Politics today can be summarized in one word: Trump. His executive orders, and the backlash to them, dominate the news cycle. Congressmen and Senators are getting an earful at their Town Hall meetings back home, but that hasn’t given any backbone to them to stand up to Trump. Our Senator Tom Tillis played it safe by having the meeting at the Carolina Country Club, where only the elite are admitted. The North Carolina General Assembly is just beginning its long debate on the upcoming 2-year budget.

Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Maria-Cortez have drawn crowds on their national tour, but Trump doesn’t listen to protesters. He deports them. The numerous lawsuits have ended up in court and are on appeal, which means that nothing has been done to contain him. The court cases will be dragged out just like the criminal cases were prior to his second term. His other primary action has been to take personal revenge against those whom he sees as his enemies. This makes Nixon’s list look petty.

What can we do when a President runs amuck? Apparently very little at this point. Threats of another impeachment are toothless. Public opinion polls are ignored, and so is the stock market -- apparently for the first time. The numbers in the economy are not good, but we are told that is merely temporary during the “transition period.” When that is complete, then the economy will turn around as if by magic. I had predicted a recession within 6 months to a year, and I was surprised that he did it within two months. Yes, the fundamentals are still good, but the paychecks aren’t. That’s for private employers as well as the government.

Apparently even Corporate CEOs aren’t getting much attention, especially when compared with the impact of Elon Musk. The party’s over before most people even know what’s happened.

That includes the people who have been laid off or fired. They just get escorted out the door regardless of how many years they have been employed. Thousands chose the option of leaving voluntarily, but that leaves their retirement in question.

I’m getting hit personally with the threats against Social Security. If I lose my monthly benefits payment, I won’t be able to pay the rent and may join the ranks of the homeless. AARP’s 800,000 notices may be too late. The SS Acting Director said benefits may end as soon as April, but he was overruled by a Federal Judge. Trump also responded to the complaints.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.