Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Is Everyone Gone]

The people who voted for him and rely on government programs always thought he wouldn't cut THEIR programs because they're one of the The Good Ones.

[Browncoat]

I am fresh out of outrage, and am just despondent.

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

The other thing I've come to believe is those that did vote for him have a false sense of the danger he poses to the country and seem to be in denial about his plans

One person stated while hes not a fan he didnt like harris andd feels like trump is  no worse than many past presidents. 

Another just tends to vote republucan and doesn't believe the he will be as bad for the country as democrats claim. 

They seem to be in denial in other words about how bad he could be for the country and seem to think the party and system will keep him from doing major long term damage.  Or just feel like the potential danger from him is exaggerated.

I think they're completely wrong and naive, but seems to be the thinking

I agree with you, I have heard people say these things too, and how stupid and naive of them not to be able to predict that Trump would use the executive order as his way of trying to get around having the rest of government stop him from acting like a dictator. I have not even spent much time learning about the ins and outs of government and the extent or limits of presidential power but I saw that coming like a freight train a mile away. Trump will try to exert as much power as he can without letting government stop him. And put us all at risk and in danger because of it.

And how stupid and naive of them to believe him that he wasn't going to proceed with Project 2025. Like DUH. Why anyone would trust this proven liar at his word is just insanity. They should have already figured out what he was all about after his first term as president. It's not like all the red flags weren't waving like crazy in front of their noses! The level of ignorance and denial in this country right now is just astounding and frightening.

[lookeyloo]

9 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I saw this in the "most viewed" category. I have a theory: I think he might have a superpower. Basically, if you spend enough time around him, you become subservient to him. Lets say Clark Kent gets an exclusive interview with him for the Daily Planet, and that lasts about 2-3 hours. The next day, Superman would be grabbing anyone that "doesn't look American" and throwing them over the US/Mexico border. And I mean that he'd do it as far away as from Minnesota. Grab a guy, yeet them in the direction of south, they bounce harmlessly ten feet past the border.

I've had that theory in my head for ages. If none of you think it's funny, I wouldn't blame you. I just want to make sense as to why so many people get into bed with this guy, even as everyone can see the crabs crawling from underneath the blanket.

Well it's something.  My theory is that he threatens people with ruin, as in go against me and I will audit you, harass you and your family, put you on the no fly list, revoke privileges, monitor your mail, traffic stops, etc.  Also, it boggles my mind why the congress members who are so inclined don't have secret meetings and strategies to file lawsuits, etc.  If they came at him as bloc and revealed his threats out loud, maybe just maybe things might slow down. I still recommend this book https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/707263/the-highest-law-in-the-land-by-jessica-pishko/  He has sheriffs at his beck and call.  They are very powerful.  

[Yeah No]

I just want to say one thing to any Trump supporters that were frustrated with the gridlock of government and saw Trump as the decisive action figure to get things done that benefitted Americans:

There's a reason these things take time and can't involve strong arming other governments. We are not an autocracy nor should we function as one. It's not that all the previous politicians were ineffectual and for that reason couldn't negotiate things in our favor. It's that the world situation is more complicated than that and tipping things too far in one direction has consequences in the other. It's a delicate balancing act. Even someone as relatively ignorant about these things as I am knows better than to send a bull into a china shop to try to make things better for Americans. It's naive and ignorant to think that would ever work for anyone, especially when that bull is Trump. Ugh.

[Ohiopirate02]

52 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

The people who voted for him and rely on government programs always thought he wouldn't cut THEIR programs because they're one of the The Good Ones.

They are going to find out this weekend that this may not be the case. The halt in federal grants and loans may also include programs like HUD, SNAP, and WIC. Apparently the wording of the memo is vague on this, but the memo did say that Social Security is exempt so they could have named dropped these other programs. Especially WIC since the Republican Party is supposed to be "pro-life" and WIC covers baby formula.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-freeze-grants-loans-b2687687.html

[peacheslatour]

5 hours ago, CM-BlueButterfly said:

Hi everyone, 

just a quick drop-in with a friendly reminder to please provide a link when you post excerpts of an article, a press release or other cited information. Publications should always be sourced to give credit and so that anyone who wishes to can read the article, press release etc in its entirety. 

Thank you.

 

 

I always include the source and the date of the article in my posts. I don't know how to post a link but the name of the news site (e.g. AP, NPR, NBC News, etc.) are always in my posts. Thank you!

[Yeah No]

Getting back to how Trump alienated himself from the business and real estate people in NYC, do his supporters think he's going to get anywhere by slapping punitive tariffs on products from other countries? Does he think they're all going to bow and scrape to him and accede to his demands? Even if they did in the short run in the long run they'd find a way to screw him back, but in this case it's not just him and his business interests that will be affected, but the entire country that will suffer from it as well. Are these risks Trump supporters think are worth taking with their life savings and livelihoods? I really want to know because I can't see a well thought out, rational argument to support it.

[bluegirl147]

35 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

They are going to find out this weekend that this may not be the case. The halt in federal grants and loans may also include programs like HUD, SNAP, and WIC. Apparently the wording of the memo is vague on this, but the memo did say that Social Security is exempt so they could have named dropped these other programs. Especially WIC since the Republican Party is supposed to be "pro-life" and WIC covers baby formula.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-freeze-grants-loans-b2687687.html

Taking WIC SNAP and HUD out of the economy will have ramifications and not just for the recipients. 

Oh and fuck Google for changing their maps to Gulf of America.

[Ohiopirate02]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Taking WIC SNAP and HUD out of the economy will have ramifications and not just for the recipients.

It's going to tank the economy with the ripple effect.

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

It's going to tank the economy with the ripple effect.

Don't think for one minute that he gives a flying fuck about any American. He only wants to impress Vlad with this "flex".

[SoMuchTV]

49 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I always include the source and the date of the article in my posts. I don't know how to post a link but the name of the news site (e.g. AP, NPR, NBC News, etc.) are always in my posts. Thank you!

Just FYI, there is nothing really technical about "posting a link" - you just copy the url of the article you're viewing, and paste that into your post here. I know there are ways to get fancy and change the text that appears, but really all that's necessary is the url.

[Anela]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I am fresh out of outrage, and am just despondent.

Same.  

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

Some probably thought he'd be just like v1.  But 2.0 is extreme.  I'm now reading that some people of Hispanic descent are encouraged to carry passports or their birth certificates with them at all times, just in case.  In fact, one mom/food influencer has a post on what to do if officials arrive at your house.

They apparently arrested a veteran, last week, and then mocked him, saying an I.D. was fake.  Just vile. 

[Anela]

6 hours ago, CM-BlueButterfly said:

Hi everyone, 

just a quick drop-in with a friendly reminder to please provide a link when you post excerpts of an article, a press release or other cited information. Publications should always be sourced to give credit and so that anyone who wishes to can read the article, press release etc in its entirety. 

Thank you.

 

 

I did this with my links yesterday, and I usually post a link, if I quote something.  

Edited Tuesday at 05:39 PM by Anela

[ProudMary]

Here's another one that could affect Seniors across the country. The MOW program is handled differently in each state, which is why there is uncertainty.

(Edited to add: Delaney is a Senior Reporter for Huffington Post.)

https://bsky.app/profile/delaneyrules.bsky.social/post/3lgstll6tpc2d

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:43 PM by ProudMary
See note in post

[Anela]

6 hours ago, CM-BlueButterfly said:

 

4 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

What the Dems need to do is get together and read every single item listed in Project 2025 and plan on how to counter the stuff that has not happened yet. Because everything Trump has done since last Monday is straight from that playbook, so he's telling us what his next moves are going to be.

 

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I told people about this and they wouldn't listen or they didn't care.  The biggest thing I took away from reading Project 2025 last year was the promise to take over the federal agency system.  You could see what chaos this would sow, but no one paid attention or just didn't understand.  Grr. 

I tried to warn people, too, and it’s just weird how they pretended the heritage foundation had nothing to do with them, when they were running events for him, and then turned around after the election, laughed at us, and were all, “haha project 2025 was the plan all along.” 

[fairffaxx]

The GOP believes that "faith-based organizations" should handle things like Meals On Wheels & Women, Infants, & Children programs, rather than the federal government.  So no harm in pulling the rug out with no warning or plans to transfer responsibility to private charities -- if old people & babies starve to death in the meantime, that's just tough.  😿

Edited Tuesday at 05:51 PM by fairffaxx
typo

[peacheslatour]

I just sent my DIL a gift card to buy food and pay rent. She is on disability because of her heart condition and all her benefits will or have been "paused". Now they're even "pausing" school meal vouchers for poor children. These people call themselves Christians. It makes me sick.

 

[bluegirl147]

48 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

It's going to tank the economy with the ripple effect.

Not all landlords are rich.  If they don't get their HUD rents their tenants aren't going to be able to make up the difference. So do they evict them?  Because that is a whole process.  Small grocery stores count on SNAP and WIC shoppers.  What about heating assistance?  Are people going to have their heat turned off?

 

 

[Anela]

8 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I just sent my DIL a gift card to buy food and pay rent. She is on disability because of her heart condition and all her benefits will or have been "paused". Now they're even "pausing" school meal vouchers for poor children. These people call themselves Christians. It makes me sick.

 

I was also just checkin out the twitter account of the woman @macbeth linked. I had her blocked for some reason, but I don’t recognize her name. Stephen miller’s wife tweeted, “charge me more for flowers and coffee!” And yet these people don’t think billionaires should be taxed fairly.  https://x.com/Overthinkpeanut/status/1883940529316167880 they also complained about what they called “bidenflation”. 

22 hours ago, PRgal said:

@Anela I’ve read so many articles on how misogyny in this part of the world is due to colonialism (so not specifically White, Anglo-Protestant males) that I’ve more or less become confused.  And a lot of it comes from the hate I faced in a women’s studies class back in the late 90s as well as all the DE&I groups I attended during the pandemic making zero reference to Confucian based cultures, including people whose heritages are from these places on this side of the Pacific. People from these backgrounds live here too, you know.  

Oh, I know. Why would you think I don’t know that? I was talking about voting statistics, and the majority of voters for him, being white men, and white women, plus misogyny. 

Edited Tuesday at 06:00 PM by Anela

[Kemper]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I am fresh out of outrage, and am just despondent.

Me too.

[bluegirl147]

18 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Here's another one that could affect Seniors across the country. The MOW program is handled differently in each state, which is why there is uncertainty.

(Edited to add: Delaney is a Senior Reporter for Huffington Post.)

https://bsky.app/profile/delaneyrules.bsky.social/post/3lgstll6tpc2d

 

They of course say MOW shouldn't be affected.  Also said these agencies are being paused so as to check to make sure there is no "'woke agenda".  So it's a twofer.  They get to punish poor people and root out you know helping people.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meals-on-wheels-trump-budget-pause_n_67990748e4b0f8946ae2883c

[peacheslatour]

We need a screaming and pulling our hair out button here. The anger one just doesn't adequately express my feelings  today.

[Anela]

https://x.com/TheTNHoller/status/1884244709394264411

State-funded childcare, and section 8 housing are also apparently affected.  
 

Because they want women at home all the time, with the children. I think section 8 housing is like the council housing I grew up in, in England.  So they want homeless families, too.  

10 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

We need a screaming and pulling our hair out button here. The anger one just doesn't adequately express my feelings  today.

I dragged my dad out to Lowe’s, yesterday evening, because I’ve been feeling that a lot.  My abs were twitching, last night, from the anxiety.  

@Yeah No I’ve been verbally mauled by trump supporters, too, although,  most of it was too dumb to be hurt. But the hate is real.

a good portion of it happened on what used to be a busy “spiritual” site.  So, I’m not even “spiritual, but not religious” anymore.  

Edited Tuesday at 06:15 PM by Anela

[Anela]

57 people in custody after ICE raids in Northeast Ohio; feds not talking

Cleveland Heights mayor: 'We have reached out to the federal government and Homeland Security, and we have been told that we are not going to receive information about this incident from them.'
 

Six of them are employees at a restaurant called Cilantro Taqueria.  a man on TikTok, who frequents the restaurant, confirmed they were closed on Monday  

More than 280,000 Ohio kids would be impacted by proposed national school meal program cuts

As the federal government looks at ways to cut costs and fund Trump-administration measures, a congressional committee is considering a cut that could take billions from school breakfast and lunch programs.

That cut could impact more than 280,000 students in Ohio alone, and 728 schools in the state, according to data from the Food Research & Action Center.
 

they are not pro-life, or pro-children. 

 

[ProudMary]

55 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

They of course say MOW shouldn't be affected. 

The problem there is that they are not yet saying it officially (or about SNAP or WIC,) so even if they decide to formally announce that those programs are not affected by the EO, there could be several days where people go hungry. Even one day is too much. 😥

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

 

Oh, I know. Why would you think I don’t know that? I was talking about voting statistics, and the majority of voters for him, being white men, and white women, plus misogyny. 

I must have misinterpreted because I was talking about in general situations/broader situations.  And I've been cancelled/invalidated/dismissed too many times that it's automatic.  No one seems to care about these views or even believe it to be true.  Very sickening/toxic.

[ProudMary]

From Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) via Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/wyden.senate.gov/post/3lgt2ng5xms2o

NEW: My staff has confirmed reports that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states following last night's federal funding freeze. This is a blatant attempt to rip away health care from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed.[/QUOTE.]

 

[kittykat]

I feel like we're all in a Catch 22 situation here.  My brain and my psyche cannot possibly absorb any more information about what this administration is doing because it's both sad and maddening.  And yet I can't stick my head in the sand and go lalala.  I need to stay informed, I need to know what we're up against and what to fight. I feel like most of us here right now are constantly processing information about the newest horror and feeling more hopeless about reversing anything as Project 2025 mows on forward.  But the influx of information is wreaking havoc on my daily functioning and yet I still need to know.

I need John Oliver back on my screen.  I need him to go full blown rage rant because you know he will.  Stewart is not cutting it with his towing both sides.  

[Anela]

8 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I must have misinterpreted because I was talking about in general situations/broader situations.  And I've been cancelled/invalidated/dismissed too many times that it's automatic.  No one seems to care about these views or even believe it to be true.  Very sickening/toxic.

I pay attention to your posts.  I do understand where you’re coming from. When you posted about that, right after I mentioned misogyny, I thought it was because of my post.  

[bluegirl147]

Trump is testing just how much he can get away with executive orders.  I wonder how all the Republicans in Congress feel about getting neutered.  They are supposed to be in charge of funding and he has taken that away from them.  They like  to be the ones making poor kids go hungry so this will surely peeve them.

[ProudMary]

Obviously, this would be a good time to donate $$$ or supplies to our local food banks. They're going to be hit hard.

[Ohiopirate02]

8 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Trump is testing just how much he can get away with executive orders.  I wonder how all the Republicans in Congress feel about getting neutered.  They are supposed to be in charge of funding and he has taken that away from them.  They like  to be the ones making poor kids go hungry so this will surely peeve them.

This is also a loyalty test for the Republican donor class. Will they pressure their Republican members of congress to push back or will they roll over? Honestly, jury is still out on this one because of the potential economic crisis. Cutting back benefits too much means people are going to be spending less which means profits go down at places like WalMart which means those publicly traded companies will have to either slash payroll which means even less money getting spent at Walmart or face not meeting shareholder expectations. This will hurt small business more and before the larger corporations, but those will still feel it.

[Harvey]

2 hours ago, fairffaxx said:

The GOP believes that "faith-based organizations" should handle things like Meals On Wheels & Women, Infants, & Children programs, rather than the federal government.  So no harm in pulling the rug out with no warning or plans to transfer responsibility to private charities -- if old people & babies starve to death in the meantime, that's just tough.  😿

Maybe this is how he plans to improve the housing crisis? Can't think of any other rationale behind it.

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I don't think people realize how much Snap is spent at Walmart.  Will it put them out of business? No. But if that disappears for too long it will be enough that they notice.  And smaller independent grocery stores this could put them out of business.

You mean other than being a cruel sadistic narcissist who doesn't give a fuck about anyone but himself.

The cruelty IS the point.

[bluegirl147]

Just now, peacheslatour said:

The cruelty IS the point.

I wonder if the leopards are hungry yet

 

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, bluegirl147 said:

I wonder if the leopards are hungry yet

 

The leopards are rolling onto their backs and begging for no more at this point.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm watching my public interest list serve regarding Medicaid.  The memo was saying Medicaid will continue, but some states are saying the portal for accessing federal money has been shut down.  To be continued.  Lawsuits have already been filed. 

Edited Tuesday at 08:44 PM by EtheltoTillie

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm watching my public interest list serve regarding Medicaid.  The memo was saying Medicaid will continue, but some states are saying the portal for accessing federal money has been shut down.  To be continued.  Lawsuits have already been filed. 

I'm sure they are expecting the lawsuits.  This could be tied up for weeks if not longer. And in the meantime people will be left to wonder if they are going to have rent paid, food on the table and medicine they need to survive.  Trump voters your biggest concern was the economy?  Well then buckle your seatbelts.

[anony.miss]

Women: Just in case you thought our health care was actually about our health, Big Brother is here to tell us it's really about the menz:

"Whereas health care for women should also address the needs of men, families, and communities as they relate to women’s health care"

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/7/text

Welcome to Gilead.

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, anony.miss said:

Women: Just in case you thought our health care was actually about our health, Big Brother is here to tell us it's really about the menz:

"Whereas health care for women should also address the needs of men, families, and communities as they relate to women’s health care"

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/7/text

Welcome to Gilead.

Any time a Republican introduces a bill concerning women's health care be afraid be very afraid.

[peacheslatour]

16 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Any time a Republican introduces a bill concerning women's health care be afraid be very afraid.

Panel on Women's Health.

 

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Obviously, this would be a good time to donate $$$ or supplies to our local food banks. They're going to be hit hard.

just spoke to a worker from my local food bank.  As noted elsewhere, their funding has been frozen.  She also verified that all Medicaid portals are closed nationwide although apparently no one from the admin in Washington is willing to confirm it was their doing.

She also pointed out that the food bank where she works has a couple of centers that features 'markets' where people in need can come in and pick and choose food products, particularly fruits and vegetables for their families.  They have been warned that ICE plans to raid those facilities in the next couple days and grab any Hispanic clients who aren't carrying their documentation.

She says they have been inundated with various executive orders in the past couple days informing them of the cuts and restrictions now being put in place.

Edited Tuesday at 10:09 PM by Notabug

[Dimity]

Just saw some idiot being interviewed who said he thought only Harris voters would get their benefits cut.  First off, what the hell.  But second, while I'm sure Trump would love to do that, exactly how did this idiot think this was actually going to be accomplished?  Things are bad but there not yet at the point where you have to prove you voted for Trump to keep your job or your govt benefits.  Yet.

[Ohiopirate02]

4 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Just saw some idiot being interviewed who said he thought only Harris voters would get their benefits cut.  First off, what the hell.  But second, while I'm sure Trump would love to do that, exactly how did this idiot think this was actually going to be accomplished?  Things are bad but there not yet at the point where you have to prove you voted for Trump to keep your job or your govt benefits.  Yet.

It's not like we have proof of who we voted for once our ballots are submitted.

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

It's not like we have proof of who we voted for once our ballots are submitted.

The states do but I would hope that the blue states would tell them to go pound sand.

[Notabug]

25 minutes ago, anony.miss said:

Women: Just in case you thought our health care was actually about our health, Big Brother is here to tell us it's really about the menz:

"Whereas health care for women should also address the needs of men, families, and communities as they relate to women’s health care"

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/7/text

Welcome to Gilead.

 

This particular bill recommends Pro Women's Healthcare Centers as an example of the sort of healthcare that all women should be getting.  Wanna guess who they are and what they do?  They call themselves 'pro-life'.  They provide prenatal care, referrals for women planning adoption and also encourage women who they refer to as 'abortion minded' to come to their facility for counseling (to see the error of their ways, no doubt).

These centers also provide gyn care including pap smears, STD testing, mammograms.  What they do not provide is any sort of contraception other than natural family planning.

In other words, Pro Women's Healthcare Centers are meant to prevent women from accessing contraception in addition to coercing those who are considering abortion to keep the pregnancy.  These places used to be referred to as crisis pregnancy centers until people caught on that they existed to guilt women into continuing pregnancies while preaching their version of God at them.

https://nacn-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/PWHC-Booklet.pdf

[Anela]

From momsforohio, on instagram. 

From four years ago, a meme on social media, with the truth from the news.  

Edited Tuesday at 10:14 PM by Anela

[Dimity]

I know I've mentioned before that I've been reading a lot of women's fiction from the mid 20th century as a way to cope.  It's interesting to read books that were written during WWII when obviously the author had no way of knowing how it was going to end.

I am realizing for the first time how that must have felt.  Trying to live some semblance of a normal life, including writing contemporary (at the time) novels without any real idea what was going to happen next.

Right now is then and it's horrible.

[Browncoat]

Does this freeze include federal student loans?  If so, expect a huge wave of college drop outs.  And fewer high schoolers going to college in the first place.  Which will lead to layoffs at all levels of higher education, and more people applying for unemployment benefits.  Add all the federal employees now out of work, and the economy is screwed all the way to hell.