"Government Waste"

I was surprised when my husband said to me yesterday morning "Do NOT end your blog - don't you give up now, when it's more important than ever. That's your voice, which you haven't had much in life - and no one can take this away from you."

I was surprised because of the previous trouble my opinions have caused, so he previously wasn't a fan.


But with recent events - such as Trump's executive order yesterday giving asylum just to "white South Africans" - he realizes how important having a voice really is, now more than ever.

(I encourage you to read the addition to that post below.)

He also asked me to put a post back up about his mother's story - or more accurately, how his mother's story intersected with our story.

I did so, but as new memories/stories were continually being added to it, some mixed feelings about her came up, I took it down until it's complete and I could make it more cohesive.

Anyway, this morning, a local Reddit thread popped up in my inbox about protest organization.

I rarely comment anywhere, and it's usually positive (unless it's really, really bad), but since I asked a question on Reddit about a year ago about an upcoming local event,  the Lexington feed now pops up in my email.

Today, it was a new woman in town, politely asking about any upcoming protests.  I went to that thread because I wanted to know myself.

Now, unfortunately, despite being a mostly blue city, Lexington is not the best organizer of these sorts of things.  

They prefer to pretend nothing is wrong, not rock the boat, like posts on IG or FB, but otherwise stick their heads in the sand -  even when Trump has threatened to get rid of the Department or Education -  which is not only the largest employer in the city, but the entire State of Kentucky.

(You would actually be surprised how many Trumpers actually work at Fayette County Public Schools, these days, actually - wonder how Trumper they'll feel when they don't have jobs anymore.)

So a few people answered her, which I jotted down myself.

Then, of course, the "Trump welcoming committee" came in (sarcasm), with their typical Trump method of trying to bully people into joining them - intelligence-bashing, name-calling, etc. - which she just ignored.

Of course, this did not sit well with me, after recent events. 😂

Now, you would think they'd look at their own words staring back at them in the thread and go "Wow, I acted like an ass to the literal new girl in town, that was uncalled for." 

Nope. 

Except one of them did ask a civil question about how we could argue with cutting government waste?

(Of course, he later devolved into some tamer intelligence insults, name-calling/bashing - just not as nasty.)

Like I said, I rarely comment anywhere anymore,  especially not politically, as I'm not going to change anyone's minds. 

However, I thought I'd reward this semi-attempt at civil discussion, rather than just bashing.

You know, like "Good Trump attack dog, semi-nice doggie. At least you're not going for the jugular. Here's a salty little treat answer for you!" 😂

So here it is - the first political comment I've left anywhere other than my own blog since Trump's first time in office.

( I originally had it under the main thread, so I moved it to reply directly and edited it.)

I moved this comment to reply directly. I guess it depends on your definition of "waste." I don't consider healthcare and social security for our most vulnerable Americans - including seniors who paid it in already - "waste."  

I don't consider consumer protection programs "waste."  

I don't consider the Department of Education "waste."  

I don't consider the anti-bribery and corruption laws he just tried to executive order away as "waste."

You would have a point about cutting government waste - IF Trump wasn't also trying to buy Greenland, the Panama Canal, and take over the Gaza Strip with "our tax dollars" - not to mention risk our young people's lives in unnecessary conflict.

We can't even afford groceries, but he wants to buy/takeover places like Gaza who don't even have resources we can use, just to obtain real estate for himself?

But heck yeah, let's all vacay at the Trump hotel in the Gaza strip and get pipe-bombed!

Let's all disrespectfully party and dance on the graves of the Jewish people were abducted, raped, and killed here and where Palestinian children were killed in hospital bombings - woo hoo! (Sarcasm)

What's next, we turn concentration camps and former slave plantations into Trump amusement parks?

Regardless, I for dang sure didn't vote for Elon Musk to be in charge of "cutting waste" and to have access to the U.S. Treasury (and no one else did either).

This isn't small government and cutting waste - this is monster government, simultaneously expansionist and isolationist - with our tax dollars.

But please, wax poetic some more about Patriotism, about the Republican Party cutting government waste and being the party of small government, while Trump does anything but and rips up our constitution in the process - it amuses us.

 

PS - I really wouldn't be talking about any President's sons being cocaine junkies if I were you. Junior has quite the cocaine reputation himself. People who live in glass white houses, you know.

Well, I did say it was salty 😂

Sorry, not a fan of bullies and gang-up attempts, successful or not.

I've actually stood up for a Trump-Republican before, when I saw a gang-up forming, because the person was polite, but people just piled on her.

Mostly, I kill 'em with kindness -  not because I'm trying to, but because I just believe in being kind, believing that's what the world needs most, right now.

At most, I try to change the subject or find common ground, promote unity.

But occasionally, when I see a bully gang-up attempt, it irks me that grown adults can't behave themselves and act like grown-ups, on whatever political side (but more often than not, a Trumper).

(But as I've said, it's usually for someone else, rather than myself - NOT great at defending myself.)

My mom said I've been like that since I was little, but I guess it's heightened right now due to recent events.

And just like then, or now, it almost never ends well 🤣

Though it occasionally stops it - the better method, of course, being approaching the target to comfort, change the subject/ask them something about themselves, or just stand beside them by liking their comment, rather than take on the bully(ies) - but rarely does any of this work. 

Because even in the best case scenario, the target thanks you privately, but it's still not effective overall, because the target is blaming themselves/feeling self-doubt because so many are coming at them, and they start to believe it must be true.  

So you try to tell them the problem isn't them, it's the ones coming at them out of their own issues; however, because it's usually just you and the target against many, it has little effect.

Then, of course, it's the target goes off to therapy, rather than the raging group of sociopaths that cyberbullied them, apparently having way too much free time on their hands.

At most, maybe even some observers will come and tell you privately that they're glad someone said something, but they didn't themselves, because they're too afraid to the new target themselves, like I did 😂

But the very worst case scenario, of course, is this:  It doesn't stop, you've become the new target - AND - the target that you just stood up for has now joined on the bully bandwagon, so happy the heat is of them now and they "belong!"  😂

That's only happened a couple of times, many years ago, but it did leave me wondering "Why the BLEEP did I just stand up for you again?" 😂

.

This quality of not being able to stand when grown adults attempt or engage in bully gang-ups is both my best and worst quality, for better or worse outcome -  I juuuuusst can't help myself, can I? 😊

If they reply with an attempt at civil discussion, I might answer - if not, I won't be returning, thank you!

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PS - I put this comment on the main thread instead of replying directly somehow, so I moved it, added some to the first paragraph, and added a PS.