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Barking Justice Media's avatar

Michael-

I'm staring at grocery receipts, $847 for what cost $520 three years ago, while they burn HALF A BILLION on troops in our streets, telling us there's no crisis.

$496 million buys school lunches. Insulin. Housing vouchers. Things that ACTUALLY make communities safer.

They KNOW we're struggling. They see the data. But instead of stopping the waste, they gaslight us with speeches about economic strength.

The economy isn't strong for ME. For my neighbors. For anyone who actually works.

They're burning our money while pretending our reality isn't real.

This is a betrayal.

Mika-

Barking Justice Media's avatar

The Constitution's Preamble says the government exists to "promote the general Welfare", which makes billion-dollar waste during an affordability crisis a constitutional question, not just a policy one.

James Byham's avatar

But there is no fun for Republicans helping out the working and middle class. The real FUN for Republicans is knocking heads and maybe even ventilating some liberals.

Sheila's avatar

Are they advisers or just fools who say what he wants to hear? Can someone explain to me the American benefit from going after Iran? Or is it another distraction; to protect Trump investments in the Middle East; at the demand of Israel; or because Hegseth needs another ‘hard on’? All of the above.

FFS when is sense going to prevail and this a-hole gets removed to a secure psychiatric unit?

Al Draycott's avatar

Thanks Michael: It is not an affordability issue it is a unaffordable issue. Food , clothing, shelter and medicine are becoming unreachable . Its the Tump, Vought , Bessent financial plan.

Barbara Stagno's avatar

This administration has been hemorrhaging taxpayer dollars since day one. I am reminded of the $6 million dollars paid to Bukele in El Salvador to retain 240 Venezuelans in his torture prison CECOT. Those people thankfully were released as a result of efforts by the Venezuelan government. Did we ever get the $6 million back? I would be surprised if we did. Money just gets tossed out to fulfill their fascist agenda but Americans have no health care.

James Byham's avatar

And a lot of people who have so called health care in our corporate system can't use it because of sky high deductibles and co pays.

Michelle Landa's avatar

This administration hemorrhages money because it isn’t their own. Do any of these people go to the grocery store, buy medicine WITHOUT a prescription plan or pay their own health insurance? How about taking care of us? Too busy showing the world how he can dominate. That my friends is not leadership! This whole administration needs a good housecleaning, starting from the top. The midterms can’t come soon enough.

Dawn Cali's avatar

Yes, Michelle. Our Tax Money is not taking care of the American People.

"General Welfare." (Article 1, Section 8, US Constitution)

Americans deserve better.

Jennifer Kass's avatar

The sad thing is that everything said here is 100% true, yet there is a solid @35% of the country that still supports this regime. If reality butts up against their beliefs in MAGA, they will never acknowledge what is staring them in the face. I mean seriously - he's gotten many of his following to tear down the second amendment firewall to try and justify the public execution of Alex Pretti. If there was ever anything to prove to the world that MAGA is a cult.... Trump could piss on their legs and tell them it was raining. They'd just smile and get out their umbrellas.

Dawn Cali's avatar

Jennifer, remember, they are a Minority. And it will shrink more with current Policies.

Americans deserve better.

James Byham's avatar

Hey do you know something about the pee tape that the rest of us don't ? ☔🌊

Dan Beach's avatar

Between the ballooning costs of the Epstein Ballroom, and the deployment of an entire fleet with battleships, carriers and thousands of men, to the Caribbean, he is bankrupting the country. After "saving" it with his bogus DOGE scam, which was more about politics and stifling dissent, than it was about saving money. Add to the accusations of "rape," the rape of this country, her finances, and her soul.

RJM's avatar
6dEdited

Many good points. But you are too kind when you write: “Someone is telling the President that optics matter more than arithmetic.” Give discredit where discredit is due. He’s certainly got evil advisers but the belief in optics? That’s him- listening as he said recently to “his own morality.” He can’t do arithmetic. He doesn’t understand truth or empathy and he thinks other people only exist for his use. Such a simple world view. But his current interest in optics is just his pea-brained response to advisers telling him his poll numbers are crashing, he has to pay lip service to people’s fears and needs, etc. and the only thing he understands out of all that advice is that he has to work on PR.

His statements about Good’s parents proved beyond all doubt -if anyone had any doubt left- that he is dumb as dirt, mean as poison, and the most self centered human who ever walked the earth. He can’t blame that on the advisers.

Signe K.'s avatar

Well said! You can't buy character, or a moral compass. He has neither. That goes for his band of rabid "advisers" as well.

James Byham's avatar

Right, it's his show and he is responsible for the script.

Antonio Cruz's avatar

COME CLEAN ON EPSTEIN

Dawn Cali's avatar

Antonio, Agree.

Epstein is the gateway to a pattern of lying, corruption and Treason.

Michael Cohen needs to step forward with Honesty and Transparency. He knows the rest of the story. 12+ years as "Trump's #1 and Fixer."

Americans deserve better.

BJones's avatar

Good slogan -- short, rhyming, easy to shout over-&-over.

Suzanne's avatar

Trump is so out of touch with the everyday life of people who are not billionaires! It is a world he knows nothing about. He is clueless and worse he doesn’t care.. All he can think about is how he can inflict more cruelty and pain on all of us. That seems to be his mission. He is starting to get just a little bit of a clue that this is going to bite him in the midterms. So he comes up with the Trump Account. The Trump Account divides the nation even more into the haves snd the have nots.

I was so sorry I missed your live last night. It was so good!. Since I missed it my reply would not post. But it ties in here a little bit because again it is about the disparity between the billionaire class and the poor. Under the Trump administration, the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider each day. Trumps lack of attention to this matter is making it very challenging for all of us to survive.

Sorry we missed your live! We never seem to know when they will be and we were outside taking care of all the snow and the horses.

Trump is trying to con everybody into thinking he is going to give them $1000 and it will make them rich by the time their child is 18.

Trump accounts are criticized for widening wealth disparities by favoring families with existing resources. Wealthier families can contribute more to the $5,000 annual limit, leading to greater tax-deferred, compounded investment growth, compared to low-income families.

Because the accounts are invested in stock index funds, higher-income families who can afford to max out contributions ($5,000/year) will see exponentially higher returns over 18 years compared to lower-income families who cannot afford to add funds to the initial $1,000,

Even considering the gain experienced by the wealthy, I suspect the numbers will crunch far short of Trump's claims.

Trump is doing this so people will vote for republicans in the midterms. He thinks the American people are all stupid, but we are onto his destruction and his cons.

Trump should read your substack!

James Byham's avatar

The orange thing can just barely decipher a teleprompter.

Bearer of Light's avatar

Thank you Michael. It’s amazing how numb we get to the fiscal abuse. Imagine how many prescriptions or groceries those millions would have paid for!

Joanne Gatsis's avatar

So essentially he's still doing campaign rallies trying to convince Americans all is "peachy keen?" Who believes this shit anyway? How can people still buy into this bullshit? Please tell me how spending billions of our tax dollars for a ballroom (yes it is our money, he's lying) countless attacks on other countries, giving our tax dollars to bail out Argentina and the list goes on and on! How many trillions are we in the hole now? Why is he allowed to pull all this spending off when most of the funds have been allocated already? I mean, I know because our worthless, traitorous congress turns a blind eye. How long is this going to continue? I'm so sick of this shit!

James Byham's avatar

It got old a long time ago.

mary M keymer's avatar

Thank You Michael ..All that you say is true .. But I believe Trump is beyond the time when you might have been able to reason with him. His cruelist instincts have taken over . He is long past

any self reflection. His great desire has been to become Kim Jong Un. The people surrounding him are working very hard to make that happen. He doesn't really care about affordability. The people around him will start to make sure the people who show up at his rally/speeches will smile and agree with him. sad ... lost in america

Penny Lane's avatar

A growing number of Americans feel openly dismissed when the administration insists there is no affordability crisis, even as prices climb and wages stagnate. To many, that message sounds less like leadership and more like an assumption that the public won’t notice what’s happening in their own bank accounts. Critics argue that the president’s base continues to accept this narrative because the rhetoric is emotionally reassuring, even when the math tells a different story. At the same time, frustration is rising over federal spending priorities—particularly the rapid expansion of immigration‑related programs that some believe are consuming resources that should be easing the financial burden on taxpayers. From this perspective, the government appears more focused on funding policies that strain communities than on addressing the economic pressures hurting American families.

Lisa Leonardi's avatar

My National Grid bill for the month of December was $398.... and my thermostat is set at 64 degrees. $172 of that total was for "delivery". So Long Island National Grid, exactly what does "delivery" of NATURAL GAS entail? Turning a valve on? Screw you National Grid. We ALL know that most of that "delivery" charge went into some greedy corporate slimebag's pocket at the top of your food chain.

Dawn Cali's avatar

Lisa, everyone's Heating/Cooling bills are going up and up!

Hopefully this also fuels the resistance to this Administration.

Americans deserve better.

James Byham's avatar

Same here in SE Pennsylvania where Exelon is shafting us, they even have a Republican former house speaker distributing " campaign " money to current state house and Senate members. Exelon also buys off local public officials to privatize water and wastewater systems that were formerly public, and then a couple of years later people are screaming about their bills going up anywhere from 30 percent to 70 percent EVERY year, well your so called representatives sold you out.

pmpmpm's avatar

The price of gold reflects the inflation and political instability reality. Trump's lawlessness and deficit spending while dissing allies has caused the price to double in less than a year! Even foreign central banks are dumping dollars for gold.