought the Washington Post in 2013, announced that the paper’s opinion section would henceforth focus on defending “personal liberties and free markets”. 

"Anything inconsistent with this view would not be published, according to his statement. “Viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”

"The Post’s opinion editor, David Shipley, promptly resigned, as he should have."

 Defending “personal liberties and free markets” means simply supporting Donald Trump and his far-right ideologies, also turning a once great newspaper into bush league journalism.

Next is Mark Zuckerberg...

"Mark Zuckerberg, the second-richest person, has followed suit, allowing Facebook to emit lies, hate and bigotry in support of Trump’s lies, hate and bigotry."

Zuckerberg has reneged on promises to improve the security of FB users' personal information for years, selling much of this private information to advertisers actively. 

And now Elon Musk...

"Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, bought Twitter in 2022, laid off everyone who was filtering out hateful crap on the platform, renamed it X and turned it into a cesspool of lies in support of Trump."

Musk, with the "play-like" government department, DOGE, has all but decimated several U.S. agencies and fired millions of employees without cause, many of which had to be called back in desperation.

Each, in his own way, has put this country into a jeopardy that could work in three different ways to put this country over the edge. The American dream is no longer just to own a home; we've now added the idea of shared equity, that is to bring the classes together when it comes to the standard of living. This won't work under an oligarchy.

 

Zelensky and Trump: The meeting from hell

If you don't already know, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump had a knock down drag out meeting at the White House this past Friday. Although Zelensky wasn't dragged out, he was thrown out of the Oval Office by Trump. The Guardian said about Zelensky's treatment...

Adjectives including disastrous and vile were used to describe the meeting in which Donald Trump and his vice-president JD Vance openly berated the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

At one point Trump said to Zelensky, “You are gambling with world war three.” David Smith commented, that “Trump on Friday presided over one of the greatest diplomatic disasters in modern history.” Smith also wrote a zinger titled, "Diplomacy dies on live TV as Trump and Vance gang up to bully Ukraine leader." The Manchester News of North West England says it has proof the meeting was a "set up" on the part of Trump and Vance, signified by the fact that Trump winked at a planted reporter in a crucial moment.

Just before booting Zelensky from White House

Here's the scenario from The Manchester News...

"There are suggestions that Volodymyr Zelensky may have been the victim of a set-up at the White House, with a wink from Donald Trump seen as evidence. The now notorious confrontation between the US president and the Ukrainian leader saw Trump accuse Zelensky of being "disrespectful" and "gambling with WW3" last Friday.

"From the outset, Trump sarcastically commented that he was "all dressed up", a remark caught on mic as the two men met after Zelensky exited his SUV and approached the West Wing entrance to the White House. "Yes I had to," responded the Ukrainian leader."

There's more...

"... the manner in which Zelensky was mocked has led to allegations that he could have been ambushed, with a possible giveaway being a wink to right-wing media reporter Brian Glenn who questioned the Ukrainian about his choice to wear a combat outfit - despite it being common for leaders to do so during peacetime."

Zelensky Biden in better times

Contrary to the White House escapade, "European leaders back Zelensky after Trump clash." Just look at the support...

"The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who posted social media messages backing Ukraine - with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.

"The Ukrainian president has arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who "retains unwavering support for Ukraine", Downing Street said."

Later came this,

"Starmer announces £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine." Here's what happened...
Sir Keir Starmer has announced a £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine, following a summit of European leaders in London.

"The prime minister also announced "a number" of allies had signed up to a "coalition of the willing", alongside France's President Emmanuel Macron, prepared to commit troops to the Ukrainian frontline in the event of a peace deal.

"Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the meeting, where 17 European leaders and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau discussed next steps in securing peace for Ukraine."

So, it would appear that Zelensky had the last laugh and T-rump's mediocre and déclassé move to demean and embarrass the Ukrainian leader backfired. In reality, it is the kind of thing you would expect from a child, and I don't mean to disparage childhood.               

 

Elon Musk and Donald Trump hit the skids...opening door for the left

Just who is pulling the strings

It has happened, and with only one month of Donald Trump entering the White House for the second time. The polls have him tanking and as The New Republic put it, "Even more tellingly, however, the new polls show that majorities are rejecting Trump’s authoritarian governing tactics." Those voters who temporarily lost their minds voting for the Oval Office lunatic have reattached to reality and decided on democracy, not living under a dictator. TNR adds this...

"And on top of that, Elon Musk, who’s been tapped to carry out some of Trump’s most autocratic designs, fares even worse than Trump does in this polling."

I covered the polls in my earlier post, "Donald Trump takes a dive in the polls - Democracy wins," where it is clear T-rump is flailing wildly with many of the top pollsters showing him to be losing support. Quickly again...

"CNN finds that 47 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance while 52 percent disapprove"

"Gallup finds him at 45 to 51"

"And The Washington Post finds that 43 percent support what Trump has done in his first month while 48 percent oppose it."

Greg Sargent from TNR is interviewing political scientist Julia Azari and she thinks "public backlash to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s authoritarian overreach give Democrats an opening." The scenario from Azari...

"They’re [the polls] not entirely unexpected, but they really do underscore the point that I’ve been trying to make since the November election, which is that there’s not a lot of conclusive evidence that Trump’s specific agenda is very popular. In a context in which there’s a lot of distrust of government, it’s not obvious that strong executive overreach is the answer to that distrust."

Then Azari talks about voters who must have voted for Trump to see what the outcome of him returning to the White House would be. That's hard to believe but then Sargent comes up with...

It's the Bobbsey Twins

"What’s been missing is a big argument about why Trump’s authoritarianism is bad. On the other hand, we are seeing this polling here, which shows majorities are troubled by the authoritarian rule they’re seeing. I would like those numbers to be higher and maybe they’re not higher because of what you’re pointing out, which is the lack of the counternarrative explaining it all."

Sargent asks...

"Should we take at least a tiny bit of solace from the fact that majorities are already seeing Trump as an overreacher and potentially even an abuser of his powers?"

Azari's answer is simply that Democrats must build power; something they have sorely lacked for the last several years. Something the Republican Party has emphasized as far back as when Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House. Something that put Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in the White House. Maybe they need to bring back James Carville and David Axelrod...together. This is not too far-fetched; you combine the two strategies and add to that modern methods and technology.

Azari and Sargent both agree, it's time for the Democrats to jump on the bandwagon and ride this wave of the rejection of the Trump adminstration while it's on the upward swing. And then there is the other element in Trump's boondoggle...Elon Musk. Here's Sargent's take...

"By the way, speaking of unpopularity, let’s talk about Elon Musk. The Post poll finds that only 34 percent, and only 26 percent of independents, approving of Musk’s role. Even worse, Americans disapprove by 2 to 1 of Musk shutting down government agencies, and 63 percent are concerned by his team’s access to sensitive government data." 

There's much more in this piece, and everything combined could be a prelude to bringing Trump to the fore. No, we'll never get to all the secrets of the White House maniac, but maybe we can get enough cards on the table to bring the American public to the conclusion Donald Trump is corrupt and should not be in the position he is in.

 

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John Roberts bails Trump out once again

 

Isn't it amazing how corrupt Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is right around the corner when an also corrupt Donald Trump needs to be rescued? Here's the headline from CNN: "Chief Justice John Roberts pauses order for Trump admin to pay $2 billion in foreign aid by midnight." Hre's the scenario...

"Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a court-imposed midnight deadline that would have required the Trump administration to release $2 billion in frozen foreign aid, a goal that the government has claimed it is unable to meet.

"The emergency appeal marks the first time President Donald Trump’s efforts to drastically remake the federal government – including with deep cuts across government agencies – have reached the nation’s highest court. The case appears likely to put the justices on a collision course with Trump’s sweeping efforts to consolidate power within the executive branch."

This is called an “administrative stay” which allows the court and litigants to prepare for a formal hearing. This is the second time T-rump has gone sniveling to the higher court for help, this time in a case the lower court had ordered him to obey their decision. SCOTUS' final decision will be a good indication of its partnership with Trump.

Trump unimaginables and unbelievables you shouldn't miss...

After a day of surfing through all the reputable and credible news sites, I had such a collection of unbelievable articles on Donald Trump and Elon Musk that I couldn't resist sharing them with you. Here are the results:

Donald Trump had his first cabinet meeting today and guess who was there? You got it, Elon Musk. READ MORE

Washington Post says, "The anti-Trump resistance begins to wake in earnest." READ MORE

WaPo owner Jeff Bezos dumps opinion editor to add more Trump fluff. READ MORE

Trump wants to abolisg the Small Business Administration. READ MORE

Trump announces large-scale federal worker layoffs. READ MORE

Trump wants to take away the power from Republican women. READ MORE

RawStory says, "Bombshell report reveals staggering amount of government funds paid to Elon Musk." READ MORE

What Trump thinks of Ameridca: "Bloated and Fat and Disgusting!" READ MORE

Trump freezes $4 billion endangering drinking water for 40-million along Colorado River. READ MORE

'Showing You Exactly Who They're Working For,' GOP Votes to Gut Medicaid for Tax Cuts. READ MORE

Trump is the most unpopular president in more than 70 years. Sorry, MAGA. READ MORE

Trump’s FBI Is the Nightmare We All Feared. READ MORE

"President Trump says U.S. can pay off $36 trillion debt by selling wealthy immigrants $5 million ‘gold card’ visas and eventual citizenship." READ MORE

"Donald Trump Cuts Medicare Telehealth Funding: Who Will Be Most Affected?" READ MORE

"Petition to revoke Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship gets more than 250,000 signatures." READ MORE

Boycott the TODAY SHOW: Host Kathie Lee Gifford says President Donald Trump will 'fulfil every promise' he has made. YEAH! SURE! READ MORE

'Crossed the line': Analysts warn 'something has changed' for Musk's place in Trump team. READ MORE