SAVE Act

The republicans behind the SAVE act would have you believe that this is about securing our election system.  Which is protecting a system that has, despite a myriad of investigations, shown minimal fraud. Like single digits, not percentages, votes.   
When it passes, it means we all have to absolutely prove we are citizens.  And what is wrong with that?  We have done similar things before.  See the Poll Tax or Jim Crow laws on elections https://www.history.com/articles/jim-crow-laws-black-vote.  These laws were designed to suppress the vote of undesirables.  IE Blacks.  And this is what the SAVE act is designed to do.  Except that while Jim Crow were state and local laws, SAVE will be national.
Why is SAVE being put forth?  Because the Republicans know that with all the mismanagement, treason and thievery that this administration is doing, with their full and willing consent, that they are going to be routed from the field next election cycle.  Now they could mitigate that loss by acting responsibly from here on out, but that is ridiculous.  So plan B is to reduce the electorate opposition to the point where their dedicated 39% of the voters can squeak them by in 2026.
Who does SAVE affect?
Everyone will need at least a Passport or birth certificate to vote.
Married Women.  Even the birth certificate is not enough.  You have to provide the marriage certificate to show the name change.  Divorced and remarried?  You have to show a chain of certificates to prove a chain between your current name and birth certificate.  
NOTE HERE, REAL ID's, which was considered the penultimate ID of the land, is NOT GOOD ENOUGH for the SAVE Act.
Native American Tribal ID's are NOT GOOD ENOUGH for the SAVE Act.
Military ID's are NOT GOOD ENOUGH for the SAVE Act.
If you move, and 1 in 7 Americans move every year, and do not present the applicable documentation to reregister, you will not be allowed to vote.
Many Americans will not be able to access the additional documents needed here.  This is what the bill is designed to do.  Not to protect the election process, but to create the attitude of "fuck it, I'm just one vote, what does it matter?"  It will generate millions of "fuck its."
Oh, voting by mail, what will be out the window.  Because even though it was the Republicans that pushed for vote by mail, in order to raise their number of rural voters, it is the Democrats that dominate the mail voting, by about 2-1.  
Enough to where election day results were considered the "red mirage."  FYI, this phrase was coined in 2013.  Long before the serial-liar-in-chief complained about it.

So what are the results?  If enacted today, at least 146 million Americans could not vote under the SAVE act.  It would cause a radical suppression of the vote by women, minorities, and the poor.
It will also suppress the vote in southern states.  But there the R's have enough of a voter advantage that they do not care.  It will shift the votes to the D column in the northern states.  
 
But the real effect is that it will give even more reason for our elected officials to ignore our voice.  Because that voice will not count as much anymore.

Too many comparisons between Hitler and Trump

Too many comparisons between Hitler and Trump

 

Hitler incited an insurrection, check.
Hitler was tried, convicted, but given a light sentence, check.

Hitler claimed he was being persecuted, check.
Hitler ran on a platform against the elites, degenerates, and the education system was indoctrinating children, check.
Hitler was duly elected, check.
Hitler put rich men in in charge as his economic advisors, check.
Hitler blamed the Jews for all of Germany's problems. Trump blames immigrants and DEI. Check.
Hitler had concentration camps set up. Trump wants to expand Guantanamo Bay from 850 to 30,000 for deportees. Check.
Hitler pardoned 8,000 Nazi's on day one. Trump waited a full day before pardoning his insurrectionists. Close enough, Check.
Hitler removed the birthright citizenship rights of Jews.  Trump is working on that.
Hitler began a campaign to intimidate the media to keep them silent.  Trump is suing CBS for 20 billion dollars, check.
Hitler began annexing territory needed for Germanys security. Sudetenland, Austria, western Poland. That took him several years to get there. But Trump has already threatened to annex Panama, and Greenland for security purposes, and Palestine for reasons... No there is not reason here.
Dismissed Generals and Admirals that were not loyal enough. Check.
Hitler ignored any science that questioned his views on eugenics. Trump just ignores any science.  Check.
Hitler promised to make Germany great again. Check.
Hitler demonized Jews, Slavs, homosexuals, gypsies, Jehovah Witnesses, dwarves. Trump is demonizing gays, trans, immigrants, the FBI, and any social service, check.
Nazi's passed out cheap, one frequency only, radios to their followers, so they could get the Nazi party's spin on what was happening. And of course all the other newspapers and radio broadcasts were just fake news.  Check.
Hitler had the backing of all the major German industries. And so seems Trump.
And that is the problem. Our checks and balances are broken. Does the congressional Republicans hate Trump. A lot of them, possibly most of them, yes.
But they are either fearful of retribution from their base, or from him.
One difference. Hitler wasn't personally greedy. His minions took the opportunity to loot and plunder, but he lived a frugal life. While Trump has done everything to enrich himself and family.
Another difference. Hitler outlined what he would do, and then did it. Trump is following someone else's plan. While just throwing out topic-du-jour as his mind deteriorates.


Another bill submitted to congress by Earl Carter, Georgia(R), the “Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025”.
It reads,  "Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to Greenland shall be deemed to be a reference to “Red, White, and Blueland”."

Already naming Greenland before they have annexed it from Denmark, an ally of some 80+ years.
As one red hat commented to me on an earlier post, Wow can’t even make this 💩 up yep I’m Nazi through and through."

This is universally regarded as a bad thing.

47 and McCarthyism

 47 and McCarthyism

In the last 3 weeks we have experienced many parallels to the rise of Hitler's Nazi Germany. But the MAGA Hats will just say that is "Trump Derangement Syndrome." Which is not a real thing, and is used to dismiss any counter points as ignore-able. Because heaven help them if any of it was real!

So lets go with a much more recent time when federal government employees were persecuted and dismissed without valid reasons.

McCarthyism is regarded as the darkest moment of American politics of the last century. People were hounded and persecuted sometimes to death based on a lie.

It was only after much damage was done and a free press was McCarthy finally deposed from his pinnacle of power.

In 1950, the Senator stood before congress and declared with piece of paper in his hand that he had declared was a list of 205 card carrying communist in the Department of State.

The piece of paper was later revealed to be blank. He had no names. There was zero evidence. And people were ruined and died.

It took over 4 years for this to play out before the Senate had the guts to censure him.

Now we are experiencing the same thing. The Serial-Liar-in-Chiefs sycophants are parading item after item of the abusive, as defined by them, spending of USAID. But is any of it true?

WE DON"T KNOW.

Because the Everyone-Is-Lying-But-Me-in-Chief has ordered all the government websites that could shed accurate information shut down. So easily disproved items, can't. But some of the free press can dig into their records and find inconsistencies. Which are beginning to show up.

But those whose minds are have been captured by the radical right entertainment network have been getting a steady stream of USAID expenditures that are either cherry picked, or deliberately described to trigger their righteous indignation. And frankly, seeing some of the items, I'd be triggered too.

But is any of it true? Possibly. Is it all true, certainly not.

Looking at some of the "reveals" last week, and comparing them to this week. There are inconsistencies. Some of the numbers have grown dramatically. I remember last week that a grant by USAID funded an Irish LGBTQ concert at $20,000. Now it's being presented as costing $70,000. And, in truth, it was NEVER funded by USAID. But another government agency.

And of course, Ivanka's grant by the USAID doesn't ever show up on the list.

Today I got a video of a presentation of a Senate committee being presented with accusations of government transgender animal experiments totaling at least 241 million dollars. Google that and you see last week an article where it was 2 million, then later in the week it was 10 million. Two days ago it was now 241 million. Because why present a small number when a bigger number will get people so good and mad, they won't see straight. Refer to "The Big Lie" in Mein Kampf. But that would be TDS.

Is it true? WE DON"T KNOW. All the information by the federal government relevant to this is no longer allowed to be communicated, by web site or by personnel, by the Executive order titled, "Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship”

So until Trump annexes Palestine, think McCarthyism, not Hitler. After that, all bets are off.

Is The Tariff Damage Permanent?

We all witness an amazing act of malfeasance by the Tariff-in-Chief.  Like a monkey playing with the most complex machine on the planet, the US Economy, we have witnessed Felon-47 flip switches and turn dials seemingly at random.  The administration did publish the formula, devised by Ron Varo, the imaginary friend of Peter Navarro.  But the numbers on the chart displayed by the our deranged leader bear little resemblance to what the formula published by the Office of the United States Trade Representative should have generated.  See my previous blog post on that.

As of 4/11/2025, what is the current status of the tariffs?  The original 10% across the board tariffs are still in effect.  There are exceptions.  Books, pharmaceuticals, items currently in transit, Canada and Mexico.  And of course Chinese tariffs are now at 125%.  

Then suddenly, they were gone.  On a ninety day "pause."  Except pharmaceuticals, which he threatened increased tariffs on the day after.  To hear him boast, 50 countries came to him begging to negotiate.  Then because that number wasn't good enough, it was 75 countries.  None of which he would name.  Because, they would call him on the lie.  

But they are not gone.  The baseline is still there.  And as much as he has promised a pause, his word has zero worth.  The maga-hats may say that is just Trump-Derangement-Syndrome.  But you don't have to believe me.  The whole world now has TDS.  Why is that?  

But the topic here is the question, is the damage to the US economy caused by the orange ape flipping switches, with the full consent of the Congress, permanent?  Effectively yes.  Long term damage has been done.  Damage that will be with us for at least the decade past this presidency's demise.  

A major indicator is the stock market.  Since the economic buffoon's inauguration, the stock market has lost over $9 trillion.  Those that do not understand this can think, well, it is just a correction, and it will go back up.  Thinking this is just game being played by stock portfolio managers and rich people.  How does it affect you and me?  Ask your self this, "where did the money go?"  Using round numbers.  Say the stock market was worth $1,000.  And you sold your share at $50, and the over all market dropped to say, $950. You now have $50.  What do you do with it.  If you are just playing a game, you could wait till the market dropped lower and buy back in.  Sell high, buy low.

And to some extent, that is happening.  That part we don't need to worry about, except for the insider traders that the entire administration and republican members of congress seemed to be engaged in.  The real problem is the world is looking at the idiots in charge of the US and start looking elsewhere to place their dollars.  Trillions of dollars just flowed out of the US and will be flowing into the European stocks and bonds.  That is money that would be furthering investment in the US, and will now be investing into our chief competitors.   

Want proof?  Look at the dollar.  Before tariffs, the Euro bough 1.08 dollars  On April 11, it was 1.126 dollars.  About a 4% decline in the dollar, in 10 days.  Why is that.  Supply and demand.  Dollars are bought and sold in a world wide auction system.  We have more dollars chasing fewer euros.  So the value of the dollar goes down.

Effectively, this is an additional 4% tariff on all foreign goods.  Without the exceptions for books and pharmaceuticals.  

Then there is interest on the bonds.  Every so often, the US Treasury holds a bond auction.  Since our credit is the best in the world, the world buys our bonds paying low interest rates.  But not any more.  We haven't defaulted on the bonds, but every investor in the world is not going to trust to hold our debt.  Right now, we are paying $1 trillion in debt interest.  About 2.8%.  Lets raise that to 3.8%.  Now the debt service goes up to $1.36 trillion.  

Elon Musk is making claims that DOGE will save us $150 billion a year.  Assuming that is correct, and based on DOGE's gross errors so far, it is not.  We will still be needing another 200 billion for next year.  

Also, these interest rates will bubble through the economy, making homes and cars harder to buy.  

The Treasury secretary declared that the tariff policies would improve the business climate, and they were also pursuing a policy of a strong dollar.  

A lack of stability is anathema to businesses.  They will be running away as fast as they can.  And the mishandling of the dollar will lead to its weakness.

So is this damage permanent.  Maybe not.  But it is going to be with us for a very long time.

Tariffs Applyed on April 2

We have now had a chance to look at the tariffs that Felon-47 presented a couple days ago.  The question whose ass did these numbers come from?  From the office of US Trade Representative.  See the attached image for the formula.

Reference from the Office of the United States Trade Representative

'i' is effectively which country are we talking about.  Delta T is the tariff to be imposed.

Above the fraction bar is x for exports from a country, minus 'm' for imports, in billions.  This would be the trade deficit or surplus.

Below the fraction bar is Epsilon times Phi times 'm'.

Epsilon is defined as "elasticity" of "import demand", which is effectively a random number between 2 and who knows?  So the administration set it to arbitrarily 4.  Phi is elasticity of import prices, and is also effectively a random number between .01 and 1.  And was set to .25.  Then we have 'm' again, for imports from the country in question.

So while this is designed to look really complex and well thought out, all it is saying is Trade Deficit divided by imports from the country in question.  Because Epsilon * Phi = 1.

Even though the math-genius-in-chief's office says this is THE formula, that is a bald ass lie.  There is no mention of the final +10% added to the tariff. 

And if this formula was generally used, you wouldn't have islands whose economy is penguin droppings, Diego Garcia, with a population consisting of 4,000 American military personnel, with a 10% tariff rate.  0-0 divided by 4*.25*0.  

There is no mention that IF the result of the formula is 0 or less, then the tariff is +10%.

And the numbers on the top have been inflated.  For example, Canada's trade deficit is declared at $200 billion.  When the official number, by the US's own documentation, the number is $63.3 billion.
see here...

Why the inflated number?  The real reason is the administration wants to make a strong statement.  This is a bargaining technique, So they are not including US export SERVICES.  Which in truth, is a fairly significant number.

So for all the claim that the Serial-Liar-In-Chief said went into these tariff calculations, it can be best summed up as this:

Numbers they made up
----------------------------
Fudge factor * Fudge factor * A number they made up
plus
additional Fudge factor (or minus a fudge factor if country = Russia or Belarus)

The First 30 days of 47 (Additional)

Trump is continuing to try to overturn the 14th amendment.  Claiming that it only applied to freed slaves.

He is showing off images of himself with a crown, declaring "Long live the king!"

Fired 3,000 park rangers.  Just because...

Is trying to kill windmills, because he doesn't understand the science, and he just doesn't like them.

He pardoned thousands of the insurrection on Jan 6, 2021.  Many have been arrested for various crimes already.

Trump has floated the idea of sending $5,000  to all tax payers paid for with DOGE savings.  This would amount to $765 billion.  (check my math here.  153 million federal tax payers, times 5,000 is... The number still holds) So far, DOGE is claiming $55 billion as of 2/21/2025.   2/3rds of which are not specified, and 8 million of that was improperly logged in as 8 billion.  So the number is really at 9 billion.

Lets add in the savings from firing of 275,000 government employees, and assume $100,000 yearly for each.  That is $27.5 billion dollars per annum.  Lets just double that number for infrastructure and corruption costs.  That would be 55 billion per year, 210 billion total by the time Trump is irrelevant.  Where is the $765 billion coming from?  I am sure that Elon Trump doesn't know.  They have people to do the math.  And they are not very good at it...

No surprise, they are lying again!  Why are they believed?  Because Faux does a really good job of lying to its watchers.

Trump is floating the idea of starting up phase IV of the Keystone Pipe line again.   There is little interest.  Why?  Because Oil has been hovering around $72 a barrel for several years.  Canadian shale is the most expensive oil to extract, estimates range from $55 to $75 a barrel.  The only time the oil companies care is when oil is over $100/barrel.  See A Tale of Two Pipelines

Trump went on a total rampage against Zelenskyy because the President of Ukraine dared to say he was living in a delusional bubble.  Then Trump proved Zelenskyy's point by going on a twitter storm repeating Moscow's propaganda.  

Trump's vindictiveness is on full display here.  He hates Zelenskyy because the man dared to reject a quid pro quo of $400 million to investigate Hunter Biden.

The US has dropped the prosecution of war crimes, including genocide and the use of gas weapons, against Putin.

Trump lied that Ukraine started the current war.  Somehow arraigning for several Russian armies to attack on multiple fronts.   

Trump lied that Ukraine lost half the $350 billion dollars the US sent due to corruption.  When the US sent about only $125 billion.  

Trump lied that the US sent $200 billion to Ukraine more than Europe.  Europe has sent $258 billion so far, about $128 billion more than the US.

Like any tyrant that has had someone stand up to him, Trump fled to a different battleground and decided to set up a "Gotcha" moment with the Governor of Maine, Janet Mills.  He threatened to withhold from the state education dollars because Maine is still permitting transgender athletes participating in girls and women's sports.  He insists this is a FEDERAL law and all must bow to submit.  On the other hand, all other women's health rights are state rights.  Hypocrisy at it's best.  She looked him in the eye and replied, "See you in court."  Proving that Governor Mills and Liz Cheny have more balls than the rest of congress combined.

But that case will be irrelevant, as DOGE will, and with Congresses hearty approval, dismantle the Department of Education.  That will mean there will be no money for him to withhold.

Googling "how many high school transgender athletes are there?"  Gets an estimate of between 10 and 30 nationwide.  So why is this such a hot button issue?  Because Fox news pummels it way out of proportion.  Think Anti-Trans Tuesday on FOX!.  (I made that up, don't repeat it)

Trump caved on his tariff threats on Mexico and Canada after about 24 hours.   Achieving nothing but was agreed to by the previous administration except, Canada promised to do better to control the flow of Fentanyl.  Currently, and estimated point2 percent comes from Canada.  About one briefcase's worth.  While many tons from Mexico, but made in China.

But Tariffs are being threatened again.  This time the markets believe him and plunged 1,300 points in two days. 

Our dear leader in charge of Free Speech, seems to have a problem with free speech.   AP news is no longer allowed in the White House, and the newly weaponized Department of Justice is investigating a member of Congress, Robert Garcia, because he called Elon a dick. 

While President Elon Musk garners most of the headlines, lets drill down to the mini-Musks. 

The chief conspiracy nutter in charge of the  Health and Human Services insists that vaccines are unnecessary or should be delayed for black people.  Why?  He stated that there were, but didn't name them, a series of studies that show that.  Possibly referring to the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.  Where it was believed that blacks suffered less than whites.  But far more likely they just were not counted.  

Now any rational person would see this is just raciest rhetoric in its meanest form.  But here we are.  51 senators heard this and said, "Sounds good to me!"

Pete Hegseth negotiated a peace settlement for the Ukraine v Russia war where Ukraine gives back the Kursk region, while Russia keeps the Ukrainian land it has taken, and pays no reparations.  This is called, Surrender.

+1. In a classic scam tactic, the US is giving Ukraine only 1 hour to surrender control of its rare earth deposits in a deal that , as described by the mini musk, Scott Pissant, would defray some of the costs of the US aid sent to Ukraine.

Again. Ukraine Surrenders. Putin then gets to sell oil at market prices.

+2. Staff at the U.S. farm, environment and interior agencies have been instructed by the Trump administration not to speak with the U.S. Congress, Representative Chellie Pingree said in a letter sent to the agency administrators on Thursday.

And let’s not forget that due to an executive order, Doge is not subject to the Freedom of information requests till 2036.

This is called “Transparency.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOGE Lies

Feb 17, 2025.  The Department of Government Efficiency continues to hack into and away at our governmental structures. Our Republican controlled Congress looks on effetely.  It is really obvious that my previous party of 40 years, has taken to heart the axiom of "party before country."

DOGE to show relevance, has made claim after claim of discovery of waste and fraud.   Clearly implying, where there is smoke, there is fire."  It is a con man's trick, to inundate people with information, so they don't have time to think.

Early on, I was checking into some of the items.  And the first 3 I looked into were all deceptive.  Not just cherry picked to trigger the Maga-hats.  But also misrepresented, exaggerated, or just out and out lies.

A LGBTQ concert, funded by USAID,  put on in Ireland. First reported as $20,000, but later read into the congressional record at over $60,000. And as it turns out, wasn't funded by USAID.  

$50,000,000 for condoms to Gaza.  Later a Republican congressman read this line item as $100 million.  There is no evidence this is true.  The USAID budget for condoms for the entire world was $8 million.  When question on this, Elon Musk replied, "Not Everything I Say Is True."

Millions of Americans in the Social Security that are over 150 years old.   Initially, no facts.  When he did present actual data, it was everyone in the social security system where their "isDead" flag was not set.  About 20 million were listed over the age of 100, out of an estimated true number of 100,000.  Problem is, in 2023, the Inspector General also ran that query, but included the filter "and also not receiving benefits for over 50 years."  And the count went down by 18.9 million.  The remaining million certainly has some fraud in it.  But probably most of them would filter out as well if we add to the query, "and not receiving benefits for over 20 years."  We could ask the Inspector General, but he was fired by DOGE.

The official number of centenarians collecting Social Security in 2023 is 73,815.  The number of centenarians living in the US is 101,000.  https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2024/highlights.html

“USAID spent $6 million on tourism in Egypt.”  This funding was for education and economic development in North Sinai, aka Gaza, and about not Tourism.  And it was funded in 2019, so Trump.  Oddly, I don't see any Republican uproar over his proposed rebuilding of Gaza now.  At a significantly larger, 200B to 2 trillion dollar, price point.

 “USAID spent $47,000 on a transgender opera in Colombia.”  But later read into the congressional record at over $74,000. And as it turns out, wasn't funded by USAID (either).

 What happened to his claim of 150 billion spent on radical groups? Zero specifics offered.

 Military spending $9 million payment to Reuters for a “large scale social deception” project. Implying the news service.  But actually spent to Thomson Reuters Special Services, a research group on  research for “automated defense against social engineering attacks.”  R&D is something that the Military does. 

  $23 million to the USAID chief Samantha Power.  Truth is her salary was 183,000 for 4 years.

 $84 million to Chelsea Clinton from USAID?  No, but there was 7.5 million sent to Clinton Health Access Initiative, to fund health services in Zambia, in 2019.  So 10 times the exaggeration, and for a charity.  Again, under Trump.

 Reports of payouts for trips by celebrities to Ukraine.  No evidence offered.   

 Claims that the Politico was paid millions to write good stories for Democrats.  The total was actually $44,000, for the paid subscriptions.  

In their weekend raid on the Treasury, which resulted in the Treasury official David Lebryk resigning rather than give the keys of the Treasury to Musk's "Landing Team." We were first told they would have "read only" access.  While it was reported that they were plugging in and downloading everything they could.  And inserting code.  Then it was reported they did have write access, but only for a little while.  They have been order to give back what was stolen, but haven't as of yet.

Meanwhile DOGE has fired the people in charge of securing our nuclear weapons, ALL the Inspector Generals,  over 1,000 staff from the VA, park rangers,  10% of the CDC, while proposing to shutter the weather service, and demoralizing the FAA. 

 DOGE made a claim that they have found over a billion dollars in fraudulent spending.   But one item, a new embassy at 750 million was most of the line item.

So when the Maga-hats are thinking, "Where there is smoke, there is fire."  We Agree!