Let's stop pretending these stories of people "turning on Trump" mean ANYTHING for actual policy or activity going forward.
The first time anything MIGHT have any impact is after the midterm elections, and that comes with such a laundry list of qualifications...
It will require people willing to stop Trump to win those elections, but that's just step ONE, and that's the EASY step. Next, it will require democrats to be willing to grow a pair and stand for at LEAST one principle, it will require the executive branch to not simply IGNORE any directives or legislation (which they are ALREADY doing - talk to me when the Epstein files are released as required by law), and it will require the Supreme Court to not invent batshit reasons to neuter congressional power.
We are not at a turning point. Things will not get better until they get far, far worse.
I intentionally ignore the vast majority of everything on my phone until I can get to a real computer. Phones and tablets feel like unmitigated torture and I loathe it every time I have to use one to do something
I was already out of the country during... the last time bad event happened... and I decided to stick it out and build a new life and get a permanent residence in case things did not improve. And then they didn't. I just managed to get my permanent residence right before... the current time bad event happened (2024).
The simplest thing I can say is, I don't regret the decision. I gave up a lot on the journey to my new life, but what I gained is knowledge and understanding of just how much crap you don't actually have to put up with... how much you SHOULDN'T have to put up with. Some things are worse, sure, but so much has been better for me as well... but one of the big problems I didn't think about is, the survivor's guilt is real. For what it's worth, I don't think in absolute terms there's any shame in fleeing. A nation is a societal construct in the first place, and I don't think you particularly owe anything to the nation you happen to be born in, especially one that shows such utter contempt for its citizens on a daily basis. But the people you know and care about... and the innocent people that don't have the opportunity you do to do the same... leaving them there leaves a wound, even when you KNOW deep down there is very little you can do personally by virtue of suffering through it with them. I know ultimately, my being here means I no longer pay taxes to support a US government that does heinous things... I no longer work for a company that actively makes the world worse... and I still vote from here, still support those that I believe in to help see change in the system... and I use that as a salve, but the simple reality is I don't get to be here with a clear conscience. It's a weakness, and I feel selfish for the choice I made. I don't know anything about you - perhaps none of this is an issue for you, and I'm not saying it should be, but if you know your own conscience to be prone to this kind of thinking, it is something you should also consider.
That is true, and I used "bank account" as a stand-in for what I really meant, which is "financial options". By not spending money, you have the insulation of not panicking when expenses come up, you have more general leverage over your life, and you get the peace of mind that comes with it. Of course, there are better places to PUT it than a bank account.
It's also a virtuous circle... if you don't spend, you don't have as much financial stress, which means you need less distraction to take the pressure off, which means you spend less money on things you don't really want, which means you save more.
I'm glad she seems to have had this epiphany, but I'd prefer that she shut up and go have it privately. She's done more than enough damage, and this posturing REEKS of her trying to position herself to jockey for a higher position. She hasn't earned ANY benefit of the doubt or undone a FRACTION of the damage she's caused.
Even now... she's not out there helping to primary MAGAs or doing the ACTUAL legwork that needs to be done - she's trying to sell herself and her new leaf. It's sickening, self-serving, and transparent.
You got out with a MUCH happier ending than you deserve. Now go off and live your life and leave the rest of us to clean up the mess YOU made.
He doesn't care who he makes an enemy of anymore.
He's accountable to nobody.
Let's stop pretending these stories of people "turning on Trump" mean ANYTHING for actual policy or activity going forward.
The first time anything MIGHT have any impact is after the midterm elections, and that comes with such a laundry list of qualifications...
It will require people willing to stop Trump to win those elections, but that's just step ONE, and that's the EASY step. Next, it will require democrats to be willing to grow a pair and stand for at LEAST one principle, it will require the executive branch to not simply IGNORE any directives or legislation (which they are ALREADY doing - talk to me when the Epstein files are released as required by law), and it will require the Supreme Court to not invent batshit reasons to neuter congressional power.
We are not at a turning point. Things will not get better until they get far, far worse.