Are you better off than you were four – or eight – weeks ago? That paraphrase of the famous question once asked by Ronald Reagan has a distinctly more ominous ring to it today as Donald Trump reprises his occupation of the White House. In the short time that he has presided over the nation he has exceeded the worst predictions of the harm that his ignorant and incompetent stewardship would provide.
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Ever since Trump’s inauguration, the prospects for the financial well being of America and the American people have declined precipitously. Most economists are predicting a recession. Prices for many common consumers goods (gas, groceries, housing, etc.) have risen. And Trump’s punitive, inflationary tariffs promise to make things even worse.
SEE THIS: Trump’s Press Secretary Visits Fox News to Contradict Her Boss’s Lies About the Cost of Tariffs
But not to worry. Trump himself is going to be just fine. He is fully engaged in a White House based grifting operation that is keeping him flush with corrupt endeavors such as his floundering media company, and his crypto coin, both of which have lost billions of dollars for most investors not tied to the immediate Trump family. However, they provide a neat vehicle to make contributions (e.g. bribes) to Trump.
What’s more, the oligarch class to which Trump has pledged fidelity is also going to be just fine. As evidence of that, Trump’s Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, made an appearance on the All-In podcast, whose hosts are right-wing venture capitalists, including Trump’s AI and Crypto Czar, David Sacks.
During the discussion with this mutual adoration society, the subject of Social Security came up. Specifically, there were questions about the viability of the program in the wake of the efforts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Elimination (DOGE) to undermine and eventually terminate it. With regard to that, Lutnick offered a little parable…
“Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law – who’s 94 – she wouldn’t call and complain. She just wouldn’t. She’d just think something got messed up, and she’ll get it next month. A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining.”
Oh Cool… This billionaire (Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick) is cool with his mother not getting her Social Security check on time.Is your mother cool with that? Are you?
— News Corpse (@newscorpse.bsky.social) 2025-03-21T18:54:25.485Z
See? No problem. Except for one small detail. Not everyone’s family is fortunate enough to have a billionaire like Lutnick in it. While his mother-in-law could comfortably skip a month or thirty, most families can’t. Missing a month to the average Social Security recipient could mean missing a rent payment, missing meals, skipping medications and doctor’s visits, forfeiting child care services, and so many more financial obligations being unmet.
And if that’s not bad enough, Lutnick mocks anyone who might have reasonable complaints about the suffering that Trump is causing, and accuses them of being “fraudsters.”
The prospect of Social Security failing to send out benefit checks on schedule has never been as imminent as it is today. That is solely due to DOGE seeking to cut staff, end telephone access, appoint hostile administrators, and require in-person servicing, while simultaneously closing offices.
It is the clear intent of the Trump regime to sabotage the program that Musk has preposterously called “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” A characterization that is utterly absurd since it is funded by the contributions of the recipients throughout their working lives. And if funding were an issue due to the fluctuations of population, it could easily be resolved by removing the arbitrary salary cap that allows wealthy earners like Trump, Musk, and Lutnick, to avoid paying into the Social Security trust fund at the same rate as working class Americans.
Lutnick’s flaming insensitivity to the financial burdens of ordinary people is typical of the ultra-elitist mindset of the Trump administration. They can’t comprehend that there are people living check-to-check because they are so wrapped up in their excess. But that selfish blindness will not go unnoticed by Americans living on Social Security, or who will be, or their children, or other family members and caregivers. And Trump and Company will pay the price for their callous “let them eat cake” indifference to the realities that most people endure.
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I need to vent. Politely!
I am one of the Social Security recipients who will lose everything if I miss 1 deposit. I will be evicted ~ or charged exorbitant fees for every day that I am late for my rent payment. And, if I lose my SSDI, I won’t even be approved for admission into a nursing home! I will be homeless. I will die.
I have been working since I was 16. After college, l worked a 9-5 job, in between surgeries and working while enduring excruciating pain I was finally able to retire on Social Security Disability due to the degenerative condition of my medical issues, which proved that I was no longer able to work.
If I lose my benefits, I will be DOOMED to die on the street. I don’t give a fig what avaricious rich people have to say.
People like musk who, in REALITY, has absolutely no right to take away ANY American’s benefits that were paid by their own taxes!!! He’s a South African, aPATHETIC billionaire who has even less knowledge about the Federal Government than the whining cowardly liar & hypocrite who has been paying musk to play “president” with him as they loot the government right in front of his cult. They KNOW that the MAGA minions will ASSist them with destroying America. With MAGA’s willful ignorance of the dangers right in front of them, they only “see”with their HATE and their delusional belief that billionaires actually care about their worthless lives.
I’m a permanently disabled, progressive DEMOCRAT ~ who just got her MMR booster to protect her from the spread of the dodos who believe that they have the right to harm others with their regressive stupidity. -[Hello, NATURAL SELECTION?]
To make a short story long, everyone who deserves their Social Security check ~ which DOES NOT include the 65 year old Russian immigrants in Philadelphia who purposely chose to come to America to reap all of the benefits they know they will get before they leave the PIA airport ~ without ever paying even 1¢ of taxes in America,. They are given FULL Social Security, MEDICARE, Medicaid, Section 8 (free housing) & SNAP benefits. THIS is an easily proven example of WASTE & FRAUD, but since they’re Russian immigrants who CLAIMED persecution and requested asylum (most of these immigrants are Russian Orthodox Christians, who are NOT being persecuted in Russia. I knew that they weren’t Jewish based on 2 things: 1. Jews don’t wear crosses and 2. Jews don’t worship at Russian Orthodox Christian churches.
I have witnessed their feelings of entitlement in the supermarkets. They’ll pay for their food with SNAP, then pull out their American Express GOLD — or PLATINUM — CARD to pay the balance. They don’t care who sees what they flaunt as they get into their expensive cars/limos (ie. Lincoln Continental,Cadillac, BMW, Mercedes, TESLA, Lexus, etc.).
Alas… trump would NEVER take away the freebies for his master’s people.
Thank you for letting me vent. I’m frightened and extremely worried. If I am forced to go back to work, I will still not be able to pay my rent on $7.25 an hour.
I truly ABHOR every loser who voted for the destruction of the American working class. WAY before the election, I knew what would happen if he was re-elected. I’m absolutely horrified, but not surprised. Not 1 iota of surprise. Because, predictable (EVIL) people do predictable (EVIL) things. I don’t care about the people who NOW regret voting for exactly what they wanted, stupidly believing that the bad things would only happen to everyone else. Their selfish idiocy should NEVER be forgiven. They KNEW exactly what PROJECT 2025 was and they could have done FACT CHECKS on all of trump’s lies ~ I mean, CLAIMS & PROMISES. He adores MAGA’s GULLIBILITY more than their loyalty.
With Love & Respect
Whew! That’s quite an answer. Am very impressed with what you have done with your life before having to go on SSDI.
Your left sentence is so spot-on. He did tell his followers “I don’t care about you. I just want your votes.” If it were any other politician, that would be a career-ender. But it was Trump; his followers cheered.
Hi Marsha,
Thank you for taking the time to read my kvetch manifesto!!! 😉 I tend to write like I talk ~ in circles ~ with lots of humility & humor sprinkled throughout!
The so-called “conservatives” (which is another word for CHEAPSKATE) voted for a whining tyrant instead of a drama-free, intellectual WOMAN. What if she was actually COMPETENT?! The GOP “men” would instantly get ED! They all share seem these traits:
1. An inferiority complex (like Jesse Watters)
2. Are closet cases who believe that making homosexuality illegal will make them straight (like Lindsay Graham & BJ Vance). Or
3. Are “incels” (like Nazi Nick Fuentes, who is all 3)
The MAGA “women” HATE liberal women because they envy us for breaking free of the cycle of abuse by NOT marrying a jerk who gives them a shiny, new bruise every day, but also gives them a credit card to buy the makeup & sunglasses to (badly) cover it up.
Thankfully, I live in an area of Philadelphia where finding like-minded friends is easy! It’s like we instinctively know how to identify each other!
I just hope all Social Security recipients receive our DESERVED payments.. I’m FURIOUS that the cowardly GOP is SILENT as a South African, Nazi oligarch STEALS the $$$ we are ENTITLED to have.
AHAVA & SHALOM (love & peace)