In the past week or so, the courts have begun to try to set some boundaries on the MuskāMillerāTrump administrationās early blitz of recklessness.
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This judicial review provides at least a small reprieve, hope that some of the administrationās most destructive impulses will be stopped. Or at least pared back. But even with the courts stepping up, and even with the reality of the administrationās ineptitude sinking in, this early MuskāMillerāTrump blitz remains veryāmaybe irreparablyādamaging. Of course, there are a lot of moles to whack: the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are being dismantled at an alarming rate, and the court system is not known for being nimble. The administration is betting, perhaps rightly, that at least some of its thoughtless, lawless efforts will slip through the cracks.
But even if the courts caught them allāand even if every court facing each lawless escapade said, āNope, thatās not a thingāāstill the entire process would be doing serious damage to our institutions. Think of it as someone spoofing your identity and going on a shopping spree with your credit cards. Even if the goon gets caught, you still have to go store by store to argue that the fraudulent purchase wasnāt legitimate and hope the debt is forgiven. And all the while, perhaps long after all the debts are dealt with, the torrent of uncertainty kills your credit score.
Ya know how about 2/3rds of the internet population is now on at least 1 watchlist because of supporting Mangione. The second we start seeing vulnerable citizens having their medicare/medicaid/food stamps/gov housing/anything I missed that our taxes pay for to keep people from dying in a ditch during a snow storm/benefits actually cut. You know, like the second 2 small children citizens freeze to death because of funding cuts while the rich refuse to pay their fair share. I say we all, in unison, do something so illegal it requires a legal response, but since so many of us are doing it they wonāt be able to pick out anyone to single out for certain so we can all keep doing it as they freak out and go after whomever they feel is vulnerable. Like whoās the one person itās illegal to threaten to kill? What would happen if 75million of us did it at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon? Pure, unadulterated chaos. Just if some kind of āthreat protestā were to take place because of small children dying while rich fucks slept in late, and now a bill for more benefit cuts is being considered, you yourself should absolutely be prepared to be targeted as a ring leader because they will target the weakest and try to use them as a scape goat, I can almost guarantee the current Reichās SS wouldnāt have the balls to knock on the door of someone that lifts 80lbs of dry cement with 1 hand and is documented as āshould already be dead we donāt know what the fuck.ā I could be wrong, and if I am, nothing would make me happier than sum small nut little man that everyone thinks is a badass finally going toe to toe with meā¦ But I have no doubt they would pick on a highschooler, or housewife, or a software engineer. So be ware of how they view you before you stand up bravely, you donāt want to be the reason the cement beast goes on a rampage, you want to live to see the cement beast go on a rampage. Also, Iām not advocating for any actions at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon, but at the rate they are looking to āslashā benefits for the average Citizen, and frankly Iāve had everything taken from me already, Iām not on government benefits but my family is, and Iām done having everything taken. Iām Jim Carrey and this is fun with Dick and Jane - āI got the lawn backā. Take again, and I will take whatever I can, and Iāve already seen how your little Piggyās cow toe for me. I would too if I was weak like them.
Letās all stop paying federal taxes
Doing only that would just give them more fodder to complain about a deficit. Mass violent resistance is just an excuse for crackdowns and martial law.
One interesting and simple idea Iāve seen is just opting out of the consumer economy. Americans in any socioeconomic strata can just stop buying anything but the bare minimum.
General strikes are effective but hard to coordinate and maintain, most people canāt risk skipping a paycheck. But anyone can switch to beans and rice, cancel subscriptions, learn to repair their own clothes, buy a phone second hand, etcā¦ Since a massive portion of our economy is driven by that spending (68% of our GDP) it would definitely hurt, but they couldnāt ignore it.
Itās easy to do and doesnāt have an outsized impact on poor or at risk groups, and itās not all or nothing so any way you can cut helps. I wonder how theyād react to 200 million people on an economic hunger strikeā¦
What could possibly go wrong?