Social Security

For 15 Years, No Republican Plan For Health Insurance, And Still None!

Ronald 3 Comments

With five weeks to go until 2026 arrives, the Republican Party, once again, has no plan or ideas about health insurance for millions of Americans, who have relied on the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) since its passage in 2010, to provide health care coverage.

The truth is that Republicans have been, as a party, vehemently opposed to Obama Care, to a great extent, because it is the accomplishment of former President Barack Obama, so the reality is that Racism is a major factor in their rejection.

For 15 years, Republicans have shown a lack of concern about this premier issue, and if it was not for Chief Justice John Roberts in 2013, and Arizona Senator John McCain in 2017, the Affordable Care Act would have been obliterated years ago.

This is nothing new for the Republican Party, which has been opposed to Medicare and Medicaid, enacted into law under President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and 1966 respectively.

It is also the reality that the Republican Party has been opposed to Social Security since it became law under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935.

Had the Democratic Party not controlled the House of Representatives for 58 of 62 years from 1932-1994, and controlled the US Senate for 52 of 62 years from 1932-1994, America would not have had these premier examples of social justice.

The fact that Congress has been so evenly divided since 1994 has complicated the ability of the federal government to deal with health care and so much else in a statesmanlike manner, and endangers the lives and health of millions of Americans, moving forward!

Massive Setbacks On A Century And More Of Reforms Since Theodore Roosevelt!

Ronald 36 Comments

The United States, from the time of Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era (1900-1917), began what has been a century of massive political, social, and economic reform, making America a growing vibrant democracy that survived two World Wars and the Cold War.

But now, under Donald Trump and his evil aims, America is in the process of losing a multitude of reforms that have benefited the nation.

Among them:

Environmental legislation
Consumer legislation
Social Security
Medicare and Medicaid
Women Suffrage
Civil Rights Legislation
Labor Legislation
Corporate Regulations
Housing Legislation
Agricultural Legislation
Disabilities Legislation
Immigration Reforms
Educational Legislation

These areas of reform occurred under multiple Presidents of both parties.

But leave it to “Project 2025”, and the entire century plus of reforms and commitment to a better nation for all, is in the process of being wiped out!

Imagining if Lyndon B. Johnson Were To Meet Donald Trump!

Ronald 20 Comments

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) was the second greatest domestic policy President after Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Both Democratic Presidents gave America its greatest social welfare and social safety network with Medicare and Medicaid under LBJ, and Social Security under FDR.

But LBJ went much further with great accomplishments in other areas of reform, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, greatly expanded the National Defense Education Act, fighting poverty in both rural and urban America, environmental and consumer reforms, promotion of NPR and PBS, immigration reform, and other reforms, more than anyone since FDR and after LBJ to the present!

So, if LBJ were alive today, and saw what Donald Trump has done in his first Presidency, and his unmatched level of cruelty in his much more oppressive, repressive second term in just less than four months, he would have open confrontations with Trump, and would use the most vile, salty language imaginable!

And with his domineering personality traits, LBJ would put Trump in his place and tame him, without an ounce of being “gentlemanly” in any sense!

Civil War Ended 160 Years Ago Today, But New Civil War Burgeoning Over Trump Tariff War On Middle And Working Class! :(

Ronald 5 Comments

Today, April 9, 1865–160 years ago—the American Civil War came to an end, with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

It is sad on this commemorative anniversary that America is engaged in a Tariff War with the entire world, undermining the American and world economy, as well as international diplomacy!

This burgeoning Tariff War endangers a breakdown in American society, as retirement accounts are destroyed, and as the social safety system of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other essential programs lie in disarray, undermining security for tens of millions of Americans.

With all of the guns millions of Americans own, the possibility of a new Civil War is horrifying, but a real possibility.

The tensions against the superwealthy will escalate by the middle and working classes, and the racial, ethnic, religious, and gender tensions that are being provoked, also represent a dire threat to the survival of American democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law.

In Two Days, Trump Has Destroyed Tens Of Millions’ Economic Security!

Ronald 11 Comments

In just two days, Donald Trump has destroyed tens of millions’s economic security, with his Tariff Wars on the entire world, except, interestingly, for such authoritarian governments as the Russian Federation, Cuba, North Korea, and Belarus!

People’s retirement accounts and economic well being, regarding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and so much else, are being systematically destroyed by the extremist right wing assault headed by Elon Musk, with Donald Trump’s endorsement.

THe nation and the world are in the grips of a maniacal, dangerous tyrant, who seems to have no concern for the damage he has wrought!

One of his unnamed White House aides used the F word, to say Donald Trump did not give a F—-about anyone who opposed what is doing, and that he is not going to change course.

This is a massive domestic and worldwide crisis that undermines everything decent that the United States has promoted and believed in!

Democrats, including Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy,—and Republicans, including Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Thom Tillis, Chuck Grassley, Don Bacon—are sounding the alarm, and Congress must unite with Democrats and a handful of Republicans to stop the dangerous, destructive tariff wars that are undermining the American economy and well being of its citizens, as well as the world at large!

The Attack On Social Security By Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Absolutely Despicable! :(

Ronald 6 Comments

It is extremely disconcerting and highly outrageous that Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick ridiculed the idea that Americans would be upset if Social Security was not paid on time monthly in the future.

Lutnick said only “fraudsters” would be upset, and that his 94 year old mother in law would not complain if Social Security missed her monthly payment, as she would consider it a mistake and wait patiently for the next month!

Of course Howard Lutnick is a multibillionaire who can easily help his mother in law, but millions of people depend on Social Security for their survival, and have worked and earned what they gain in their old age or if disabled!

Elon Musk may call Social Security “A Ponzi Scheme”, but it is anything BUT that!

A personal note here, that I knew Howard Lutnick’s father 50 years ago before his death from cancer in 1979, as he was an historian of the American Revolution at my undergraduate alma mater, Queens College of the City University of New York.

I can assert as quite likely, knowing Sol Lutnick, a good man, that he would be furious if he knew that his son was so mean spirited, so selfish, so outrageous, so cocky, so infuraiting as Howard Lutnick is!

Trump State Of The Union Address: Highly Divisive And Lies, Lies, Lies! :(

Ronald 14 Comments

Donald Trump gave the longest State of the Union speech ever delivered last evening, about 9,900 words lasting about 100 minutes, surpassing Bill Clinton’s State of the Union speech in 2000.

The speech was highly, extremely divisive, unusual as Presidents usually try to promote a sense of unity when giving the State of the Union address, even with the opposition party, but instead Trump was gloating about his victory, which he exaggerated regarding its magnitude.

Trump, as usual, lied, lied, and lied some more, distorting and exaggerating reality, facts, and truth.

Trump lied about Joe Biden’s record, calling him the worst President in US History (which was an example of projection about himself).

Trump also took a dig against Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the primary promoter of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that became law under Barack Obama, but now is on the chopping block.

Trump also claimed that there are people over 100 years of age, up to 300 years old, who are collecting Social Security, a clearcut attack on that program that has existed for 90 years since the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt. There is fear that Social Security may not be paid in future months, due to the claims of waste, fraud, and abuse that are totally preposterous, and with layoffs of civil service employees in that agency.

Trump also promoted the idea of seizing the Panama Canal and taking over Greenland from Denmark, which will antagonize Latin America and NATO respectively, as Trump promotes “imperialism”.

Watching the smirks of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance was infuriating, as the nation clearly is evenly divided, but there was no interest in crossing the aisle and promoting cooperation, with the Congress more divisive and the majority unconcerned about compromise and negotiation.

Trump’s promotion of tariffs with Canada, Mexico, and China will raise the cost of living dramatically, and soon, and goes against the record of history, that tariffs are counterproductive.

Plaudits to newly elected Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union, and introduced herself to the nation as a legislator who should be respected and paid attention to in the future of the Democratic Party.

The battle ahead for the average American taxpayer and families will be a long, bitter struggle, but the Democrats must not sit on the sidelines, but instead march, demonstrate, organize, and vigorously fight with every bone in their bodies against the extreme right wing tilt of the Republican Party, which has repudiated so much of their heritage over 170 years of their history from Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan!

Musk, Ramaswamy Want To Destroy Federal Programs, Must Be Prevented

Ronald Leave a comment

The unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formed by Donald Trump, and headed by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy has no government authority, but is insanely proposing cutting the federal budget by up to $2 trillion, or one third of the total government spending, purely insane in nature!

Rather than raise taxes on billionaires and millionaires, including Musk and Ramaswamy, as well as other less wealthy, but prosperous Americans, so that they pay their “fair share”, Donald Trump wants another massive trillions of dollars tax cut for the elite wealthy, similar to his massive tax cuts in 2017, and earlier ones under George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

About one fourth of all of the national debt of America occurred under Donald Trump in his first term, and he is ready to add trillions to the national debt while cutting important programs.

Among those being targeted are:

Veterans Health Care
Drug Development and Opioid Addiction Treatment
State Department Funding
Housing Assistance
Justice Department Funding
Education Spending
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Health Care (Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama Care)
Federal Student Loan Program
International Security Programs
Head Start Program

Additionally, the goal is to cut the federal work force, get rid of talented and competent and experienced public servants, and hire lackeys who would do Donald Trump’s bidding, and in the process, promoting total chaos and anarchy in the federal government.

Also, some Republican members of Congress would love to get rid of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, programs adopted under Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, and constantly the subject of attacks by right wing forces!

Democrats, while not the majority, must do whatever they can to prevent such outrageous actions, finding those Republicans in both houses who have principles and ethics, too few, but they are there!

This is a true existential crisis of massive proportions, and every effort imaginable must be waged to prevent such a disastrous set of circumstances that would destroy the federal government!

Our government cannot go back to “states rights”, which supposedly was resolved by the Civil War!

The Gilded Age was the late 19th century, and we cannot go back 150 years under any circumstances!

Trump’s Proposed Department Of Government Efficiency Headed By Musk And Ramaswamy A Threat To American Democracy!

admin 10 Comments

An attack on the federal bureaucracy has been proposed by Donald Trump, with his idea of a new Department of Government Efficiency, to be pursued by two billionaires—Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy!

This is an attack on American democracy and the authority of the legislative branch, as the proposal is to cut the federal budget by about one third, saving $2 trillion, out of a $6.5 trillion national budget!

There are very few public figures more oboxious, all knowing, and arrogant than Musk and Ramaswamy, and the irony is that they want to create a new government agency to cut funding on other government agencies, truly looney.

Ramaswamy wants to cut the Department of Education, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service, and also, overall, cut the federal work force by 75 percent.

That should, on its own, be enough to declare these two arrogant, super wealthy prima donnas, as totally off the wall lunatics, and the ideas they promoted are basically anarchistic in nature, and needs to be repudiated in an aggressive manner!

Massive cuts in Social Security and defense spending would be required under this lunatic plan, and instead, both Musk and Ramaswamy need to be told to go back to enrichment of their own fortunes, and leave the American people alone!

Project 2025: War On Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, FDA, Affordable Care Act

admin Leave a comment

This author and blogger will delineate over the next days and weeks just how destructive the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 would be if enacted, with Donald Trump fully aware of the details, despite his false claim that he has no knowledge of the ideas organized by his own supporters and allies.

Regarding basic social programs that have long existed, and are basic to the lives of tens of millions of Americans, Project 2025 promotes the following:

Privatization of Social Security
Raising the Retirement Age for Social Security
Cut Social Security benefits
Cut Medicare benefits
Repeal the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare)
Raise Prescription Drug Prices
Dismantle the Food and Drug Administration
Threaten Medicaid Coverage for hundreds of thousands of Americans
Privatize veterans’ healthcare
Reduce funding for public health programs

This is a declaration of war on Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era; Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal; Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society; the reforms promoted by Barack Obama and Joe Biden; and on the Democratic Party promoted reforms that became law under Republican Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush (all having to deal with Democratic controlled Congresses).