The image above shows an American flag hung upside down to signal dire distress by employees at Yosemite National Park on 22 Feb 2025.
Image credit: Joyce Vance on Substack.
Breaking our own rule
We’ve maintained this blog for 5 ½ years with a simple unwritten rule in mind:
We will not write about politics.
This is an intentional decision. We think about this like we think about Thanksgiving dinner: To have an enjoyable meal with family and friends, we try to avoid discussing topics like politics and religion. We also want people reading this blog to have an enjoyable experience, so we have steered clear of those topics.
(Besides, there are plenty of other places you can visit on the internet where both politics and religion are covered in detail.)
So we’ve kept our opinions to ourselves… though occasionally they have leaked through.
But today we’re going to break that rule, because the current political situation in our home country, the United States, demands our attention and response.
Looking for common ground
In our polarized political climate, it seems impossible to find anything that people all across the spectrum of opinions can agree on. However, I believe that most Democrats, most independent voters, and many Republicans could find common ground around a simple phrase:
“We didn’t vote for this!“
We know that in the most recent US election, some people voted to dismantle the “deep state” without understanding the type of services their government provides. And some folks voted for an avowed authoritarian because he sounded tough on the stump. But we doubt that anyone voted for a kleptocracy or to allow Vladimir Putin to dictate our foreign policy.
We didn’t vote to have our personal information put in the insecure hands of a group of unvetted, inexperienced hackers led by an unvetted, unelected billionaire.
We didn’t vote to have our personal and business finances damaged by reckless changes to government institutions.
We didn’t vote to have our public health and safety endangered.
And we certainly didn’t vote to have our national security imperiled by weakening our military, exposing sensitive information to our enemies, and dropping our cyber defenses.
But now we’re watching all of that happen. Very fast. Very carelessly. Very destructive.
Donald Trump said he would be “a dictator on Day 1”. Whether you voted in support of that idea or not, we now see that he and his unelected co-conspirator, Elon Musk, are engaging in a series of actions that are illegal and unconstitutional. And the members of his own party have capitulated, offering no resistance, only hollow praise and scripted talking points to justify their dear leader’s actions.
Who can keep up?
Steve Bannon, the former White House advisor, once declared that the best way to deal with the media and opposition from Democrats was to “flood the zone with shit” by releasing new orders, directives, and confusing messages at a pace so fast that opponents couldn’t keep up.
That strategy has been fully adopted by the current administration, with a flurry of new executive orders, pronouncements, and radical changes to government agencies and programs. Keeping up with it all is nearly impossible, with new things happening every day that divert our attention from the things that happened yesterday.
But by taking a step back, we can see how Trump’s actions in his first six weeks in office fall into several broad categories.
First, the distractions
These are the outrageous statements that Trump likes to make that generate lots of press coverage and bait his opponents into wasting time arguing about them. (See “flooding the zone”, above.) Some suggestions he made during the first month:
- Canada should become our 51st state.
- The US should invade Greenland.
- The US should retake the Panama Canal.
- The US should acquire Gaza and remake it as a luxury resort.
It’s possible that something might happen in each of these scenarios, but not in the immediate future. We can ignore these, for now. As Rachel Maddow often says, “Watch what they do, not what they say”.
Second, the grifting
During Trump’s first term in office, CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington), documented over 3,700 conflicts of interest – incidents where Trump used “his power as the President to boost his own profits through frequent visits to his hotels and golf courses, relentless promotion of his properties, and countless other interactions between the Trump Organization and the government.”
There is no reason to think that the second Trump administration will be any less self-interested. Instead, the grifting appears to have risen to a new level of sophistiction. Already in this term, we’ve seen:
- Trump launching a crypto currency “memecoin” – named $Trump, of course – just days before his inauguration. At the time he was sworn into office, the coin had a market valuation of $50B. Trump owns 80% of the coins.
- Even though he was skeptical about cryptocurrencies in the past, Trump has made an about face. His pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission is Paul Atkins, a former SEC commissioner and founder of a pro-cryptocurrency group.
- Atkins has not yet been confirmed by the Senate, but already the SEC is making decisions favorable to Trump’s wallet. On 26 February, the SEC and lawyers for Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto entrepreneur who invested $75 million in Trump’s crypto venture, asked a federal judge to put SEC fraud charges against Sun on hold. Trump’s family stand to earn millions from Sun’s investment.
- In a more typical Trump-style grift, he is reportedly inviting guests to dine with him at Mar-a-Lago… for a fee. A one-on-one meeting over dinner will cost $5 million, while a seat at a group dinner (“Space is very limited.”) will set you back $1 million.
- Elon Musk’s businesses have multiple contracts with the US Government, worth billions of dollars. It appears that he is using his position as head of DOGE (and what some have called “co-president”), to arrange for even more business. He is expected to get new contracts from an overhaul of a program to provide high-speed internet to rural areas. Changing this Biden-era program from a focus on building out fiber optic infrastructure to using Musks Starlink satellite internet service, would put billions of dollars in Musk’s pocket and eliminate thousands of jobs that would have been created in the states.
We could take a cynical view and say that every politician gets rich while in office, and there is ample evidence to support that point. But the scope and scale of Trump’s corruption make all the others look like amateurs. On the other hand, Musk’s influence and self-dealing are unprecendented.
Third, destroying American institutions from within
This is the category that has generated the most attention and sparked many of the anti-Trump/Musk demonstrations across the country.
In 2016 and again in 2024, Trump campaigned on a promise to “eliminate waste, fraud and abuse” in the federal government. He’s not the first – it’s a rallying cry older than our nation. Regardless of our party affiliation, we could all probably agree that there is some amount of waste, fraud and abuse in our government and something should be done about it. Finding it, and trying to fix it, has been a complex problem throughout our history.
Trump’s approach, though, is the equivalent of using a chain saw where a scalpel would be appropriate.
Here are just a few examples. Sadly, there are many more we’re not mentioning.
- Creating the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) and appointing Elon Musk to head it. Musk’s only qualifications that we can see are that he spent almost $300 million to get Trump elected.
- Firing the inspectors general (IGs) from 17 federal agencies. According to the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, “IGs exist to protect taxpayer money by rooting out corruption, fraud, waste and mismanagement.” These kinda sound like people you’d want to keep around if you’re serious about solving the problem.
- Nominating unqualified cabinet officers. Folks like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (a person with no scientific or medical credentials now in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services) or Linda McMahon (former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, now nominated to lead the Department of Education). Yes, these are always political appointments, but wouldn’t it be useful to have skills and experience in the areas they are to oversee?
- Shutting down the US Agency for International Development(USAID). On his first day back in office, Trump signed an Executive Order “temporarily suspending all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals”. The administration planned to eliminate nearly all of the USAID staff.
In the weeks since, this action has sparked numerous protests and three separate lawsuits to seeking to reverse the action. After two court orders to release funding to pay for work already completed, the administration appealed to the Supreme Court which heard arguments on 28 February. On 5 March, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal and ordered the administration to release the funds. It is still unclear if and when the funds have been released.
Also on 28 February, Nicholas Enrich, a USAID official released a “scathing memo” that blamed the Trump administration and political appointees for interfering with lifesaving humanitarian work. In the memo, Enrich warned that the suspension of foreign aid programs would have dire consequences for people around the world, including millions of cases of malaria, bird flu, and tens of millions of pregnant women, newborns, and children losing access to lifesaving care and nutrition. All of this, according to Enrich, would have direct impacts to American businesses and families. Enrich was subsequently placed on leave.
In addition to USAID, mass firings have been conducted or are planned across multiple government agencies. Here’s a summary we have compiled, using information from several sources. It is not a comprehensive list – we know we’ve missed some agencies.
Actual firings:
Planned firings:
Data sources:
- Sara Dorn and Molly Bohannon, “Here’s Where Trump’s Government Layoffs Are Targeted—As Veterans Affairs Reportedly Plans Thousands Of Cuts” Forbes, 3/5/25, https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/03/05/heres-where-trumps-government-layoffs-are-targeted-as-veterans-affairs-reportedly-plans-thousands-of-cuts/
- Hugh Son, CNBC and Daniel Arkin, “Trump administration and Musk’s DOGE plan to fire nearly all CFPB staff and wind down agency, employees say”, 2/28/25, https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-administration-musks-doge-plan-fire-cfpb-staff-close-agency-rcna194217
- Sophia Cai, Eli Stokols, Jack Detsch and Brakkton Booker, “Trump administration fires thousands of federal workers”, Politico,2/13/25,
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/13/trump-federal-worker-layoffs-00204180 - Sarah Owermohle, Lizzy Lawrence, Helen Branswell, and Matthew Herper, “Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies”, Stat, 2/14/25,
https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/federal-employee-layoffs-at-hhs-cdc-on-first-day-robert-kennedy-health-secretary/ - Andy Kroll, “How DOGE’s Cuts to the IRS Threaten to Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save”, ProPublica, 3/5/25,https://www.propublica.org/article/how-doge-irs-cuts-will-cost-more-than-savings-trump-musk-deficit
- Mark Hinkle, Press Officer, “Social Security Announces Workforce and Organization Plans”, ssa.gov,2/28/25,
https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2025/#2025-02-28 - Anna Betts, “Trump ordered to reinstate thousands of agriculture department employees”, The Guardian, 3/5/25,
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/05/trump-fired-agriculture-workers - Stephen Groves, “Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo”, Associated Press, 3/5/25,
https://apnews.com/article/veterans-affairs-cuts-doge-musk-trump-f587a6bc3db6a460e9c357592e165712
Finally, damaging national security
The actions detailed above pose significant risks to our government institutions and our way of life. But even more serious threats to our safety are resulting from actions that the Trump administration is taking in areas related to national security. Here are just a few examples:
- Nominating (and confirming, with help from the GOP-led Senate) an unqualified candidate for Secretary of Defense. A former Fox News weekend anchor, with a history of alcohol and sexual abuse, now leads our military – 2.1 million service members, almost 800,000 civilians, and a budget of $850 billion.
- Among his first actions as Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Air Force Vice Chief General, and the three senior Judge Advocate Generals. In one fell swoop, Hegseth removed highly experienced career officers and the top military lawyers who advise on the legality of military operations. He characterized the fired JAGs, who are traditionally viewed as serving in independent and apolitical roles, as “roadblocks to orders” that would come from Trump.
- Further weakening our national security, Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Cyber Command to “stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions”. While the order does not apply to the National Security Agency, it potentially stops ongoing activity to protect the US against Russian cyber attacks.
- Nominating (and confirming, with help from the GOP-led Senate) an unqualified candidate for Director of National Intelligence who is possibly compromised through past association with Vladimir Putin.
- Reorienting our foreign policy to align with Russia, against our traditional allies, including Ukraine.
This has been most noticeable in Trump’s recent actions taken to suspend military aid to Ukraine. First, he stopped all shipments of military aid – ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment, including shipments agreed to when Joe Biden was president. Then, two days later, the US stopped sharing intelligence information that Ukraine depends on to defend against Russian attacks.
It is also apparent in Trump’s recent remarks about NATO, which cast doubt on the US commitment to the mutual defense pact: “If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.”
We didn’t vote for this.
It’s not just what they’re doing, it’s how they’re doing it
This ain’t software development
There’s a phrase that was adopted at Facebook a few years ago to describe their approach to software development:
Move fast and break things.
It meant don’t worry about doing too much advance planning. Don’t try to anticipate everything that could go wrong. Just do some stuff and pick up the pieces later.
I suppose that worked for them, and for others who tried to emulate them.
But while it may be an acceptable approach within some technology business environments, we can clearly see the damage it is doing to our people, our society, our institutions, and our standing in the world when it becomes the operating principle of our national government.
They don’t have to go this fast
One of the puzzling things about all of this activity is the speed and reckless abandon with which it’s being carried out. The breakneck pace of actions across the government has resulted in numerous lawsuits being filed to try to stop or reverse the things that Trump and Musk have initiated. Much of what has been done appears to be illegal and unconstitutional. Neither problem seems to concern Trump or Musk.
In a recent article about the plan for mass layoffs of federal workers, Chris Megerian of the Associated Press spoke with Kevin Owen, an employment lawyer who represents federal workers. Mr. Owen said that Trump and his allies were focusing on speed rather than precision as they overhaul the government.
“Their plan is to do the damage and get sued,” he said. If a court ultimately rules against them, “by that point, they would have gotten what they wanted in [the] interim.”
This haphazard approach isn’t really necessary, since the Republicans control both houses of Congress, the White House, and, many would argue, the Supreme Court. They could, if they chose to, do all of this through the legislative process – passing new laws and regulations to achieve the same ends, possibly with fewer errors and “do overs” and likely with less resulting litigation.
But that’s not happening, because, as Joyce Vance noted:
“So far, the GOP-led Congress has been watching from the sidelines, happy to let him walk away with their Constitutionally mandated powers, like the power of the purse, not to mention the authority to decide whether federal agencies should exist at all.”
Maybe if there was a plan…
It might be different if there was a clearly articulated end goal they were working toward. Maybe the interim result they’re after really is to dismantle the government. That’s certainly a theme we’ve heard from many on the far right. Maybe they actually do want to find fraud, waste and corruption in the government. But the approach they’re taking – moving fast and breaking things with no real thought about the downstream consequences – seems likely to leave us in a place where the institutions that we depend on are also destroyed.
Maybe that is the plan
As the Musk/Trump coup continues to move forward, some analysts are starting to recognize that this destruction might be one of the end objectives.
Timothy Snyder, an American historian, summed it up this way:
In general outline, the idea is to make the government as a whole dysfunctional, while preserving the parts of it that can intimidate and oppress citizens.
(Sorry, that quote is behind a paywall.)
Journalist Lisa Featherstone elaborated on this idea, highlighting Trump’s approach of eliminating programs that are popular with the American people, like:
- The Infrastructure Reduction Act, which brought new investment and jobs to many red states. (And even though their elected officials didn’t vote for it, they sure like to take credit when their constituents’ lives are made better.)
- The Environmental Protection Agency, which has had strong public support for ensuring we have clean air, clean water, and that new environmental hazards are dealt with.
- Public education, where programs like Head Start have given millions of children the opportunity to attend preschool.
So why eliminate these popular government programs? All of it, according to Featherstone, is done for a reason:
For anti-government ideologues, it’s important that people not have good experiences with the government. Every clean energy investment in your community, every Social Security check, every child enrolled in Head Start, every improvement in air and water quality, is a threat to right-wing ideological dominance. They know it, and they want to stop Americans from having those positive associations.
We didn’t vote for this!
Now what?
It was tempting, back in the good old days of early January, to think we could just ignore Trump and his nonsense. But those days are gone and we are now faced with clear threats to our democratic institutions, our public safety, our national security…and the basic, historical foundations of our country.
Our time demands action. And like the title of this post, it’s time to get off the fence.
But it’s often unclear what we can do. Here are some suggestions.
- Contact your elected representatives (yes, even in the red states) to voice your opinion. Just because they might have run under a different party banner doesn’t mean they are not charged with representing you, too. Tell them what you think and ask what they are doing or planning to do. They need to hear our voices, whether they want to or not.
- Make a donation to a cause of your choice. Or two.
- Join a local or national protest. Get out and get into some “good trouble” with other folks who share your convictions. Groups like fiftyfiftyone are organizing events all across the country.
We’ve witnessed numerous demonstrations around the US in recent weeks. These are useful for two reasons: First, they show – to our representatives and our allies – the strength of our convictions and our determination to make change. Second, they send a message of support to individuals within the government who are trying to stand firm against the unreasonable, illegal, and often cruel demands of this administration. Our actions say, “Don’t give up! We’re with you.”
- Say “thank you” to a government worker. Most of the people who work in our government agencies are good, hardworking, dedicated folks who bring their skills and energy to solve problems that benefit all of us. Many of them who are still employed are working in fear for their jobs and livelihoods. In some recent conversations with agents at one government department, I’ve ended the conversation by saying “There are millions of us out here who appreciate what you do for us. Thank you.”
- Run for local office. Lots of things need fixing at the local level. Run For Something is an organization the recruits and supports individuals who want to run for local offices. They provide online resources, trainings, referrals, mentorship, and the opportunity to communicate with other local candidates.
- For more ideas, check out this list from Robert Reich.
That’s more than enough
This post started with a straightforward idea that I thought I could organize and publish quickly. But I was wrong. It’s taken a month to pull this material together, and there’s plenty I’ve left out. I don’t expect to write posts like this very often, but it was important to me to do this. If you made it to the end, thanks for your persistence.
One final suggestion from Joyce Vance, that we all can do:
Hug someone you love tonight. It’s important that we face the reality of what Trump is trying to do to our country. We cannot afford to look away. Every lawsuit, every protest, every spotlight shined on the unconstitutional work DOGE is doing makes it more difficult for Trump to permanently damage our country. But make sure you find time to take care of yourself, too.
Until next time, keep the faith!
Mike
The Writer
What have been your reactions to recent events? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or via the Contact Us form.
This is an area where people can have very strong opinions, so please be respectful of others as you consider your comments. Abusive or disrespectful comments will be deleted.
Mike, thanks for the post and all the information – although it’s a lot to take in, seeing it summarized emphasizes how much damage and dismantling has been done in a relatively short time. I’m am truly, profoundly scared for the next four years. I worry about our grandchildren’s future and what it might take to regain the world we seem to have lost. I appreciate your encouragement to “get off the fence” and will look for ways to take steps locally.
Thanks for going against your rule of not writing about politics. This is too important to not discuss. I agree and feel pretty overwhelmed after reading your blog post as it seems so daunting put together like that. Getting involved in either Bartholomew County Indivisible-if they have events and another local resistance group.
Testing
Well said and needed. Hugs.
Thank you, Gay. Hugs back at you!
Mike and Mary, I couldn’t agree more. This is unacceptable. I can only hope that those who voted for this chaos recognize the danger and damage this is doing and vote them out as soon as possible. I’ve never been more discouraged about the future than I am right now.
Hi Craig, thanks for your note. I understand being discouraged. That, and confusion (as in “WTF is going on!”) are some of what prompted me to write the article. But I see hopeful signs amidst all the chaos. Those are what I’m holding on to and what motivate me to action. I hope you can find reasons to be hopeful.
Mike
Mike, your summary of what is happening in the US corresponds exactly to the information we receive here in Europe, where concern for our future is very high. Two considerations:
1) The Trump administration must solve the problems of high public debt, private debt with worrying per capita values, and finally, the import/export deficit. With the systems adopted, I do not think Trump will be able to solve these problems (the theory of tariffs is ineffective, and the position taken towards Canada and Greenland is psychopathic).
2) Trump’s foreign policy is based on elements of strength supported by blackmail activities towards weaker countries and bullying attitudes that only produce damage.
I am convinced that in a few months, even those who voted for this administration will realize the trouble it is producing and that everything will be channeled into the mid-term votes.
As for Europe, now, there is a lot of confusion. We need to promote a politically united Europe, capable of understanding whether it has some element of strength (and if it does not exist, to create it) to counter Trump’s arrogance, using blackmail methods exactly in line with Trump’s philosophy. This is the only method he understands.
Hi Livio. Thanks for your comments. Regarding public debt: Trump wants to extend his big tax cuts for the oligarchs, which will only add more debt, and the House will likely raise the debt ceiling again to accommodate it. (The debt ceiling ought to be abolished, IMO, not to promote reckless spending, but to get us out of the crazy cycle of brinkmanship we go through every time it is reached.) It’s been clear for months that Trump doesn’t understand (or refuses to understand) how tariffs work. But his on-again, off-again approach is doing more damage than just imposing the tariffs. I hope Europe can unite and demonstrate the type of strength you mention, and uses it first to defend Ukraine.
Dear Mike and Mary—-Thank you. Please know how much your review, assessment and straight forward approach to this letter has touched my heart and soul.
Never in a million years did I think that retirement would be quite like this.
Well written. Hugs to you both all the way from Saldahna.
Thanks, Sarah. Yes, I had other things in mind for my retirement, too! Our best to you and David.
Great post Mike…we’ll worth the wait. I agree with all of your points and believe action must be taken quickly before the Russian takeover is complete. Frankly I am surprised there are not marches on Washington. I watch from afar…cancel a visit we had planned to the States…fight for my continued right to vote from Portugal…write my Florida representatives … and pray.
Hi Nancy, I’ve been impressed by seeing the big demonstrations in so many cities. There was even one in Boise last week. It’s too far away to easily participate, though “easy” is probably not the right way to judge. But across the river in Washington there have been a couple. That’s where we’ll start. And I hope prayers are answered.
Mike
Thank you for summarizing the chaos so well! We thought we might ignore US politics once we moved to Portugal but the situation is now too serious. We are “off the fence” and doing what we can from abroad! Learning more about Portugal’s resistance to dictatorship is empowering!! We will overcome 💪
Thanks, Darci. I’ve thought several times about the Portuguese experience under Salazar, and other countries where dictators have ruled. I hope the lessons we learn from them teach us more about how to resist and overcome instead of how to acquiesce.
Dear Mike and Mary, i can fully understand why after years of writing about the simple joys of nourishing our bodies and hearts you have decided to write about the nourishment of our spirit and souls. i do not think that this topic is a matter of how we define American citizenship – i believe that this topic highlights that it is a time for all of us stand up for what it is to be a citizen of the human race. Being considerate of each others well being, and health should be fundamental to humanities state of mind and being. Thank you for this bold departure. PS, Cathy and i made it to Edinburgh as planned – let us catch up some time. Much love to both you and Mary. jonathan
Jonathan, thanks for commenting. We’re happy to hear that you and Cathy are in Edinburg. Looking forward to our next trip when we can catch up in person.