Four members of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) filed a lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after HUD, with no warning, terminated Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grants.
Every single day, we're bombarded with yet another tone deaf and unconscionable action by the power-mad Convicted Felon. I pray each day that his hubris will lead to his downfall and Congress will grow a spine so they can impeach him for the multiple crimes he's committed in just under two months.
Sigh. Every day I read comments like this one and try hard to resist responding as it inflames people who are so convinced that a knight on a white horse is going to ride in and save us instantaneously. I wish it were so.
Congress, at least in the present term which runs through Jan 3, 2027, 22 months from now, isn't going to save us. The Congress is currently led by the GOP in both houses and while the margins are small, they are virtually insurmountable. Your prayers will sadly go unanswered.
I WISH IT WEREN'T SO but what I have learned in my 73 (soon to be 74) years is that wishful thinking is wasteful thinking. What we need today are small but meaningful measures to resist the onslaught. We aren't going to win every battle or even most of them, but we will win some, in the courts, and in the court of public opinion.
But to think that this will change the minds of the recalcitrant and ignorant Senators and Congress critters who hold the slim margins in both houses is folly. There are a few who might change their minds in a very few isolated cases (like aid to Ukraine) but in general, they are living in fear of Trump and his minions and they are dazzled by the speed in which the government has been leveled.
Shock and Awe they call it in war and it turns out that it is pretty much the same in Washingtonian politics.
For right now, we all need to pay attention to our local areas and make sure that we all have the minimum we need to care for our families and our friends. Then we need to pay attention to the 2026 mid-term elections, for I believe those will be existentially critical: winning control of the House and Senate in 2026 will be a large plug in the dike which will hopefully hold until the Trump cabal can be ousted in 2028.
But spending time demanding someone to do something now is great theater but isn't going to get us any real salvation, and it may draw our attention away from the important issues noted above. This is something that Democrats have done repeatedly over the years, i.e., worry about instant but unattainable remedies and taken our eye off of longer term but more rational gains. We can not do that this go-round. I believe the future of our country depends on winning in 2026. We can survive (albeit painfully) for 2 years of this madness, but I do not believe we can survive four.
I agree with some of what you say, but imho, anyone who talks about 2028 elections is pretty naive at this point. We'll be lucky to have anything resembling free & fair ones in 2026, and that looks less likely every day. For the life of me, I can't figured out how members of Congress are more scared of being primaried than they are of losing democracy, in which case they'll never be holding office again, and neither will anyone else who hasn't kissed Satan's feet...possible literally.
Based on all the clips of republican town meetings (or lack thereof) none of these nazi bastards will get reelected. They don’t need to worry about primaries. There isn’t a town or city that can handle the unemployment that doge is creating. And there won’t be any unemployment money either because I am sure that is “wasteful.”
One can only hope, but I've already seen a short video from a woman with buyer's remorse who did get fired, and after showing a couple of other people saying they are unhappy about everything he's doing, too, the first woman said, "if we had the election now 'I don't think I could vote for him again,'" and she sounded upset saying it. She didn't THINK she could vote for him again!!
I can't find it now so maybe I'm dreaming, but I think I read that some of them are afraid of much more than losing their seats. I think some have been threatened with harm to themselves and their famlies. Especially since some of the goons have been pardoned and will "stand by" Trump. Not that it's an excuse to be cowards, but it sure explainns some of it.
Well, that is a legitimate concern/fear since we no longer have an honest justice system to turn to for help. When the president himself can publicly declare an enemies list we are f**ked as a country. His speech to the justice department was the official calendar day our democracy died. We now live under an authoritarian regime.
What I don't see is a recognition of what is possible. Expressing feelings is great but right now much of that is accompanied by an abstract and somewhat irrational expectation of some kind of "salvation" when in fact no such option really exists. And what is, for me, worse, is that this leads to people taking positions that are untenable, and avoids concentration on the things that CAN be done to alleviate the present pain.
I apologize if this offends some people, but we need to focus on the things that we CAN accomplish instead of spending time (wasted, IMHO) on notions that are simply not even in the realm of possibility. For instance, there has been an increased level of people hoping for and even demanding that Trump be impeached. Sometimes it seems many have forgotten that impeachment itself does little other than to make an accusation (like an indictment). To get rid of Trump would require an impeachment trial and conviction by 2/3 of the Senate. Anyone with half a brain will realize, looking at the current Senate make up that such an outcome is virtually impossible.
What can we accomplish? We can make sure our local political mechanisms are doing the best they can. We can focus our attention on the 2026 mid-term elections which are just over 20 months away, not a huge period of time in normal poitical calendars. And yes, we can continue to hold the feet of our Senators and Congress critters to the fire and demand that they do everything possible to hold back the onslaught.
Today, for instance, a number of Democratic senators led by Chuck Schumer decided to support the GOP budget resolution to avoid a government shutdown. It wasn't the ideal decision, but given the alternatives it was probably the best that can be done in the current political situation. Closing down the government would likely give Trump even more power.
Politics IS (as stated in a great song in the musical Evita) is the Art of the Possible. Not everything we want is possible, especially these days. We need to focus on what IS possible to make sure that we survive until we can turn the tide and take back the government.
And when we do that, hopefully we will ALSO have the brains and fortitude to do things that we could have done in 2021 but chose not to... i.e., make necessary changes to the structures we have in place today so that we can reduce the chances that another occurrence of this administration is less likely to happen.
If I may add to your comment, Jon, don’t forget your state offices as well. Here in Ohio, the corruption is nothing short of stunning. Yet, nearly 50% of office holders run unopposed, or vs. a woefully underfunded candidate. If folks want to ‘fight’, join your local Indivisible group. We all have one nearby. Or join and donate to Run For Something. Lots of young people wanting to help by being part of the solution. But changing the dynamics in your state will go a long way towards changing the national mess, too.
Great advice for the general populace. Fortunately I live in California in San Francisco and my problem in local politics is keeping my far leftist allies from going off the tracks in the wrong directions (which they do often and which I have great sympathy for but which even in a city like San Francisco aren't very "politic" ways to do politics). But I agree, we can't let our local governments fall victim to the national malaise.
I’m a tiny Blue dot here, but it’s what I tell folks here. Nationally, the vote, and the damage, is done. There will be no impeachment before ‘27, and even then, it won’t get through the Senate. So pay attention locally, and do something in your State. If I weren’t 70, I’d be putting my campaign together right now. Thanks for keeping it real, Jon.
Try contacting your “leaders” in Florida. Rick Scott? Rubio got his hifalutin’ job and is now a turncoat. His replacement, Ashley Moody, was our Attorney General and she’s rightwing. DeSantis is off the rails.
You know Katz, you are pretty impossible. What a crock to make a statement like that. I have put up with your crackpot comments a lot and frankly you bore me. Good bye and hopefully good riddance.
Jon Rosen. We are all experiencing mixed emotions in response to the relentless onslaught and subsequent suffering and don't need someone to tell us how to think or feel. Or even what to do. If you have ideas for how to resist the onslaught just express them without belittling another. As Joyce says we are in this TOGETHER.
I think I need to check out of here again. Sadly people simply do not want to entertain views that obviously create some pain right now. I get that, but I don't enjoy expressing my own views and being attacked for that as I have been by several people here. As they say, if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Since I appear to be creating too much heat, maybe it is best that I stay away as well. Sadly, I think not being willing to listen to other peoples' views without being offended is not a great recipe for democracy.
Maybe we HAVE already lost. If the people who are most needed to win back what we have lost are exiled because no one wants to hear their views which may be difficult to accept, well there is no real solution to that, sad as I believe it is for our democracy.
Democracy was created by a bunch of people with highly controversial and often disagreeing views. But those people (sadly all men at the time) were able to tolerate each other enough to come to the solution that ultimately created the United States.
I think you are perhaps not getting the gist of my comment. I personally was not attacking (to use your word) your views about what needs to be done. And in fact, have long appreciated your opinions. You attacked with apparent frustration and “superior opinion”, Krista's comment as a prelude to your own post. My point was “don’t attack”, just freely express your views in a comment. You could have posted without your first paragraph.
Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. I understand that I can get officious at times, it comes with the territory that is me, being a radical and all. But I have also tried hard to provide views that make some sense as I often feel that many people here are so frustrated by the lack of agency in this process that calling people names works better than spending time to come up with cogent paths to a goal. I even fall victim to that at times, as you have noted. Its not personal, I promise. It just comes from the frustration of the times.
Hang tough, Jon. I respect your sober analysis and respectful disagreements, and I take them as an antidote to my own sometimes fantastical views about the mess we are in and the remedies for righting the ship.
Please keep on sharing your opinions and comments.
We cannot win unless we do something about the Republicans purging votes (go to GregPalast.com and watch “Vigilantes, Inc.) and correct the hacked election tabulators that were timed on Election Day to skew the votes for Trump so he wouldn’t get less than 60% (& Harris wouldn’t get over 40% of the votes) in the swing states as the votes went past 250 (see the analysis at Election Truth Alliance and SmartElections.US).
There is a resistance movement. These fair housing groups, members of the National Fair Housing Alliance, have sued the Trump Administration. The National Fair Housing Alliance, National Urban League, NAACP-LDF, and other groups are suing the Trump Administration. Judges are ruling against Trump and DOGE. Groups are sponsoring Town Halls. There are large communications efforts underway. Support these groups so the work to save our democracy can continue. Join their Calls to Action. Show up at local rallies and Town Halls. It's working.
Jon, I usually agree with your frigid water in-your-face realism but, there are many important elections in multiple States long before 2026.
Years? No. Months? No. Many weeks? No!
How about 20 days, April 1, 2025, when Wisconsin Voters can extend actual Justice by a cementing a liberal majority into 2028 & beyond.
Judge SUSAN CRAWFORD is running for a 10 Year Wisconsin seat on the Wisconsin Bench. I get Judge Crawford's email updates & sent her my $50 contribution in the face of Musk's 2.1 Million for the mysogynist opponent.
I thought a week ago or so, BARBARA MULLEN, explained in simple terms how everybody could merge their theory with effect work in the real-world short-term, mid-term, & long term.
That's a tough one, but I sure hope Floridians in that district are open to a change. Unfortunately the very idea that they re-elected Gaetz this last election means that those people are highly unlikely to, say, elect a Democrat this time around.
Then again, stranger things have happened in politics! Two Democratic senators including a Jew and a black reverend were elected Senators in GEORGIA(!!!) and I don't think there is anyone who would have bet on that prior to the 2022 election!
One at a time. We must win them all. We mostly understand the destruction this gang has wrought. I donate and I speak out. I destroyed my Amazon credit cards. I don’t even buy Goya beans, lol. The owner was a big supporter of Trump and probably remains so. So it’s all things and not so small things we can support.
This is a great point and I apologize for missing it. OF COURSE if there are imminent elections in certain locations, the people who can have an effect there should be doing everything possible to use those opportunities. My comment was aimed at the more general goal of national political gains. Local gains are ABSOLUTELY important but unfortunately in most cases, people who are not in fact local have little they can contribute. Unfortunately on my social security only income, sending political contributions, even in the amount of $50, is extremely difficult and I need to save mine for both my local California races (if needed) and for the national race in 2028 if we make it that far. But I wish all who have local elections in the intervening periods all the best.
There is no cavalry. If we are fortunate enough to survive 'til the midterms, all well and good. By then, the obstinate MAGA tribe might be more easily persuaded to vote the bastards out. And if that happens, then we just might make it to 2028 and a possible ousting of what ever Republican happens to be occupying the Oval Office.
But I won't bet lunch on it. I give us four months. Less if Social Security checks start getting lost in the mail.
Unfortunately my Senator (Peters- MI) voted to pass the dam CR. I don’t think they know what they did and the consequences. I called to reprimand him. (I had called twice to tell him to vote “NO.”)
I was surprised the cantankerous Rand Paul voted against it. Not surprised Fetterman voted for it. I think that’s why he got depressed. He is in Trump’s pocket I bet.
Michigander here as well. And at least we have a chance of replacing him in 2 years (if we still have elections). I call his office daily and point out he "hasn't retired yet so do your job". Slotkin is worse IMHO.
When I read JV: "The council’s goal is to put an end to housing discrimination, and they carry that out with very specific programs. Among them, informing people about fair housing laws and providing housing information and referrals, counseling, and assistance", I think oh, oh. Sounds like this organization helps out minorities and women, all at the low end of the economic scale. This is clearly not something Trump would ever support. And never has.
This is the real Trump Doctrine: throw working people under the bus while cutting deals for the wealthy. Idaho isn’t exactly a liberal stronghold, but here he is gutting fair housing protections, leaving veterans, the elderly, and domestic violence survivors out in the cold. Meanwhile, billionaire landlords and developers—his real constituency—get a free pass to exploit renters. His voters were promised prosperity, but all theyre getting is eviction notices.
Danielle, It’s the whole program, let them (us in my case) pull themselves up by their bootstraps, sure it’s harder when you have no legs but then just go away there will be no more money spent on your life.
It's unbelievable how "they" keep rolling over justice, human rights, and decency. I often feel a little nauseous when considering the layoffs of civil servants. They face a financial crisis and more, but their missing services will cause a resurrection of all they guarded against. Indeed, I hope someone, somewhere, will stop the tide, but most of all, remove Musk, a conniving, selfish, non-birthright "citizen."
So far, at least IFHC has "only" seen funding slashed, and not been hit by an FBI investigation as has the late Jimmy Carter's Habitat for Humanity, if one can believe it. TechCrunch has the HfH story:
Some non- profits that have received Biden-era grants are now under attack for "fraud", and not only are grant outlays suspended, but now Ka$H Patel's FBI are "looking into" their operations for possible "criminal activity".
Habitat for Humanity???!!?? I've been supporting them for many years, and have even gotten to spend a couple of nights in a Habitat house, owned by someone we know. Habitat is about real Christianity, helping people in need. BTW, Habitat was not Jimmy Carter's. He just worked with them on builds (probably among other things), and lent his name to them. The house we experienced was extremely well built, a stable environment for our friend to raise her children. The idea of an FBI attack for fraud is just unthinkable with that organization. So what if they are into green building? That's part of their overall mission. Sorry for the rant, I'm just really upset by what you've posted.
WOW....went in and read this about the EPA Administer, Zeldin having Citi bank freeze funds from Habitat for Humanity, United Way and some others. Zeldin and others in the Administration do nothing but spout, "Fraud, Waste and Abuse" but have never specifically specified any....so easy to just throw out those terms. It sure does seem like the 'criminals' are running the government...of course led by a Felon!!!!
This is truly amazing. First Idaho is a strongly Republican state, and it has been for decades. Since 1970, it has voted GOP by between 60 and 70 percent in 12 out of 14 elections and in the other two, it voted GOP but by slim margins (the Clinton elections of '92 and '96). It is one of the strongest economies by state in the country, ranking 5th in 2024, based mostly on its vast natural resources. The amount of money given to this small agency is a miniscule part of the Idaho budget but it serves an important part of their community which will need to turn to local sources if it is terminated. Why Trump would permit the financial devastation of this group in a state which has been committed to him in all three of his elections is astounding.
The affluent eating the poverty stricken. Why? Because they can.
Your last sentences say it all. As I recall, during the last election cycle, trump told his voters he didn't need them. And now that he's in office he doesn't need them. So he doesn't care, if he ever did. The Idaho voters' loyalty means nothing to him because they won't make him rich.
Excuse me, David, but where are the "leaders'" benevolent hands? Benevolence is far from the hands of those "leaders". It's an unknown concept for them. IMO.
So correct! (Autocorrect first had me write “corrupt”—that, too.) Such a broad unmistakable target - hubris, hypocrisy, illogic - that I can’t resist a cynical poke.
That emperor: Which defeated him—his nakedness … or the laughter?
This was in Idaho, a very red state, yet I’m sure none of their elected officials questioned it. I wonder how many multi-millionaires there are in Idaho who will benefit from the giant tax cut coming their way vs. how many people were having their lives saved by these grants?
DOGE needs to be changed to DOUSAD: Department Of Unnecessary Suffering and Death.
I don’t know how the Heritage Foundation managed to find so many very rich sociopaths and get them excited about destroying everything the government does that helps people who need help, so that they can keep more of their obscene personal wealth? But they have managed to do that, and also get their extremely selfish but skilled psychopathic candidate reelected. And now they are attempting to get everything they can, as fast as they can. They know they need to do this before Madame Defarge catches up with them.
The best answer to this is to EVICT the current resident of the people's house, THE WHITE HOUSE, for violating the terms of the lease...to govern fairly for all people euqally as he swore to uphold the laws that allow him to LIVE in said premises...let him go to his sad estate in FLORIDUH! and rrepay what he has stolen from us via the Secret Service protections he charges us to take care of him and his beastly family of grifters...NONE are allowed to live in the people's house any longer and the same goes for the HILLBILLY living in the VP housing...same lease violations...NOW
HillBilly? That sounded rather derogatory to me. We really cannot afford to even appear to be divided and likely to exclude anyone. Even hillbillies! Re your post, he also should not be in our House due to the 14th Amendment. He was given a pass which has to stop! His unconstitutional presence in our House is little different from people coming across the border into a place he feels they do not belong. Neither does he!
PLURALITY PRESIDENT: “HE WHO SAVES HIS COUNTRY DOES NOT VIOLATE ANY LAW”
I was gobsmacked by Trump’s claim that he has the right to violate any law: ‘He who saves his country does not violate any law.”
In fact, he was elected by a plurality and nearly 40% of the electorate didn’t vote.
In my 91 years I have witnessed two overwhelming presidential mandates—both of which adhered strictly to the law:
1) FDR’s New Deal and
2) LBJ’s Great Society.
By sharp contrast, Trump re-enters the White House more as a. King than a democratic president. His disregard for law and traditional is clear in his Big Con global tariff ‘card game’ and his desire to seize Greenland and Panama Canal while incorporating Canada as a 51st state.
Domestically, he and Chainsaw Musk have no regard for the law as they seek to destroy the professional civil service that permits a $7 trillion annual operation to function reasonably well.
Where is the outrage that Trump is acting like the king that the Founding Fathers fervently sought to avoid through constitutional checks and balances?
Where is the outrage that Chainsaw Musk is ravaging the professional civil service and shuttering major federal agencies with totally disregard for the law?
Where is the outrage that the Republican senators refused to provide responsible constitutional ‘advise and consent’ when presented with the worst slate of federal appointees in American history.
WHO CAN MAKE ‘KING’ TRUMP ADHERE TO THE CONSTITUTION AND US LAW?
Another scary thing about Musk is his use of SpaceX and Starlink as tool against any Country he doesn't like. First, he cut it off from Ukraine. Then, he threatened to turn it off in Poland. Now, he's threatening Canada.
His plans might be even worse. He is firing FAA personnel, placing our sky at risk. Then, when people lose trust in the FAA, he can come to rescue with, you guessed it, Starlink as a replacement.
I had plans to fly this summer to a festival concert,but after all the sudden issues(that really didn't exist just months ago!)that have been cropping up with the FAA and air travel,I bought Greyhound tickets.
Every single day, we're bombarded with yet another tone deaf and unconscionable action by the power-mad Convicted Felon. I pray each day that his hubris will lead to his downfall and Congress will grow a spine so they can impeach him for the multiple crimes he's committed in just under two months.
Sigh. Every day I read comments like this one and try hard to resist responding as it inflames people who are so convinced that a knight on a white horse is going to ride in and save us instantaneously. I wish it were so.
Congress, at least in the present term which runs through Jan 3, 2027, 22 months from now, isn't going to save us. The Congress is currently led by the GOP in both houses and while the margins are small, they are virtually insurmountable. Your prayers will sadly go unanswered.
I WISH IT WEREN'T SO but what I have learned in my 73 (soon to be 74) years is that wishful thinking is wasteful thinking. What we need today are small but meaningful measures to resist the onslaught. We aren't going to win every battle or even most of them, but we will win some, in the courts, and in the court of public opinion.
But to think that this will change the minds of the recalcitrant and ignorant Senators and Congress critters who hold the slim margins in both houses is folly. There are a few who might change their minds in a very few isolated cases (like aid to Ukraine) but in general, they are living in fear of Trump and his minions and they are dazzled by the speed in which the government has been leveled.
Shock and Awe they call it in war and it turns out that it is pretty much the same in Washingtonian politics.
For right now, we all need to pay attention to our local areas and make sure that we all have the minimum we need to care for our families and our friends. Then we need to pay attention to the 2026 mid-term elections, for I believe those will be existentially critical: winning control of the House and Senate in 2026 will be a large plug in the dike which will hopefully hold until the Trump cabal can be ousted in 2028.
But spending time demanding someone to do something now is great theater but isn't going to get us any real salvation, and it may draw our attention away from the important issues noted above. This is something that Democrats have done repeatedly over the years, i.e., worry about instant but unattainable remedies and taken our eye off of longer term but more rational gains. We can not do that this go-round. I believe the future of our country depends on winning in 2026. We can survive (albeit painfully) for 2 years of this madness, but I do not believe we can survive four.
I agree with some of what you say, but imho, anyone who talks about 2028 elections is pretty naive at this point. We'll be lucky to have anything resembling free & fair ones in 2026, and that looks less likely every day. For the life of me, I can't figured out how members of Congress are more scared of being primaried than they are of losing democracy, in which case they'll never be holding office again, and neither will anyone else who hasn't kissed Satan's feet...possible literally.
Based on all the clips of republican town meetings (or lack thereof) none of these nazi bastards will get reelected. They don’t need to worry about primaries. There isn’t a town or city that can handle the unemployment that doge is creating. And there won’t be any unemployment money either because I am sure that is “wasteful.”
One can only hope, but I've already seen a short video from a woman with buyer's remorse who did get fired, and after showing a couple of other people saying they are unhappy about everything he's doing, too, the first woman said, "if we had the election now 'I don't think I could vote for him again,'" and she sounded upset saying it. She didn't THINK she could vote for him again!!
I can't find it now so maybe I'm dreaming, but I think I read that some of them are afraid of much more than losing their seats. I think some have been threatened with harm to themselves and their famlies. Especially since some of the goons have been pardoned and will "stand by" Trump. Not that it's an excuse to be cowards, but it sure explainns some of it.
Well, that is a legitimate concern/fear since we no longer have an honest justice system to turn to for help. When the president himself can publicly declare an enemies list we are f**ked as a country. His speech to the justice department was the official calendar day our democracy died. We now live under an authoritarian regime.
That’s exactly what I worry about. The naivety of so many will probably be our undoing.
Sigh........
And, it’s totally ok for one to express their feelings.
What I don't see is a recognition of what is possible. Expressing feelings is great but right now much of that is accompanied by an abstract and somewhat irrational expectation of some kind of "salvation" when in fact no such option really exists. And what is, for me, worse, is that this leads to people taking positions that are untenable, and avoids concentration on the things that CAN be done to alleviate the present pain.
I apologize if this offends some people, but we need to focus on the things that we CAN accomplish instead of spending time (wasted, IMHO) on notions that are simply not even in the realm of possibility. For instance, there has been an increased level of people hoping for and even demanding that Trump be impeached. Sometimes it seems many have forgotten that impeachment itself does little other than to make an accusation (like an indictment). To get rid of Trump would require an impeachment trial and conviction by 2/3 of the Senate. Anyone with half a brain will realize, looking at the current Senate make up that such an outcome is virtually impossible.
What can we accomplish? We can make sure our local political mechanisms are doing the best they can. We can focus our attention on the 2026 mid-term elections which are just over 20 months away, not a huge period of time in normal poitical calendars. And yes, we can continue to hold the feet of our Senators and Congress critters to the fire and demand that they do everything possible to hold back the onslaught.
Today, for instance, a number of Democratic senators led by Chuck Schumer decided to support the GOP budget resolution to avoid a government shutdown. It wasn't the ideal decision, but given the alternatives it was probably the best that can be done in the current political situation. Closing down the government would likely give Trump even more power.
Politics IS (as stated in a great song in the musical Evita) is the Art of the Possible. Not everything we want is possible, especially these days. We need to focus on what IS possible to make sure that we survive until we can turn the tide and take back the government.
And when we do that, hopefully we will ALSO have the brains and fortitude to do things that we could have done in 2021 but chose not to... i.e., make necessary changes to the structures we have in place today so that we can reduce the chances that another occurrence of this administration is less likely to happen.
If I may add to your comment, Jon, don’t forget your state offices as well. Here in Ohio, the corruption is nothing short of stunning. Yet, nearly 50% of office holders run unopposed, or vs. a woefully underfunded candidate. If folks want to ‘fight’, join your local Indivisible group. We all have one nearby. Or join and donate to Run For Something. Lots of young people wanting to help by being part of the solution. But changing the dynamics in your state will go a long way towards changing the national mess, too.
Great advice for the general populace. Fortunately I live in California in San Francisco and my problem in local politics is keeping my far leftist allies from going off the tracks in the wrong directions (which they do often and which I have great sympathy for but which even in a city like San Francisco aren't very "politic" ways to do politics). But I agree, we can't let our local governments fall victim to the national malaise.
Best of luck wherever you are.
I’m a tiny Blue dot here, but it’s what I tell folks here. Nationally, the vote, and the damage, is done. There will be no impeachment before ‘27, and even then, it won’t get through the Senate. So pay attention locally, and do something in your State. If I weren’t 70, I’d be putting my campaign together right now. Thanks for keeping it real, Jon.
Try contacting your “leaders” in Florida. Rick Scott? Rubio got his hifalutin’ job and is now a turncoat. His replacement, Ashley Moody, was our Attorney General and she’s rightwing. DeSantis is off the rails.
Tell hi, WB. Rosen doesn’t always understand the need to express oneself unless it’s him. Do you Rosen?
You know Katz, you are pretty impossible. What a crock to make a statement like that. I have put up with your crackpot comments a lot and frankly you bore me. Good bye and hopefully good riddance.
Get a haircut, Rosen. And it’s Mr Katz to you and don’t you forget it.
Jon Rosen. We are all experiencing mixed emotions in response to the relentless onslaught and subsequent suffering and don't need someone to tell us how to think or feel. Or even what to do. If you have ideas for how to resist the onslaught just express them without belittling another. As Joyce says we are in this TOGETHER.
I think I need to check out of here again. Sadly people simply do not want to entertain views that obviously create some pain right now. I get that, but I don't enjoy expressing my own views and being attacked for that as I have been by several people here. As they say, if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Since I appear to be creating too much heat, maybe it is best that I stay away as well. Sadly, I think not being willing to listen to other peoples' views without being offended is not a great recipe for democracy.
Maybe we HAVE already lost. If the people who are most needed to win back what we have lost are exiled because no one wants to hear their views which may be difficult to accept, well there is no real solution to that, sad as I believe it is for our democracy.
Democracy was created by a bunch of people with highly controversial and often disagreeing views. But those people (sadly all men at the time) were able to tolerate each other enough to come to the solution that ultimately created the United States.
I wonder if such people even exist any more?
I think you are perhaps not getting the gist of my comment. I personally was not attacking (to use your word) your views about what needs to be done. And in fact, have long appreciated your opinions. You attacked with apparent frustration and “superior opinion”, Krista's comment as a prelude to your own post. My point was “don’t attack”, just freely express your views in a comment. You could have posted without your first paragraph.
Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. I understand that I can get officious at times, it comes with the territory that is me, being a radical and all. But I have also tried hard to provide views that make some sense as I often feel that many people here are so frustrated by the lack of agency in this process that calling people names works better than spending time to come up with cogent paths to a goal. I even fall victim to that at times, as you have noted. Its not personal, I promise. It just comes from the frustration of the times.
Sigh...
Hang tough, Jon. I respect your sober analysis and respectful disagreements, and I take them as an antidote to my own sometimes fantastical views about the mess we are in and the remedies for righting the ship.
Please keep on sharing your opinions and comments.
I don't see where Jon belittled the commenter or told her how to feel.
He's simply expressing his opinion about wishful thinking and what might be more effective.
Her profile does say she's looking to engage with diverse viewpoints.
Reread his first paragraph.
We cannot win unless we do something about the Republicans purging votes (go to GregPalast.com and watch “Vigilantes, Inc.) and correct the hacked election tabulators that were timed on Election Day to skew the votes for Trump so he wouldn’t get less than 60% (& Harris wouldn’t get over 40% of the votes) in the swing states as the votes went past 250 (see the analysis at Election Truth Alliance and SmartElections.US).
There is a resistance movement. These fair housing groups, members of the National Fair Housing Alliance, have sued the Trump Administration. The National Fair Housing Alliance, National Urban League, NAACP-LDF, and other groups are suing the Trump Administration. Judges are ruling against Trump and DOGE. Groups are sponsoring Town Halls. There are large communications efforts underway. Support these groups so the work to save our democracy can continue. Join their Calls to Action. Show up at local rallies and Town Halls. It's working.
Jon, I usually agree with your frigid water in-your-face realism but, there are many important elections in multiple States long before 2026.
Years? No. Months? No. Many weeks? No!
How about 20 days, April 1, 2025, when Wisconsin Voters can extend actual Justice by a cementing a liberal majority into 2028 & beyond.
Judge SUSAN CRAWFORD is running for a 10 Year Wisconsin seat on the Wisconsin Bench. I get Judge Crawford's email updates & sent her my $50 contribution in the face of Musk's 2.1 Million for the mysogynist opponent.
I thought a week ago or so, BARBARA MULLEN, explained in simple terms how everybody could merge their theory with effect work in the real-world short-term, mid-term, & long term.
Not Waiting for 2026.
There is also one on April 1in Florida,to replace Matt Gaetz.
That's a tough one, but I sure hope Floridians in that district are open to a change. Unfortunately the very idea that they re-elected Gaetz this last election means that those people are highly unlikely to, say, elect a Democrat this time around.
Then again, stranger things have happened in politics! Two Democratic senators including a Jew and a black reverend were elected Senators in GEORGIA(!!!) and I don't think there is anyone who would have bet on that prior to the 2022 election!
One at a time. We must win them all. We mostly understand the destruction this gang has wrought. I donate and I speak out. I destroyed my Amazon credit cards. I don’t even buy Goya beans, lol. The owner was a big supporter of Trump and probably remains so. So it’s all things and not so small things we can support.
This is a great point and I apologize for missing it. OF COURSE if there are imminent elections in certain locations, the people who can have an effect there should be doing everything possible to use those opportunities. My comment was aimed at the more general goal of national political gains. Local gains are ABSOLUTELY important but unfortunately in most cases, people who are not in fact local have little they can contribute. Unfortunately on my social security only income, sending political contributions, even in the amount of $50, is extremely difficult and I need to save mine for both my local California races (if needed) and for the national race in 2028 if we make it that far. But I wish all who have local elections in the intervening periods all the best.
There is no cavalry. If we are fortunate enough to survive 'til the midterms, all well and good. By then, the obstinate MAGA tribe might be more easily persuaded to vote the bastards out. And if that happens, then we just might make it to 2028 and a possible ousting of what ever Republican happens to be occupying the Oval Office.
But I won't bet lunch on it. I give us four months. Less if Social Security checks start getting lost in the mail.
Impeach. Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/remove-impeach-impeach
Call. https://act.commoncause.org/call_campaigns/tell-congress-stop-the-musk-budget/?source=email-share
Unfortunately my Senator (Peters- MI) voted to pass the dam CR. I don’t think they know what they did and the consequences. I called to reprimand him. (I had called twice to tell him to vote “NO.”)
I was surprised the cantankerous Rand Paul voted against it. Not surprised Fetterman voted for it. I think that’s why he got depressed. He is in Trump’s pocket I bet.
Michigander here as well. And at least we have a chance of replacing him in 2 years (if we still have elections). I call his office daily and point out he "hasn't retired yet so do your job". Slotkin is worse IMHO.
But Slotkin voted NO.
THIS time.
When I read JV: "The council’s goal is to put an end to housing discrimination, and they carry that out with very specific programs. Among them, informing people about fair housing laws and providing housing information and referrals, counseling, and assistance", I think oh, oh. Sounds like this organization helps out minorities and women, all at the low end of the economic scale. This is clearly not something Trump would ever support. And never has.
Learned it from his father. Redlining apartments in NYC.
I have friends in NY and NJ.....Trumps and Kushners are well-known 'slumlords'!
Plus, as abusers, they would never do anything to help the abused.
Exactly what I thought!
This is the real Trump Doctrine: throw working people under the bus while cutting deals for the wealthy. Idaho isn’t exactly a liberal stronghold, but here he is gutting fair housing protections, leaving veterans, the elderly, and domestic violence survivors out in the cold. Meanwhile, billionaire landlords and developers—his real constituency—get a free pass to exploit renters. His voters were promised prosperity, but all theyre getting is eviction notices.
Have they noticed yet ? Is their love of him the stuff of jim jones devotion ?
This is horrific and cruel. The current administration has no regard for human life. Joyce thank you for raising awareness on this housing crisis.
Danielle, It’s the whole program, let them (us in my case) pull themselves up by their bootstraps, sure it’s harder when you have no legs but then just go away there will be no more money spent on your life.
A taxpayer, Trump, and Elon Musk walk into a bar.
Trump says, “This is the greatest bar in the world.”
Musk then fires the bar’s only bartender, who leaves.
Taxpayer says, “That was stupid.”
Trump says, “No, that was pure genius. Immigrants will never come to this bar again. Now what will you have? You can have anything you want.”
The bewildered taxpayer says, “Who’s paying?”
Trump says, “You are—not me.”
The devastating cruelty shown by this administration just makes my heart hurt. May they all rot in hell….
It's unbelievable how "they" keep rolling over justice, human rights, and decency. I often feel a little nauseous when considering the layoffs of civil servants. They face a financial crisis and more, but their missing services will cause a resurrection of all they guarded against. Indeed, I hope someone, somewhere, will stop the tide, but most of all, remove Musk, a conniving, selfish, non-birthright "citizen."
The only thing that chainsaw should be used for is on Musk and cronies. What a POS. Here’s to Tesla continuing to sink!
So far, at least IFHC has "only" seen funding slashed, and not been hit by an FBI investigation as has the late Jimmy Carter's Habitat for Humanity, if one can believe it. TechCrunch has the HfH story:
https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/13/fbi-epa-and-treasury-told-citibank-to-freeze-funds-as-trump-administration-tries-to-claw-back-climate-money/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADO4KeE4aHUHdrVcSpi7TuoPI6him8NhMmPhFmHTI21bd5mQYeavK-8FTib_8Ho58rFzroiXLwcorhgtAyBpoHEsjVCnd2k85gg2pdtblk45Og6pXIeA-y00--0yv2_rwBQR5KeRlrFKHuk4Z19la6l-55P0uAvhc5fVdDBxZBfI
Some non- profits that have received Biden-era grants are now under attack for "fraud", and not only are grant outlays suspended, but now Ka$H Patel's FBI are "looking into" their operations for possible "criminal activity".
The reign of terror continues unabated.
Habitat for Humanity???!!?? I've been supporting them for many years, and have even gotten to spend a couple of nights in a Habitat house, owned by someone we know. Habitat is about real Christianity, helping people in need. BTW, Habitat was not Jimmy Carter's. He just worked with them on builds (probably among other things), and lent his name to them. The house we experienced was extremely well built, a stable environment for our friend to raise her children. The idea of an FBI attack for fraud is just unthinkable with that organization. So what if they are into green building? That's part of their overall mission. Sorry for the rant, I'm just really upset by what you've posted.
And in 2025 there is a housing crises.
WOW....went in and read this about the EPA Administer, Zeldin having Citi bank freeze funds from Habitat for Humanity, United Way and some others. Zeldin and others in the Administration do nothing but spout, "Fraud, Waste and Abuse" but have never specifically specified any....so easy to just throw out those terms. It sure does seem like the 'criminals' are running the government...of course led by a Felon!!!!
Musk is trying to claw back money that was previously distributed by using ACH bank transfers. This is chilling - bank accounts can be raided.
Paul Krugman spoke with Nathan Tankus about this https://www.crisesnotes.com/
This is truly amazing. First Idaho is a strongly Republican state, and it has been for decades. Since 1970, it has voted GOP by between 60 and 70 percent in 12 out of 14 elections and in the other two, it voted GOP but by slim margins (the Clinton elections of '92 and '96). It is one of the strongest economies by state in the country, ranking 5th in 2024, based mostly on its vast natural resources. The amount of money given to this small agency is a miniscule part of the Idaho budget but it serves an important part of their community which will need to turn to local sources if it is terminated. Why Trump would permit the financial devastation of this group in a state which has been committed to him in all three of his elections is astounding.
The affluent eating the poverty stricken. Why? Because they can.
Your last sentences say it all. As I recall, during the last election cycle, trump told his voters he didn't need them. And now that he's in office he doesn't need them. So he doesn't care, if he ever did. The Idaho voters' loyalty means nothing to him because they won't make him rich.
Clearly, Trump/Musk wants America dependent on their benevolent leaders’s hands. The law? Temporary hurdle.
Excuse me, David, but where are the "leaders'" benevolent hands? Benevolence is far from the hands of those "leaders". It's an unknown concept for them. IMO.
I think he was being sarcastic.
Thank you, Sandra. When I'm upset I don't get sarcasm.
Sadly, I do. Frustration, anxiety, fear—the tyrant pauses in his threats to be laughed at … or even laugh.
Laws are being thrown under the bus by the minute the law is what the dear leader says. That’s a quote from Nixon, tramp ran with it.
So correct! (Autocorrect first had me write “corrupt”—that, too.) Such a broad unmistakable target - hubris, hypocrisy, illogic - that I can’t resist a cynical poke.
That emperor: Which defeated him—his nakedness … or the laughter?
I am afraid I don’t think they are capable of caring
I’m afraid you’re absolutely right.
This was in Idaho, a very red state, yet I’m sure none of their elected officials questioned it. I wonder how many multi-millionaires there are in Idaho who will benefit from the giant tax cut coming their way vs. how many people were having their lives saved by these grants?
DOGE needs to be changed to DOUSAD: Department Of Unnecessary Suffering and Death.
I don’t know how the Heritage Foundation managed to find so many very rich sociopaths and get them excited about destroying everything the government does that helps people who need help, so that they can keep more of their obscene personal wealth? But they have managed to do that, and also get their extremely selfish but skilled psychopathic candidate reelected. And now they are attempting to get everything they can, as fast as they can. They know they need to do this before Madame Defarge catches up with them.
I looked up Madame Defarge - very apt!
The best answer to this is to EVICT the current resident of the people's house, THE WHITE HOUSE, for violating the terms of the lease...to govern fairly for all people euqally as he swore to uphold the laws that allow him to LIVE in said premises...let him go to his sad estate in FLORIDUH! and rrepay what he has stolen from us via the Secret Service protections he charges us to take care of him and his beastly family of grifters...NONE are allowed to live in the people's house any longer and the same goes for the HILLBILLY living in the VP housing...same lease violations...NOW
HillBilly? That sounded rather derogatory to me. We really cannot afford to even appear to be divided and likely to exclude anyone. Even hillbillies! Re your post, he also should not be in our House due to the 14th Amendment. He was given a pass which has to stop! His unconstitutional presence in our House is little different from people coming across the border into a place he feels they do not belong. Neither does he!
Can we send a copy of this to every member of Congress?
PLURALITY PRESIDENT: “HE WHO SAVES HIS COUNTRY DOES NOT VIOLATE ANY LAW”
I was gobsmacked by Trump’s claim that he has the right to violate any law: ‘He who saves his country does not violate any law.”
In fact, he was elected by a plurality and nearly 40% of the electorate didn’t vote.
In my 91 years I have witnessed two overwhelming presidential mandates—both of which adhered strictly to the law:
1) FDR’s New Deal and
2) LBJ’s Great Society.
By sharp contrast, Trump re-enters the White House more as a. King than a democratic president. His disregard for law and traditional is clear in his Big Con global tariff ‘card game’ and his desire to seize Greenland and Panama Canal while incorporating Canada as a 51st state.
Domestically, he and Chainsaw Musk have no regard for the law as they seek to destroy the professional civil service that permits a $7 trillion annual operation to function reasonably well.
Where is the outrage that Trump is acting like the king that the Founding Fathers fervently sought to avoid through constitutional checks and balances?
Where is the outrage that Chainsaw Musk is ravaging the professional civil service and shuttering major federal agencies with totally disregard for the law?
Where is the outrage that the Republican senators refused to provide responsible constitutional ‘advise and consent’ when presented with the worst slate of federal appointees in American history.
WHO CAN MAKE ‘KING’ TRUMP ADHERE TO THE CONSTITUTION AND US LAW?
Because he pays nothing, he doesn’t care.
Another scary thing about Musk is his use of SpaceX and Starlink as tool against any Country he doesn't like. First, he cut it off from Ukraine. Then, he threatened to turn it off in Poland. Now, he's threatening Canada.
His plans might be even worse. He is firing FAA personnel, placing our sky at risk. Then, when people lose trust in the FAA, he can come to rescue with, you guessed it, Starlink as a replacement.
What happens if he decided to unplug it?
The government of Ontario canceled their Starlink contract. So did the government of Mexico.
Trump would buy and drive a Tesla, but he can't get in ti and he doesn't know how to drive.
I had plans to fly this summer to a festival concert,but after all the sudden issues(that really didn't exist just months ago!)that have been cropping up with the FAA and air travel,I bought Greyhound tickets.
I continue to regret and resent that the button for "Agree" is always labelled "Like."
Who has that button?