Can Social Security Be Fixed? Ja, Sure, You Betcha.

Charles Ponzi

Today, we're gonna learn about Ponzi schemes, a term bandied about by lots of people, few of whom actually knows that that is. Most people ascribe it to Bernie Madoff who made off like a bandit using a Ponzi scheme, but that's a different history lesson.  This one is about Social Security.

By definition, a Ponzi scheme, named for Charles Ponzi, is:

a form of fraud in which belief in the success of a nonexistent enterprise is fostered by the payment of quick returns to the first investors from money invested by later investors. (from Oxford Languages )

According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Ponzi schemes share a set of red flags:

1. High investment returns with little or no risk
2. Overly consistent returns.
3. Unregistered investments.
4. Unlicensed sellers.
5. Secretive or complex strategies.
6. Issues with paperwork.
7. Difficulty receiving payments

The typical Ponzi scheme requires an initial investment, usually a significant amount, then promises above average earnings. The purveyors of the scheme are cloudy in their information about the investments and its structure. Often, terms like secret strategy or off-shore investments are used to keep the inexperienced investor from asking more questions, thereby playing to their naïveté. 

In the Presidential Debate held on September 7th, 2011, then Texas Governor Rick Perry stated:

“It [Social Security] is a Ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today, you're paying into a program that's going to be there. Anybody that's for the status quo with Social Security today is involved with a monstrous lie to our kids, and it's not right.”  

Howard Gleckman of The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center immediately took issue with that. The next day, he published Rick Perry's Social Security Myth through TPC, writing:

Here is the real story of Social Security in one sentence: It is underfunded and badly needs to be modernized but even if Washington does nothing, young people will receive three-quarters of their promised benefits. And last I looked, three-quarters of promised benefits falls somewhat short of a “monstrous lie.” Don’t believe me? Just ask the bipartisan Social Security Trustees—even those who served during George W. Bush’s administration. Here is a link to the trustees report from 2007. This year's isn't much different.

Granted, a fair amount of time has passed since then, but what Gleckman says remains a pretty accurate assessment of Social Security.

Borrowing from Social Security began under George W Bush, but whenever it has happened, it has been a pretty transparent action. From the Social Security Agency history page:

Inter-Fund Borrowing Among the Trust Funds 

In the early 1980s the Social Security Trust Funds had developed short-term cash flow problems, as a result of the adverse performance of the economy during the "stagflation" of the 1970s. As a stop-gap measure, Congress passed legislation in 1981 to permit inter-fund borrowing among the three Trust Funds (the Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund; the Disability Trust Fund; and the Medicare Trust Fund). This authority was to lapse at the end of 1982. However, the 1983 Amendments extended the inter-fund borrowing authority to the end of 1987. Under the law as amended, all loans would have to be repaid by the end of 1989. 

The inter-fund loans were required to be repaid with an amount of interest equal to that which the loaning fund would have earned had it had use of the money during this time. In other words, the borrowing fund was required to make the loaning fund whole at the end of the process.

This authority was used twice, once in November 1982 and once in December 1982. The total amount borrowed was $17.5 billion. The Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund borrowed the money-$5.1 billion from the Disability Trust Fund and $12.4 billion from the Medicare Trust Fund. Repayment began in 1985 and the debt to the Medicare Trust Fund was paid off by January 1986 and the debt to the Disability Trust Fund was liquidated in April 1986.                  

                                        Larry DeWitt / SSA Historian's Office/12/17/98

Again, an older source, but the process has remained stable and pretty much unchanged. 

I also went looking for reliable fact-checking sites. League of Women Voters of Copper County, Michigan has a really good analysis with a pretty comprehensive guide to those websites providing fact-checking services. They're located in Houghton, a town near and dear to our hearts, I will be using PolitiFact and FactCheck.org for today's episode. Both of are highly rated by International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) and are considered dead center for bias. 

Okay...back to Social Security.

Harkening back to the original allegations made during 2011, FactCheck actually delved directly into the question when Ted Cruz called Social Security a Ponzi scheme:

FactCheck.org, Sept. 8, 2011: The [Social Security] system doesn’t meet the common definition of a “Ponzi,” which is a criminal fraud, relying on deception. The Securities and Exchange Commission, for example, says a Ponzi is “an investment fraud that involves the payment of purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors.” Ponzi schemes draw their name from Charles Ponzi, who in the 1920s promised his victims that he could provide a 50 percent return in 90 days by putting their money into a speculation scheme involving postage stamps. In reality, Ponzi simply paid early “investors” big returns with the money eagerly offered by others who came later — pocketing millions for himself — until the bubble inevitably collapsed. Bernard Madoff’s more recent fraud — while much larger — was another example of a Ponzi scheme. Madoff and Ponzi lied to their victims about where their money was going, while Social Security’s finances — while troubled — are an open book.

In an interview on February 28th, 2025, Elon Musk told Joe Rogan:

 Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.

POLITIFACT patiently explains why not:

The Social Security benefits program has crucial differences from a Ponzi scheme, which is an illegal money-making fraud. A Ponzi scheme is based on signing up more and more investors to pay off earlier members, until that becomes impossible. 

Unlike a Ponzi scheme, Social Security is transparent, has multiple layers of oversight and doesn’t promise unrealistic returns. And if there isn’t enough money to pay benefits, mechanisms exist to make it financially sustainable.

 sources: 

• Social Security Fact Sheet view 3/19/25
• Social Security Trust Fund -2024

Duh.

Is Social Security still underfunded? Yes,but that does not make it a Ponzi scheme. Are there ways to fix it? Yes. Removing the annual earnings cap would be a huge step forward. Right now, the cap is set at $176,100 which is ridiculously low. The cap should be removed altogether or set at a more reasonable number....like  $5,000,000. That would do a great deal to offset the reckless borrowing from Social Security. The pundits predict Social Security will be depleted by 2035. What this actually means is that SSA would be able to pay a percentage of the expected benefit. 

Besides, if Social Security really was a Ponzi scheme, you wouldn't know about it because being a BIG secret is sorta a main thing if you wanna have a Ponzi scheme. It's stupid, I know. 

To be sure, Social Security needs a lot of things, but shutting down offices, removing online access, cutting the number of workers answering phones is NOT the answer. Implementing insane changes like the new ID business is nothing more than a waste of taxpayer money at a time when we can least afford it. The horror stories from rural areas are beginning to come in, even for simple death benefit adjustment questions that cannot be answered by those picking up the phone. This is not re-organization; this is wholesale demolition.

Since  it began, people have depended on Social Security to provide for retirement. We pay in, we get it back. Damn near every civilized society has some form of national pension. Are these all Ponzi schemes, too?

Meanwhile, back in the olden days.....

Miss Pease, my 7th grade Cit-Ed (citizenship education for those of you who did not grow up in the rarified land of The Board of Regents) told us that the purpose of government was to provide for the good, welfare, and safety of its citizens. Whether it was a clan, a tribe, a village, or a city, the powers that ran it had a civic responsibility for its residents/citizens. Otherwise, what would be the point? Any anthropologist/sociologist will tell you the same thing. The bigger the banding together, the greater the need for a social contract. That's how society is formed. It's not always fair, or equitable, but a leader cannot remain a leader if he/she is not protecting the people and their way of life. Simple, basic, social contracts. 

What Elon Muskrat and his little elves are doing is shredding that basic social contract with the blessings of President Felon. 

As the other departments and programs are cut and suspended, other sectors of the population are beginning to understand the magnitude of the impact. On the news last night, a potato farmer whose main markets are Mexico and Canada is watching those markets being yanked out from under his farm even through he voted for the felon.. His voice was so full of pain and disbelief when he said: 

I knew people were gonna get screwed, but I didn't think he was gonna screw us. We all voted for him.

Long before election day, I wondered how people could go into the voting booth and vote against their own self-interest. I still don't understand that. I guess they figured even though he screwed every employee he ever had, they were gonna be different, that he wouldn't screw them. But he did. And  between him and the Muskrat, they've given kleptocracy a bad name.

Clearly these guys are too busy lining their pockets to understand guys like them usually end up at the end of a rope. By making the U.S. more vulnerable to outside forces, they are not endearing themselves to others. They have not learned the lessons of war and governance. Perhaps a class on French history would remind them of what happens to despots, benevolent or otherwise. 

I just don't know if we can afford to wait around for their collapse. It will happen. It has happened to every other self-aggrandizing leader since Julius Caesar. The list is endless...and they will just be two more names at the end. It won't end well for either of them.

*********************

Before I sign off, I want to take a moment to write about my friend Elissa. She left us last week. I actually knew her mom before I knew her. See, she was a Teener...a member of the family that had the only decent theatrical costume company in town. I met her when our kids were little and we were day school parents and volunteering for every organization in town. She had impeccable style. She always looked outrageously terrific. Elissa was one of the kindest people I ever knew. We laughed a lot. We would email each other late into the night...because talking might wake sleeping husbands. And when I could not stand up on my own, she told me, "Lean on me. We can be upright together." She did not want a funeral, she wanted a celebration of life. She asked us to wear colorful things and to wear bright red lipstick. I did. 

Her memory is forever a blessing for all of us lucky enough to have known her.  I will miss her forever. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Choose  to be happy.

Old Time Family Values: Truth, Justice, and the American Way

Remember how last week I wrote about TDR: Trump Derangement Syndrome? Well, we're not done with it quite yet. Poor Justin Eichorn. Nothing seems to go right for this guy. First he tries to get a bill for a disease that was supposed to be  a joke through the Minnesota legislature, then he gets busted for solicitation of penetrative sex with a minor, and now, he's locked up instead of out on bail....but wait! There's more!

According to a report in today's MINNESOTA BRING ME THE NEWS, a rather balanced email news broadside:

In a court motion filed on Sunday in the federal case against Eichorn, prosecutors have asked for the 40-year-old to remain jailed after he was set to be released to a halfway house this week, saying he "poses a serious risk of flight" and if he was released "will attempt to obstruct justice."

The filing alleges that Eichorn orchestrated an effort to retrieve a laptop from his St. Paul apartment "to deprive investigators of the opportunity to examine it."  Prosecutors also accuse Eichorn of having an iPhone connected to the laptop and found it in a "factory reset" condition, suggesting that someone with access to the phone attempted to wipe it.

Furthermore, during pretrial proceedings, Eichorn claimed he didn't have any firearms in the St. Paul apartment where he stayed when the Minnesota Legislature was in session. However, a search of the apartment allegedly turned up a handgun with ammunition, the aforementioned laptop and iPhone, a memory card, and $1,000 in cash. 

The filing further alleges that Eichorn had an unnamed woman go to his apartment in St. Paul just before 10 a.m. the day after his arrest, where she ran into two FBI agents stationed to "freeze the scene." The agents denied entry to the woman, who claimed she needed a laptop inside that she used for her business. She was denied again and left the scene.

"On the basis of these new and material facts, the government submits that the Court should reopen the detention hearing and order Eichorn detained. Eichorn’s post-arrest conduct, including his lie to pretrial services concerning his possession of a gun, make clear that he does not intend to be truthful or to respect legal process. Instead, his conduct strongly suggests a willingness – and actual steps taken – to frustrate the ongoing child-sex investigation into his conduct," court documents state.

I'm guessing that wasn't his wife going into the apartment. Just a hunch. Okay, that's enough for those guys with good old fashioned family values. Let the Feds take it from here, although I'm sure President Felon will attempt to pardon him since he's one of the true-believer faithful.

And if that was not enough: this just in from the Hillary Clinton: You Must Be Kidding Me! department...

The barely functional DoD hosted an unsecured group chat to lay out their plans for Yemen and the Houthi, and managed to include The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. Today, ABC News reported:

White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes shared with ABC News the statement he provided to The Atlantic confirming the veracity of a Signal group chat, which Goldberg said appeared to include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among others. 

"At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain. The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to our service members or our national security," Hughes said in the statement.

Sounds like amateur hour to me. Nothing says National Security like an unsecured text exchange. How can these people NOT know better? Or is it that they don't care who hears what the plan is...or who is intercepting their texts? I don't think these guys are talking about which MAGA dolls put out on the first date....although I imagine that might come up....but one would hope matters of military importance would be treated with more gravitas than that. Or not. Look, if you hire the least competent people on the planet to do highly classified operations and they don't even begin to know how to classify an operation, you simply have to expect the loose-lips mode of warfare. 

Read the article in The Atlantic; it is definitely  worth your time: The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans

And that should surprise no one. Keeping classified documents in a safe and secure location was never much of a priority for President Felon. Add to that the recent set of instructions given to those still at USAID to shred and burn documents merely contributes to the idea that nothing is sacred or secret. On March 11, 2025, as reported by NBC NEWS and multiple other outlets: 

The document destruction was set to take place Tuesday, according to an email from Erica Carr, the agency’s acting executive secretary. It is unclear how many people received the email, which thanked workers for their “assistance in clearing our classified safes and personnel documents.”

“Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” Carr wrote.

Reminds me of the Nixon days. No matter how you want to color this picture, it's bleak. This is not supposed to be how our government works. The question, however, remains whether or not We, the People will stand idly by while it happens. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I saw OCTOBER 8th on Sunday night.  If you haven't seen it, you should. It is as much about the actual pogrom on October 7th, using footage taken by Hamas terrorists to give the audience a very clear view of what was happening, along with testimony of survivors . But that's a small part of the firm. The documentary lays out a specific timeline of corresponding events taking place in the United States. The overwhelming hatred spewed at Jewish students is something most of us have only read about in Holocaust stories. It's hard to argue with vetted footage about the encampments, the signs, and the protests. 

I had two reactions to the film that I think are worth mentioning. First, the filmmakers do not frame the film with the reality that we are not the colonizers in Israel, that Jewish presence goes back with indisputable physical evidence for over 3000 years. They never point out that Jews have been home in the same land, observed the same religion, and spoke ostensibly the same language all that time. We are indigenous to the land, not colonizers. That piece, missing from the narrative, was problematic for me. 

The second reaction was the relief in hearing someone actually call out the pro-Palestinian movement for systematically revising the narrative to paint themselves as victims and Israel as in instigating aggressor, as if Israel attacked them, not the other way around. We know this, but the vastness of the coverage promotes the idea that Israel is completely and solely responsible for the deaths in Gaza. Had they returned the hostages, the war would've been over long ago.

Watch the trailer. Then go see it. 

Now, the cease fire is shredded and today there were missiles launched at Israel from Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria. The IDF retaliated, and new charges that the IDF targets hospitals have begun. Once again: if they returned the hostages.......

Today just was never ending in our new unreality. President Felon held a cabinet meeting....with Elon Musk in attendance. I didn't notice his kid with him today...mebbe his wife finally put her foot down about that...but I did notice all the other men in the room were in suits and nooses. Now far be it from me, the Queen of Hoodies and Yoga Pants, to comment on anyone else's sartorial style,  but the stage director in me is compelled to say something: You should not take this shlub seriously...but not to is an existential danger. He is jerking our chains.

Seriously! Yes, it's old-fashioned, but this is the White House. This is serious business. This is the most powerful office (still) in the world and this guy treats it like a day at the gym. This is not accidental; this is a power statement....as in I can dress this way because I don't give a shit about you. This is telegraphy. Not only does he not respect the office President Felon holds, he does not respect the people surrounding his own boss as cabinet members,,,which he is not....and it's pretty clear he does not respect President Felon in the least. He not-so-subtly tells We, the People, that he is the one in control and we can go pluck ourselves.

Just a reminder: We, the People, did not elect Elon Musk to any office. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Remember, Prince Harry's daughter was born in the US 

and can run for President.

Way to play the long game, King George!

You'll be back, soon, you'll see

You'll remember you belong to me

You'll be back, time will tell

You'll remember that I served you well

Oceans rise, empires fall

We have seen each other through it all

And when push comes to shove

I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!

Da-da-da, dat-da, dat, da-da-da, da-ya-da

Da-da, dat, dat, da-ya-da

Da-da-da, dat-da, dat, da-da-da, da-ya-da

Da-da, dat, dat, da-ya

You Simply Cannot Make This Stuff Up.

UPDATE: Justin Eichorn, one of the TDS bill’s  was arrested yesterday for solicitation of a minor. 

She was 16 and he was interested in “penetrative sex” according to the official complaint. Gotta love them family values! 

After the Palm Beach/Palm Springs debacle, I was informed it was time for a laptop I could actually shlep around with me. Thus, after much internal debate and external research amongst my writer buddies, I am now the proud owner of 5 Apple devices...2 Macs (one old but working and good for Netflix when I'm writing and one relatively new system up-to-date Mac,) an iPhone, and Ipad (that turned out to be relatively useless for sending out the blog, and now  [drumroll, please] a spanking new 13" M3 MacBook Air with beaucoup ram and lots of storage. Migrating stuff from the "new Mac" to the AirBook was a snap. I'm getting used to the keyboard which is way smaller than what I'm accustomed to, and I even have a spare magic mouse that works just fine. Of course, I'm writing this on the old Dell laptop in the kitchen because it's big, clunky, and near the fridge. I imagine I will be switching over to the Airbook as I get used to it. 

Over the weekend, I'd been drafting an episode about hate and how it's not limited to one side or another. In fact,I was returning to some of the vitriolic rants about how Mahmoud Khalil coming from the pro-Zionist side (which I usually support) were really pissing me off. I heard some seriously stupid, unsupported, totally bogus stuff coming from people I normally respect. But we're gonna save that for another day.

Right now, I'm gonna tell you about a proposed revision to a Minnesota statute that sounds like something from the Fascism For Dummies. From the Minnesota Office of The Revisor Of Statutes came the following notice:  

^{SF 2589 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)} 

^{Posted on 03/13/2025 04:17pm
KEY: stricken = removed, old language. underscored = added, new language.}

SF

A bill for an act
relating to mental health; modifying the definition of mental illness; adding a definition for Trump Derangement Syndrome; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 245.462, subdivision 20, by adding a subdivision; 245I.02, subdivision 29, by adding a subdivision.  

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245.462, subdivision 20, is amended to read:

Subd. 20.

 

Mental illness.

 

(a) "Mental illness" means Trump Derangement Syndrome or an organic disorder of the brain or a clinically significant disorder of thought, mood,perception, orientation, memory, or behavior that is detailed in a diagnostic codes list published by the commissioner, and that seriously limits a person's capacity to function in primary aspects of daily living such as personal relations, living arrangements, work, and recreation.

(b) An "adult with acute mental illness" means an adult who has a mental illness that is serious enough to require prompt intervention.

(c) For purposes of case management and community support services, a "person with serious and persistent mental illness" means an adult who has a mental illness and meets at least one of the following criteria:

(1) the adult has undergone two or more episodes of inpatient care for a mental illness within the preceding 24 months;

(2) the adult has experienced a continuous psychiatric hospitalization or residential treatment exceeding six months' duration within the preceding 12 months;

(3) the adult has been treated by a crisis team two or more times within the preceding  24 months;

(4) the adult:

(i) has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, schizoaffective disorder, or borderline personality disorder;

(ii) indicates a significant impairment in functioning; and

(iii) has a written opinion from a mental health professional, in the last three years, stating that the adult is reasonably likely to have future episodes requiring inpatient or residential treatment, of a frequency described in clause (1) or (2), unless ongoing case management or community support services are provided;

(5) the adult has, in the last three years, been committed by a court as a person who is mentally ill under chapter 253B, or the adult's commitment has been stayed or continued;

 (6) the adult (i) was eligible under clauses (1) to (5), but the specified time period has expired or the adult was eligible as a child under section 245.4871, subdivision 6; and (ii) has a written opinion from a mental health professional, in the last three years, stating that the adult is reasonably likely to have future episodes requiring inpatient or residential treatment, of a frequency described in clause (1) or (2), unless ongoing case management or community support services are provided; or

(7) the adult was eligible as a child under section 245.4871, subdivision 6, and is age 21 or younger.

Sec. 2. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245.462, is amended by adding a subdivision to

read:

Subd. 28. 

Trump Derangement Syndrome. 

"Trump Derangement Syndrome" means the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump. Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy

differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behavior. This may be expressed by:

(1) verbal expressions of intense hostility toward President Donald J. Trump; and

(2) overt acts of aggression and violence against anyone supporting President DonaldJ. Trump or anything that symbolizes President Donald J. Trump.

Sec. 3. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245I.02, subdivision 29, is amended to read:

Subd. 29.

 

Mental illness.

 

"Mental illness" means Trump Derangement Syndrome or any of the conditions included in the most recent editions of the DC: 0-5. Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Development Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood published by Zero to Three or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Sec. 4. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245I.02, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

Subd. 40a. 

Trump Derangement Syndrome. 

"Trump Derangement Syndrome" means the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump. Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behavior. This may be expressed by:

(1) verbal expressions of intense hostility toward President Donald J. Trump; and

(2) overt acts of aggression and violence against anyone supporting President Donald J. Trump or anything that symbolizes President Donald J. Trump.

Would that this was original thought! But alas, it is not. Nor is it a recent neologism. The late Charles Krauthammer used this same wording when describing Bush Derangement Syndrome, although it was clear in the column that Krauthammer meant it as a joke at the time:

American pundit and psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer, noting the reaction of liberals to Bush and his policies, in a 2003 column coined the term Bush derangement syndrome to describe "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush". While Krauthammer's column was somewhat tongue-in-cheek  (e.g., "What is worrying epidemiologists about the Dean incident, however, is that heretofore no case had been reported in Vermont, or any other dairy state"), the term indicates a belief that some extreme criticisms of Bush are of emotional origin rather than based in fact or logic.

The neologism is not unique to Bush, with several commentators borrowing Krauthammer's coinage to define Thatcher derangement syndrome, in reference to Margaret Thatcher, referring to the extremely vitriolic reactions Thatcher evokes among British leftists, both during and following her tenure as Britain's prime minister, and most notably distinguished in the aftermath of her death in 2013. Similarly, the term Trump derangement syndrome was coined to refer to perceived irrational criticism of Donald Trump.

In the proposed revision submitted to the Minnesota Legislature, it is not a joke. They are, or at least appear to be, serious about this. I'm not sure what one does if one suffers from TDS, but one might imagine it would involve involuntary incarceration in a mental health facility. Kinda like the Xinjiang internment camps ...sometimes called "vocational education and training center" where the Chinese government attempts to indoctrinate Uyghurs and other Muslims against their culture and religion. You know...to protect the population from people who disagree with President Felon and his Unelected Co-President?

Now, here's a tidy little sidebar that deserves far more attention than I am about to give it, but it's worth noting that the states most impacted by the slash-and-burn budget cuts are not the ones with the loudest anti-Felon movements that abut the TDS issue...it's the southern red ones. Earlier today, Reuters reported that Congressional Republicans are split on how to handle President Felon's henchman's desire to cut "entitlements" like Medicaid and Social Security:

Hanging in the balance is the future of Medicaid, a politically risky source of savings for Republicans that benefits more than 35 million Americans in states Trump won in the 2024 election, a Reuters analysis of Medicaid data shows.

The program, funded jointly by federal and state governments, covers one in five Americans. It cost the federal government $618 billion last year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, making it the third largest line item after the Medicare program for older Americans and the Social Security retirement program.

Some Republicans think adequate spending cuts can be achieved only by overhauling Medicaid, vowing to improve the program rather than cut benefits. Others would rather see social safety net programs preserved - especially at a time of a growing recession risk.

Protests across the country are ramping up, and not your usual class of dissidents: veterans who are so beaten up in this process, doctors, scientists, researchers, educators, health care workers all with powerful agendas are beginning to march against these draconian measures. Rural residents are beginning to figure out if they cut back health services hospitals will close, and they're back ying from infections because prescriptions won't be available, telemedicine visits won't be covered, and women will be having babies in the field before they get up to go back to work picking whatever. The most impacted people voted this guy in, and now they will live and die with the consequences. 

Not to mention, generally speaking, people were embarrassed by his treatment of Zelensky and now Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin when he added Ireland to the list of countries cheating the US.

No income safety net, no medical safety net, no food safety or safety net. Trade wars and hostile countries. What the hell did they think was going to happen?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, President Felon was managing things over at The Kennedy Center

As if being a dictator wasn't enough of a challenge, now he's going for the Nero Award: while the economy tanks, he play the Kennedy Center to give out posthumous prizes.

At Kennedy Center, Trump envisions remaking Honors, suggests he could host

President Donald Trump visited the Kennedy Center on Monday, where he presided over a meeting of its refashioned board of trustees and discussed changes to the institution’s annual Honors, including possibly hosting the ceremony himself. 

“I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been able to be here for a long time,” Trump, who is the board’s chairman, said at the beginning of the meeting. “And I shouldn’t be, with what I’m doing.” 

The Washington Post obtained audio of the meeting, in which the board voted to expand the committee that chooses Kennedy Center honorees. Trump and board members floated names such as Paul Anka, Sylvester Stallone, Johnny Mathis and Andrea Bocelli for the award. 

The president also suggested giving posthumous awards to Elvis Presley, Luciano Pavarotti and Babe Ruth, though the Kennedy Center Honors are not given posthumously. Trump floated expanding the event to include politicians, executives and athletes.  

“Elvis sells better as a dead man,” Trump said...

During the board meeting, Trump railed against previous Kennedy Center Honors, saying, “In the past, I mean, these are radical left lunatics that have been chosen. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t watch it. And the host was always terrible.”

Trump seemed to say he would agree to be the ceremony’s host. “I don’t want to, but I want this thing to be successful,” he told the board. Queen Latifah hosted last year’s ceremony.

He also told the board who he thought was attractive when he went to see CATS. Just click the link above and read the article; I gifted it so you should be able to access it. 

As hard and horrible as it all feels, sometimes you just have to let the wheels come off. In the last President Felon kleptocracy, he kept saying he was ditching the ACA for a new, better, wonderful plan that would cover everyone and be cheaper...except there was no plan. There never was a plan. Every time he was asked about it, he deflected. This time is no different. The Three Jackasses of the Apocalypse have no plans to fix anything. 

If there was any kind of plan, these guys would be holding up all sorts of charts and graphs showing how great their plans are. But alas, there are no charts and graphs...and definitely  no plans whatsoever. 

The Muskrat will slash-and-burn until his pockets are lined with the cash and lives of the American public; then he will shrug and walk away. He will crawl back under whichever rock he was hiding under in South Africa, nothing more than a failed Nepo Baby who wanted to play politician. 

President Felon, who has never met a company he could not bankrupt, will just blame someone else for the disaster.  And America will be one more notch on his Coup Stick of Deceitful Default.

Maybe, if we're real lucky, the way he's ignoring the courts to deport Venezuelans will come back to bite his saggy butt and a true Constitutional crisis will fall on his combed over head. Granted, that gives us The Bedbug as President, but he's not smart enough to harness the gathering storm clouds in his favor. I hope. We hope. 

The blatant disregard of Federal Court orders, and increasing information fingering him as a Russian asset may be the only things between We, the People and the total collapse of the great democratic experiment. 

On a less dire note, my friend Jen in Israel found this on a blog called Pied Type and sent it on to me. It is so worth hearing Anthony Davis, a British journalist,  reading a piece that was actually written during President Felon's first term. He felt it bears repeating. I daresay he is correct. Very British, very spot on: 

 The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Vet before you post.

The bullshit-o-meter is running overtime these days.

Thank you, MnMaus

You're Probably Gonna Hate This But.....

My five days in Palm Springs were fabulous. The weather was not as great as it could've been, but it didn't stop me from seeing friends, shopping in truly interesting shops, eating really good food, and seeing the David Hockney exhibit at the Palm Springs Art Museum. I even squeezed in some mah jongg; I even managed to win a few games  for a change. And knowing I dodged a blizzard back on the tundra, I sure laughed a lot on Friday morning when I woke up to snow on the mountains. 

I wrote a haiku to mark the occasion:

Snow on mountain tops

just in case I felt homesick

Not bloody likely.

I definitely coulda stayed longer. Maybe next year.

Lilies
iPhone printed
on paper - Oct. 2009

I had planned to write a bit about the David Hockney exhibit and his use of his iPad and Iphone to create his latest works. A new medium, I suppose, but I had a bit of difficulty equating something drawn on an iphone with something considered great art. But that's my problem, not the artist's. I supposed the same conversations were held about photography and whether or not a machine captured image could be classified as art. The short answer to those two questions is a resounding YES, even I don't always grok the reasoning. 

Since the Senior Son is a graphic artist and knows about this stuff, I sent him some pictures and will have an in-depth conversation about this. This is one of those moments I wish Ziggy was still around. He was a huge Hockney fan and he would have a lot to say about using iPhones and iPads for creating art. No idea what that would be, but it woulda been a fun debate.

Mahmoud Khalil

What isn't a fun debate is the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian protest leader at Columbia University. In the US legally, he has his own valid green card, and is married to a US citizen. At this writing, he has not been charged with a crime, something that might suspend the green card. But that is not the case. New York Magazine did a pretty thorough profile of the situation and every American should be concerned.

If he was American born, would he have been arrested? Would he have been detained by ICE or shipped off to a prison in Louisiana? Of course not! His right to free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, and to be accurate, he has those protections as a green card holder. Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union called the arrest an affront to his right of free speech. 

The Trump administration’s detention of Mahmoud Khalil — a green card holder studying in this country legally — is targeted, retaliatory, and an extreme attack on his First Amendment rights. 

Although I'm not her biggest fan, kudos to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for posting this on social media: 

If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too. Anyone - left, right, or center - who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I remember when the Nazis wanted to have a parade in Skokie, Illinois, a very Jewish suburb, and after being denied a permit to assemble, took the case all the way to SCOTUS who then sent it back to the Illinois Supreme Court. There were two parallel cases involved, but the decision in both rested on the right of free speech as guaranteed in the first amendment. Go read about it and you'll see why I was reminded of that case. What's important was that ultimately the Nazis had the right to assemble. No one was arrested. No one was grabbed by the INS. And life went on. 

No way am I implying I agree with Mr. Khalil and anything/everything he stands for. I don't. I think his positions are abhorrent, but he has a right to talk about them. Should Columbia University have taken punitive action...like expelling him? If he broke their rules, sure. But that's their decision, not a police or political action. 

This is yet one more move toward an authoritarian government. Just one of many in recent weeks. But this one just flies in the face of the Constitution. We are a nation of laws guided by the Constitution. To be sure, there have been laws ultimately deemed unconstitutional, but until the Constitution is suspended, our rights as laid out in the Bill of Rights and in Amendment 14 cannot be infringed upon. And Habeas Corpus is not one of them. Except... 

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

Do you know what a Writ of Habeas Corpus is? Probably in some amorphous way you do. But this is how the US Marshal Service defines it:

A writ of habeas corpus orders the custodian of an individual in custody to produce the individual before the court to make an inquiry concerning his or her detention, to appear for prosecution (ad prosequendum) or to appear to testify (ad testificandum). State courts may issue such writs to prisoner custodians to produce federal prisoners.

Habeas Corpus literally means, "you have a body," and in practice it challenges the holding of a person. The person must be brought into court by the "holders." and then prove why their detention is legal. The question in the case of Mr. Khalil is whether a crime or an opinion has been committed. If it's an opinion, they have no grounds to hold him. Can his opinion be a crime? That's another story. And therein lies the rub. 

I am sure President Felon's minions can come up with something; they're so creative. There is a slippery slope thickening beneath our feet. IF they keep him without cause, who will they snatch next? ICE threatened his pregnant wife even though she is a citizen. Sound more like Los Desaparecidos, The Disappeared Ones of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay and Venezuela, no? Use your imagination.

Again, I DO NOT agree with what Mr. Khalil says, or his politics, or his tactics, but I do have to stand up for his right to protest. NOT the right of protesters to harass or attack or browbeat or beat up people who object to their protest. Chanting is not illegal, but physicality and violence are; those is arrestable, detainable, and punishable by jail time. 

Once upon a time, I was one of those college protester types. I waved signs, chanted slogans, and vociferously protested a war...the Vietnam one. We were mostly peaceful...we were the peace movement, after all... but we had encampments, handed out flowers, dealt with cops (aka the pigs,) the national guard, were hosed, rounded up, got arrested on occasion, and four were killed by National Guardsmen at Kent State. Still, at no time did our belief in our right to free speech ever waver. It couldn't. We were fighting for that as much as we were fighting for the other stuff. We were, first and foremost,  Americans. We had rights.

I can despise with my entire being what these pro-Palestinians are advocating....the destruction of Israel and death to all Jews... but as sick as it makes me, they have the right to make their views known in the public square. And I have a responsibility to advocate for that right. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week...an oldie but a goodie

 Aaron Sorkin wrote it better than anyone

and Michael Douglas's delivery was masterful

America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say: You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.