And to think that Elon Musk who says the BBB is an abomination was the man who first gloated over throwing USAID "into the woodchipper". The demise of USAID is an abomination all on its own ... killing it serves no objective rationale and costs were minimal in the scheme of the overall budget (and helped our farmers!). But the dismantling of USAID is consistent with the incompetence and cruelty of the DJT Regime.
USAID is the essence of US soft power. Providing food, medicines, and all kinds of support activities and funding have paid off world recognition that no other country can claim. Of course, our two dumbbells, the Prez and Elon Musk, can't understand the concept of soft power. Of course they had to eliminate a waste of money like that. Of course they had to fire USAID employees and anyone at State who realizes the value of foreign aid to the US reputation.
This is just one more reminder (like we don't have enough already!) of how bad this regime is. The trouble is that we don't need to be told any more about how bad the cuts to USAID are, or how how much harm the Big Ugly Bill will do to lower-income Americans, or how horrific the ICE detention camp in Florida is, or the military presence in Los Angelis, etc etc etc. There needs to be a real, effective organized resistance in order to result in concrete change. Well-attended though they may be, the 50501 rallies do not result in any real, effectual change, and we can't wait until the 2026 elections. Does anyone have any ideas? The resistance must be nonviolent.
My first suggestion would be a nation-wide boycott of the state of Florida. Don't vacation there; travel to Mexico instead. Florida's state economy is heavily-dependent on tourism. Don't spend your travel dollars in Florida. Don't buy any Florida produce. Support Mexican-grown fruits, even if it's more expensive due to tariffs.
Mark, I understand your frustration! As a resident of Florida, I'd LOVE to boycott it myself. The problem with your suggestion is that so many "innocent" people will be seriously harmed by that process. The wealthy of the state could care less about the "tourist dollar"! Boycotts are complicated and take too long. Non-violence is a slow process, demonstrations are effective and allows for a steady beat and drives opinion, gives opportunity to "do something", stays under the radar, etc.
May I suggest that you create your own group (?) as a way to influence neighbors, family, friends? We need people to be ready to VOTE! Voters need to be educated, active and not just show up at the polls. We didn't do enough of that in 2024. We are now paying the price.
And to think that Elon Musk who says the BBB is an abomination was the man who first gloated over throwing USAID "into the woodchipper". The demise of USAID is an abomination all on its own ... killing it serves no objective rationale and costs were minimal in the scheme of the overall budget (and helped our farmers!). But the dismantling of USAID is consistent with the incompetence and cruelty of the DJT Regime.
USAID is the essence of US soft power. Providing food, medicines, and all kinds of support activities and funding have paid off world recognition that no other country can claim. Of course, our two dumbbells, the Prez and Elon Musk, can't understand the concept of soft power. Of course they had to eliminate a waste of money like that. Of course they had to fire USAID employees and anyone at State who realizes the value of foreign aid to the US reputation.
This is just one more reminder (like we don't have enough already!) of how bad this regime is. The trouble is that we don't need to be told any more about how bad the cuts to USAID are, or how how much harm the Big Ugly Bill will do to lower-income Americans, or how horrific the ICE detention camp in Florida is, or the military presence in Los Angelis, etc etc etc. There needs to be a real, effective organized resistance in order to result in concrete change. Well-attended though they may be, the 50501 rallies do not result in any real, effectual change, and we can't wait until the 2026 elections. Does anyone have any ideas? The resistance must be nonviolent.
My first suggestion would be a nation-wide boycott of the state of Florida. Don't vacation there; travel to Mexico instead. Florida's state economy is heavily-dependent on tourism. Don't spend your travel dollars in Florida. Don't buy any Florida produce. Support Mexican-grown fruits, even if it's more expensive due to tariffs.
Mark, I understand your frustration! As a resident of Florida, I'd LOVE to boycott it myself. The problem with your suggestion is that so many "innocent" people will be seriously harmed by that process. The wealthy of the state could care less about the "tourist dollar"! Boycotts are complicated and take too long. Non-violence is a slow process, demonstrations are effective and allows for a steady beat and drives opinion, gives opportunity to "do something", stays under the radar, etc.
May I suggest that you create your own group (?) as a way to influence neighbors, family, friends? We need people to be ready to VOTE! Voters need to be educated, active and not just show up at the polls. We didn't do enough of that in 2024. We are now paying the price.